Because I work with so many business owners on their internet marketing campaigns, I’m acutely aware of the fact that many are struggling with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Although companies of all sizes love the activity of PPC – with its ability to generate instant website traffic from likely buyers – I’ve seen time and time again the companies that fail to use it efficiently.
The problem is that it’s incredibly easy to set up a PPC advertising campaign, but difficult to optimize it for profitability. That task gets a lot easier, though, when you understand a few basic rules to the game.
With that in mind, today I want to share my four fundamentals of PPC advertising…
#1 Go Where the Customers Are
How do the buyers you want to target find a business like yours? Finding the answer to that question could include a review of available keywords and search terms on Google, or looking through demographic data on Facebook. Whether you are using either or both, the first step towards PPC advertising success is to have your messages shown in the places your customers are likely to look for them. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter how clever or compelling your ads are.
#2 Add First and Eliminate Aggressively
When setting up PPC advertising campaigns, I generally follow a two-step process. First, I add together lots of different keywords, demographic groups, and messages. Basically, I look for ways to target more and more buyers. The second step takes things in the other direction, using negative keywords and other takeaways to eliminate non-profitable traffic from the equation. The point is to target all the best buyers, not to waste your money by displaying ads to people who aren’t likely to be interested in what you have to sell.
#3 Optimize for Conversions
The general calculus of PPC advertising goes something like this: find likely buyers, bring them to your website, and then let them discover how wonderful your business is. That’s a good formula, but that sometimes leads business owners to do everything they can to increase website traffic. That’s only the first step. Smart marketers always pay attention to conversions rather than visits. If you can reduce traffic to your website (and thereby lower costs) without impacting sales, that’s a good trade. It might not be as immediately satisfying, but it’s good for your business.
#4 Test Everything
There isn’t any element of your PPC advertising campaigns, from the keywords or demographics you select to the layout of your landing pages, that shouldn’t be examined, scrutinized, and tested again and again. Once your accounts have been set up, your main goal is to keep finding ways to squeeze out small percentage improvements, one at a time, making your website more and more profitable as you go. As long as you don’t get complacent, your PPC advertising will become more valuable over time.
Obviously, there is a lot more to PPC advertising than simply following four simple guidelines. However, if you can work with these principles in mind, your campaigns are likely to become more and more profitable over time. That’s good business, and a lot better than the alternative.
To get experienced and personalized assistance with your PPC advertising campaigns, call Biondo Creative today to get a free PPC account review and consultation.