Pay-per-click advertising is a bit like having your very own billboard up on the internet. It’s a great weapon in your advertising arsenal, but to wield it effectively, you want to follow a few best practices to be sure you’re maxing out your ROI.
Start With Goals
Setting clear goals gives you a map to follow and guides all your efforts, so you avoid wasting time and money on initiatives that don’t align with your business objectives. Only with goals in mind can you keep your eye on what’s important and effectively measure your success. Let’s consider a few common ones.
Make That Sale
If your goal is to increase sales, your ads can use targeted keywords related to your products to drive traffic to your store. To do that well, you’ll need to create compelling ad copy that highlights special offers and direct users to product-specific landing pages. Metrics such as conversion rate, cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS) will be vital to track here.
Get the Traffic Running
Let’s say what you want is to boost traffic to your website. If that’s the case, use broader keywords and craft ads that encourage clicks. Then link those ads to content on your sites that’s engaging and will keep people there for a while. Key metrics here would include click-through rate (CTR) and total clicks.
Capture Leads
If you’re looking to generate leads, the way to get it is to trade something with value in exchange for contact details, so again use targeted keywords but now direct users to a landing page with a clear call-to-action (CTA). The number of leads generated, cost per lead (CPL), and lead conversion rate are essential metrics for this goal.
Building Your Brand
This is another common goal, and it can be done really well through display ads and video ads on platforms like Google Display Network or YouTube. Here the key is to use really appealing and memorable ad creatives that target broad but still relevant audiences. Metrics such as impressions, reach, and brand recall surveys will help you measure the success of this campaign.
To ensure all your goals are effective, each of them needs to be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Choose Wisely
Keywords are the phrases that people type in when they are looking for products, services, or information, and for your pay-per-click adds nothing’s more important than choosing the right ones. First, your keywords have to be specific to your business and whom you want visiting. Something too general won’t cut it.
For instance, if you sell handmade soaps, using the keyword “organic handmade soap” is far more effective than just using “soap.” The more specific keyword helps to attract customers who are specifically looking for organic and handmade products rather than a broad audience of people who might want some soap but aren’t interested in (or maybe willing to pay for) anything organic or handmade. Broad keywords like “soap” will lead to a lot of clicks that don’t result in sales, and that just wastes your ad budget.
Using specific keywords also allows you to better match the intent of your customers’ searches. When people search for “organic handmade soap,” they are likely looking for a specific type of product, and if your ad matches their search intent, they are more likely to click on it and make a purchase. And be sure to keep looking at performance data regularly on the keywords you’ve chosen. If you notice certain keywords are driving a lot of traffic but not many conversions, adjust the strategy.
Keep Track
Pay-per-click isn’t set-it-and-forget-it: you have to be tracking those conversions. A conversion happens when a visitor takes the specific action you want after they’ve clicked on your ad. Google Analytics is an excellent tool for tracking conversions, and once you set it up, you can identify what’s working and what isn’t and optimize your campaign for better results. For example, say you notice that a particular keyword is leading to a high number of purchases. If it’s working well, consider allocating more of your budget to that keyword.
Also, tracking conversions shows you how you’re doing in terms of return on investment (ROI). By comparing the cost of your PPC campaign to the revenue generated from conversions, you can determine whether your advertising spend is justified. You’ll also want to set up conversion tracking within the PPC platform you’re using, such as Google Ads or Bing Ads. You want to combine some data from different sources so you get the most comprehensive view possible of your campaign performance.
Do Your A/B Testing
A/B testing is a really powerful way to make sure you’re getting the best from your PPC ads. Basically, it’s just comparing two versions of an ad to see which one performs better. The idea is to change just one element of the ad at a time, such as the headline, the call to action, or the ad copy. Then run them both and see which one performs best. By isolating a single variable, you can more accurately tell how the change on your ad affects its performance.
For example, you might create two versions of an ad with different headlines. One headline could emphasize a discount, while the other might highlight a unique product feature. By running these ads simultaneously and tracking their performance, you’ll see which headline generates more clicks or conversions, which helps you know which ads to implement across your campaign (and also tells you something about what your audience is most interested in about your product).
Make the Ads Click-Worthy
Keywords are really important, but they can’t do all the work alone. Your ad needs to catch people’s attention quickly and make them want to learn more about your product or service. A clear, catchy headline is the first step, but also your ad copy should be concise and to the point. It has to provide enough information to entice the user but not so much that it overwhelms them.
In addition, it ought to explain how your product or service special sets you apart from your competitors. For instance, if you offer free shipping, a money-back guarantee, or a limited-time discount, make sure to mention these in your ad. And make sure that the ad actually fits the keyword. A clever ad that makes people laugh isn’t any good if they think, “yeah, fun, but I don’t need that.”
Finally, don’t forget a strong call to action (CTA). The CTA tells users what you want them to do next, and it needs to command the reader, not suggest, invite, or imply. Simple but proven CTAs include “Buy Now,” “Sign Up Today,” or “Get Your Free Quote.” While it might seem that a simple “buy now” would never work, it’s been proven that a compelling CTA can significantly increase your click-through rate (CTR) and drive more conversions.
Get the Help You Need
If it sounds like a lot of work to get your PPC campaign performing like you need, that’s because it is. But for us, it’s our bread and butter and just part of what we do every day. Contact us now at LovelyPixels and let’s max out your ROI.
