Three Common PPC Management Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

These businesses will launch their PPC campaign and then wonder why they don't achieve the conversion rate that they expected. By avoiding three common mistakes, businesses will maximize their return on their ad spend and build their customer base using successful PPC ads.

1) Keywords

Problem: Some advertisers choose every available keyword phrase they comes to mind and stuff them into one PPC ad. Also, some bid on keywords that are too generic. When businesses keyword stuff their ads, they lose the opportunity to see which keywords are most effective at driving traffic to their sites. When businesses bid on keywords that are too generic, their ad may appear for searches that are not relevant to their business.

Solution: Businesses should choose one or two specific keyword phrases per ad so that they can test which keywords are most effective. If keywords do not work, then businesses can eliminate that ad and try a new one. When business owners decide to choose very general keywords, they should use negative keywords to ensure that customers who enter an irrelevant search are not mistakenly directed to their site.

2) Budget

Problem: Some business owners set their PPC budget either too high or too low. When the PPC budget is too high, businesses sometimes inadvertently enter a tightly contested bidding war with other companies. On the other end, when businesses starve their advertising budgets, Google will only show the ad intermittently throughout the day or first thing in the morning. This negatively affects a business because many customers browse a website and come back later to make a purchase. If customers cannot find the website, they will not be able to make their purchase later.

Solution: Experts suggest that businesses will still achieve a positive click-through-rate if they aim to rank in the middle of the first page rather than at the top. Using PPC estimators to aim for spots four through seven and then writing a relevant ad will cause the ad's quality score to jump. Even with a slightly lower maximum cost per click, businesses will be able to hit the middle of the Top Ten and capture customer clicks. On the other hand, if businesses bid too low, they will never make it into the Top Ten.

3) Not Tracking Metrics

Problem: Some businesses fail to track metrics because they do not maintain their accounts. When businesses fail to track conversions, they have no idea which keywords perform best for them. These businesses will continue to pay for low-performing keywords and will find that their quality score will drop significantly.

Solution: Businesses have to consistently tweak their ads and monitor their metrics in order to ensure that their ads are effective at attracting customers. Any keyword phrases with a high rate of impressions but a CTR of less than one percent should be eliminated. If businesses have a decent CTR on an ad but think that conversion could be better, then they may try adjusting ad copy to encourage customers to click. Small adjustments and frequent testing will help businesses to find the perfect copy to attract customers. The keywords and ads that earn the highest conversions should be kept, while keywords and ads that fail to convert should be deleted.

For effective PPC management, businesses should generally log into their Adwords account at least once per week. Many tutorials are available that teach business owners how to understand Google's Keyword Tool and Google Analytics. Taking the time to monitor, manage and adjust PPC ad campaigns will result in a much more effective investment of a company's advertising dollar.

Regular PPC management will ensure that businesses get the most from their advertising budget. Avoiding three common mistakes will keep ad campaigns relevant to increase both click through and conversion.

Gaining assistance with your ppc management could result in a greater return on investment for you and your business. Creating the perfect solution for you and your company, Ranking Solutions are the experts to consult.