A successful PPC campaign can be challenging for any web business. But producing results consistently is a reliable way to grow sales. There are a few basic things you should know before starting a new PPC campaign.
Take the time to know your target audience
Find and follow the links of your top competitors and see who they target. The top 3 ads get 46% of the clicks. Explore the demographics, and create a picture of who your ideal buyers would be, and which keywords apply. Segment them into groups and go after each group.
Be diligent on selecting the right keywords
Research blogs and reviews relevant to your offer. Keep a list of frequent words and phrases to add to your keyword list. Visit the Google Keyword Tool and develop a specific list of keywords. You could even keep a list of negative keywords as a reminder of what to avoid. Note the cost per keyword. Some companies with deep pockets are heavily invested in PPC advertising and spend millions per year. Don’t get into a bidding war you can’t win.
Don’t bet on one concept
Click Precision recommends that you “Try a varied approach to get a better idea of what works with what offer. Don’t focus on one keyword, one offer, or one demographic, especially if you’ve got multiple offers. Come up with at least two keyword lists and two good ads for each target group. Be aware that 36% of searches involve location. Use that to your advantage.”
Have the best landing page possible
It should be easy to find out about your offer, and easy to order. A good metric is to ask yourself, can the visitor discover the benefits and make an order in 10 seconds? Make the site mobile-friendly. More than 50% of clicks are coming from searches done on smart phones and tablets.
Watch out for fraud
There is a long history of trying to defraud search companies with fraudulent clicks, either manually or through software robots. Google has paid out millions in legal fees over this. One man who tried to sell such a robot to Google ended up being arrested for extortion. Major search engines have ways to detect click fraud. Don’t forget there are hackers out there who enjoy making trouble, so be sure your site/host has updated security measures in place.
A click campaign can return almost $3 in sales for every $1 spent, so PPC is still a viable marketing approach. Just keep in mind this short list of things you should and should not do.
