Pay Per Click management takes time and effort to get right but, when it works, businesses will see increases in click through rates (CTR), conversions and a decrease in cost per click (CPC). If the business is only just getting started in PPC, they need to kick off the campaign well.
How To Get Started In PPC
To ensure PPC is given the best possible chance of success, there are a few elements which need to be in place. First and foremost, businesses need an appealing website. Google AdWords will only attract new traffic. It can’t convince them to stay and convert, so it’s vital to have a well designed and optimised site. Before setting up an AdWords account, there needs to be a solid strategy with set goals. Finally, Pay Per Click management will only be effective if there is enough commitment to the campaign in terms of both money and time.
A business with a good website, a well thought-out strategy and commitment to the cause has a strong base to start a PPC campaign. Here is how to kick start the campaign the right way.
Keywords – Keywords form the basis of pay per click advertising. These are the terms users will use and their relevance affects quality score. The best keywords are those which are relevant to a business’ product and services, so the company website is a good place to start when researching keywords. Focus should be on quality, rather than quantity, and terms shouldn’t be too general. Broader keywords will have a lot more competition and be more expensive.
Bidding – To start with, budget should be divided by the number of days in the month and then split across campaigns. Once the campaign has been allowed to run, it will be easier to allocate money accordingly between days. For better control over the budget when bidding, businesses should focus on clicks and manually bid for clicks.
Tracking and Testing – PPC is measurable and provides almost immediate data which allows businesses to track and evaluate progress. They show which keywords are and aren’t working, which landing pages convert more and how users interact with the site. Testing different elements through A/B testing can provide insight into how the campaign needs to be improved.
Ad Text – Ad writing has to attract attention using only a small amount of text, so it needs to be good. The title needs to grab attention because it is competing with other ads and organic results. Keywords should be included in the headline and the copy to increase relevancy and quality score, but should also be written for the user. The call to action tells the customer what to do, for example ‘Shop Now!’ for users ready to buy.