With the advent of platforms like Google AdWords and Bing Ads, posting targeted advertisements by Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising method has become infamous. Just like any other digital marketing initiative, PPC requires honest efforts, a solid plan of action and effective execution. The concept is simple. Pay-Per-Click Advertising target users on websites through information like gender, age, geographical location, and device type/operating system and device type. Businesses/brands pay for publishing their ads which are targeted to the right users via the information provided above and here is also a helpful concept about the Adword Phishing which is an attempt by Google AdWords
PPC:-
Pay-Per-Click Advertising is associated with specific keywords, which when the user types in Google Search are matched and the relevant ad is displayed. For example, if you are an 18-year-old girl residing in Gurgaon and you search for Software coaching institutes, you will get relevant results near your location. Also, the ads may differ if you are using a laptop or a phone (i.e. device type). Pay-Per-Click Advertising is a clever and effective way for marketers to target ads not just on websites/blogs but also on popular apps. The advantages are huge, but only when used in an intelligent way avoiding foolhardy tactics. It is no surprise that the marketer often gets stuck up in their Pay-Per-Click Advertising campaign failing to get the desired number of clicks and that all is considered or a part of marketing and to know about how PPC & Search engine marketing strategy of works.
For example, a major problem marketer’s face is that they are unable to get/search many keywords for their ad. An ample amount of research is required to get a lot of keywords matching your Ad URL to have viewers. Failing to do so leads too little to no clicks since your audiences’ keywords don’t match yours. Also, before setting up an effective Ad campaign there are abundant setting options that need to be disabled. You must be well aware of those before getting going. Also, many businesses think of running ads 24×7 quoting the high probability of visibility. It may not be so always. It may be more effective to target Ads at the right time only. Moreover, if you are a business that is advertising a service that operates only during work hours, then it makes no sense to advertise 24×7.
PPC Advertising Campaign:-
There are a plethora of points marketers need to keep in mind to market their brand through Pay-Per-Click Advertising successfully. It’s all about avoiding common mistakes and standing out. Let’s dive deeper and explore what are the don’ts of Pay-Per-
Click Advertising:
- Don’t optimize everything all at once. For example, you change your Ad content, bids and keywords together. It may lead to more visibility of your Ad but you will never know which factor worked the most. Or which didn’t at all. Thus, in PPC campaigns Optimization is a planned step by step process. It shouldn’t be done all at once as it could kill useful insights.
- Analysts can’t emphasize the importance of A/B testing. It is crucial for every step-in time. For any small change, be it ‘20% off today’ or ‘20% off now’, customers can show a diverse pattern of behavior. A/B testing needs to be performed at regular intervals to gain insights.
- Perform careful bidding, not eyeing the top every time. Of course, everyone wants to be at the top, but bidding for the top blindly can blow your budget more than the revenue you would generate by more clicks. Consider ROI carefully and always bidding for the top is not the best ROI in the long term.
- Google offers an innovative tool called Extensions. You can include special offers, text messages, and other attention-grabbing content. Extensions increase user engagement with your brand and make your ad look more fun. If used smartly, extensions can boost your AdWords Quality Score and better your Ad position. Ultimately, it’s all about effective optimization of Extensions to increase the visibility of your ad
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
- Schedule your ads at the appropriate time. Run ads at a time they are most relevant. For example, if your restaurant is closed on Friday, then you wouldn’t run the ad ‘Come in Today’ on Friday. Also, you enjoy cheaper clicks at a time when your competitors’ budgets are depleted. Thus, monitoring the ideal ‘days of the week’ and ‘time of the week’ is important.
- Another mistake marketers commit is not having a proper structure of your Pay-Per-Click Advertising campaign. Not categorizing layout of your Ad with respect to medium like Facebook, YouTube, etc.; not setting budgets on areas of your business you wish to promote signify poor structuring. Also, not being able to send potential customers to landing pages most relevant to their search is another limitation.
- Don’t run a campaign for a very long time because it doesn’t leave room for much change in your Ad. In contrast, a campaign for a short period of time allows for significant changes that could attract a big pool of customers. So, don’t commit to a long-term campaign.
- Don’t ignore attribution analysis in Google Analytics.
It is very rare that someone converts to a customer on the very first visit to your ad. Usually, after seeing your ad, if the user is interested to buy something, he/she will search for competitors and then decide what’s best. He/she may make multiple visits on your website at different times to narrow down if she will buy your product or not. Thus, to gain insights about what influenced customers’ decisions and for future decision-making, rigorously use attribution analysis offered by Google Analytics.
- Not linking all your Google properties. The integration of Google properties with your AdWords account generates more data and opens the door for more optimization and business insights. Link Google Analytics, Google Merchant Centre (for example, enable shopping campaigns by uploading your product details to Google), Google Play, Search console and your YouTube account to AdWords.
- Hyper-focusing on optimizing only certain keywords is another potential error often committed. Open your mind to diverse keywords/ ways of searching. Keep an eye for fundamentally different types of keywords and optimize a large set. Analyze what could you be doing differently in your account.
We sincerely hope these tips come in handy for when you start your PPC Ad Campaign. Wish you all the best!
