You want to get your startup off the ground. However, initially it can be tough as nobody knows about it. This is where paid advertising comes to the fore. So, here is how to make the most of it.
What is PPC?
Pay per Click or Cost Per Click (CPC) is an online advertising method used to direct traffic to websites. An advert is placed on a website, and it is clicked, the advertiser pays the publisher. When employed correctly, it can be an effective way to drive traffic to your site. Unfortunately, not too many business owners know how to utilize PPC campaigns effectively.
How PPC Really Works
Through programs like Facebook Ads or Google AdWords, advertisers specify the amount they are willing to pay for each person who visits their sites through the ads. They ideally indicate where they want their ads to appear. It can be on content blocks embedded within sites or in search engines results or even both. The marketer that bids the most for a particular set of keywords gets the most exposure on the chosen avenue.
All this sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it’s not technical, but very many have wasted their marketing resources by targeting the wrong keywords or even creating messages that deter the users. If you want to dive into PPC advertising, you may want to keep the following tips in mind.
Tailor Your Keywords and Message For Each Avenue
One of the most common mistakes that marketers make is combining search and content ad placement campaigns. Search placement refers to pay-per-click ads that appear on the search engine results while content placement refers to ads that are placed on other websites in the form of blocks or banners. Most novice online marketers tend to choose both search and content avenues when launching their first campaigns. This is of course, not bad, but using the same keywords, ad copy, and payment for each click is not that effective.
Running the same ads and posting the same message could cost you money in terms of irrelevant placement. As such, you may want to take the time to customize your campaign and tailor your message, keyword phrases, and bids for each platform.
Avoid “broad match” keywords
Another huge and costly mistake that most people make is setting all keywords as broad match. This basically means that your advert will appear both for your chosen keyword and any relevant or similar variations that your program deems appropriate. Of course, this type of placement will give you larger exposure, but you risk driving irrelevant traffic to your website, which you will have unknowingly paid for. For instance, a cost per click ad with the broad match term ‘baby gift ideas’ could be easily displayed for the query ‘show ideas’. This will only drive people to your site who are not interested at the time, with what you have to offer. So, avoid wasting money and focus on precise or exact match keywords.
Efficiently Target Ad Campaigns
To increase the efficiency of your campaign, make sure you use the features on your advertisement program that allow you to specify what audience sees your ads. This also ensures that you get relevant traffic.
To further help you on targeting, here are a few areas to consider:
Micro-geographic Focus- If you plan to target the local market using a keyword like ‘local plumbers in Texas’, use the micro-geographic targeting option to your advantage so that your ad will appear in that region only.
- Multiple countries- If you want to advertise in various countries, you may want to create an ad group for each. Otherwise, limit your ads to your country.
- Time of day- if your ads have proven to drive the most traffic in a certain time, set your campaign in a way that your ads only appear during that particular time.
- Needless to say if all of this sounds quite complex then using a pay per click management agency could be a great time saver.
Utilize Negative Keywords
It is also a good idea to specify where your ads shouldn’t appear. For instance, if you are advertising for ‘baby shower gift ideas’ mark the terms ‘shower and baby’ as negative phrases. This helps eliminate unnecessary placements, thus saving you on advertising money. Here is a good piece on tips on how to do this.
Write a Compelling Ad Copy and be Willing to Test
Writing the most efficient ad message can be hard. You will need to test various versions of the text to see which performs best. Most of the CPC programs allow marketers to split up tests that rotate varying ads for each targeted keyword phrases. Ensure you alter your settings to allow for random displaying of the ads rather than the PPC program’s formula of showing the ad it speculates will have the most clicks. Knowing what copy works best will ensure you maximize your ROI.
Match Your Landing Pages to Ads
Another common and very costly mistake that people make is sending their visitors to irrelevant landing pages. A visitor who lacks what brought them will not hesitate to leave your site. Also, no one has the time to go through your site in search of what you advertised. Also, keep in mind that ads that lead to irrelevant pages can lead to the assessment of lower ad quality scores. That implies that you will end up paying more while receiving less exposure. So, make your landing pages as relevant as possible. You can start by reducing the number of keywords which might be the reason your ads are appearing on queries that are barely related.
Use these tips and your PPC ad campaign will be simple and certainly fruitful.
