Using pay-per-click ads is a great way to promote your business and services online.

If you’re new to the concept, these ads are a form of digital marketing where a business or organisation will publish an ad online, and get charged each time the ad is clicked on. These ads are built on a series of keywords, designed to get your ad in front of people most likely to be interested in that product or service.

These keywords are bid on – basically what someone is willing to pay when their ad is clicked on. The higher the bid, the more likely the ad is to be displayed. Other factors include relevancy to a search term and the quality of the ad.

Whether you’re new to pay-per-click advertising, or you’ve run ads before, there are the top mistakes to avoid:

 

Landing pages

The point of this form of digital marketing is to take people to a landing page where they get more information or make a purchase. It is a key aspect of PPC because it plays a huge aspect in getting conversions.

If the landing page you’re sending people to isn’t relevant or of high quality, you won’t get a good return on your investment. For example, if your ad mentions a sale, make sure the landing page is relevant to the sale like a product page or page offering more information about the promotion.

 

Irregular monitoring

One of the biggest mistakes people make with PPC is assuming that your ads will take care of themselves. This is not the case. You need to monitor your ads on a regular basis to ensure they are performing as well as possible. This will include updating keywords, adjusting ad copy and updating landing pages.

Whilst the ads will work on their own, the only way to get positive and consistent results is to monitor your PPC ads on a regular basis.

 

Spelling mistakes

Have you ever spotted an ad online that didn’t seem quite right? People are wearier of what they click than ever before. The internet is notorious for having shady clickable links everywhere and you don’t want your ad to fall in this category in the eyes of your audience.

Spelling mistakes are a red flag for anyone browsing the internet, so proofread your content twice. Just to be safe.

The never-ending campaign

Whilst it’s important to run consistent ads to drive business, people will grow tired of seeing repeat ads. Shorter, sharper campaigns are more effective. Plus, updating your messaging shows new offers to your customers which may be more relevant to them.

 

Too many keywords in an ad group

Using too many keywords can lower or entirely diminish the performance and relevancy of your ad. Starting with fewer words is a much better way to test the performance of your ad.

Having too many keywords will also make the ad more difficult to manage and will make your ad’s theme group less precise. Plus, you can always add more keywords as you track the performance of your ads.

 

Not updating keywords

One of the most important aspects of PPC is to keep your keywords in line with your business goals. You’re paying for these keywords, so if you leave underperforming keywords in your ads, you’ll be wasting your budget.

Invest your budget in words that will deliver more bang for your buck.

 

Playing the numbers game

If you’re running PPC ads on behalf of a client, it can be very tempting to aim for a number one ranking. It looks great! However, this should be the ultimate goal. The goal should be to generate the highest click-through and conversation rate possible for your clients.

Aiming for the top spot can be time-consuming and expensive, so it’s not always the best use of your time or your client’s money.

Conclusion

The most important thing to remember with PPC ads is that it’s an ongoing process. You’ll never be completely finished, there will always be something you can tweak to enhance the performance of your ads. Whether it’s your own money or a clients budget, you should aim to get the most of your money. Follow these tips and your PPC ads will not only rank better, but they will produce a higher conversation rate for you as well.

Need a hand with optimising your pay-per-click campaign? Zudu can help. Call 01382 690080 to find out more.

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