Google AdWords is one of the most effective ways to drive qualified leads to your website. Give yourself an afternoon to set up your campaigns and you could soon be sending qualified traffic to a brand new website.
This is what sets PPC apart from SEO campaigns. The immediacy and niche targeting is very popular with business owners. You don’t have to put a lot of time into publishing content, building links and optimising your website. If you have the budget, you can start building your website traffic right now.
The broad appeal of PPC means that many companies will launch their campaigns in a rush, keen to get traffic to their site. In their hasty execution, they might miss some of these vital steps. Not only can attention to detail pay off in terms of better leads, it can also lead to a lower cost per click.
Read on to discover our top tips for Google AdWords success…
1. Take the time to choose your keywords
Keyword research is everything. Tape that to your mirror and repeat it every morning.
When building your campaigns, it is important to take the time to choose the right keywords. And while you’re at it, make sure you’re thinking about your negative keywords. These are the keywords that aren’t relevant to your business.
By optimising your keywords and negative keywords, you can make sure your ads are only served to the most relevant people. A keen understanding of search intent will be helpful for this step.
2. Test, test and keep on testing
PPC ads aren’t something you’re going to want to set up and then leave running without a second thought. Test, test and test some more.
Test your message, links, landing pages, keywords.
If you leave your campaigns to run, Google will find a way to get you to spend more money in the name of automated optimisation. If you want to save money and get more qualified leads, you need to be testing and optimising your campaigns.
3. Implement accurate tracking
If you’re testing, you also need to be tracking. Accurate tracking is an essential part of a successful PPC campaign. You need to know what visitors are doing when they land on your website, how many of them convert, what else do they look at? The answers to these questions will feed back into your strategy and help to create a more powerful and cost-effective campaign.
4. Make your landing pages relevant
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the ads and leave the landing pages as an after-thought. Take a moment to think about the expectations of the person clicking on your PPC advert.
What did they search for?
Why did they click on your advert?
What are they hoping to find on your website?
Which key piece of information do they need?
Don’t be afraid to create new landing pages that will ensure a cohesive brand experience. If you notice a high bounce rate from your PPC ads, then it’s time to question if the landing page is doing its job.
Relevant landing pages not only help the customer experience but they also help to drive down your cost per click by increasing your quality score.
5. Use every relevant ad extension
Ad extensions can help you to provide a more accurate user experience while taking up a little bit more space on the SERP. Ad extensions include things like Rich Snippets and Callout Extensions. Both of these can help to boost your visibility and encourage more trust in your adverts. It might take longer to set these up, but it is well worth the effort.
6. Don’t neglect mobile users
A common problem with many PPC campaigns is that they aren’t optimised for mobile users. Remember that a mobile user is more likely to want to pick up the phone and can do so directly from their device, so make sure that this extension is available to viewers on mobile devices.
You should also consider the user experience from a mobile perspective and make sure that your landing pages work as they should on all devices. With so many searches happening on a mobile device, you don’t want to waste your marketing spend on users who are unable to interact with your website once they click through.
If you need help with your PPC marketing campaigns, get in touch with the expert team at Auburn today. You can read more about our PPC success here.