PPC is a powerful way to boost your online business, but it's not without its pitfalls. Here are seven common mistakes that can keep you from reaching your advertising goals:
Not Setting A PPC Budget
Setting a budget is one of the most important things you can do for your PPC campaign. Without it, you'll be left with no idea of how much money to spend or where that money should go.
If you don't have one yet, start by calculating how much time and energy you want to put into this project—how many hours per week? How much effort do I want my company's name out there in terms of its advertising presence? Do we want to focus on social media only (which can be more expensive than other forms), or are we going after search engines like Google as well? Once these questions are answered, write down some numbers on paper that reflect those answers:
How many months do I think this will take?
What is our goal over time? Will we be able to hit it in three months if everything goes smoothly; six months if things get delayed due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness or death; etc.?
Long Ad Copy
Long ad copy is frustrating to read. As you're writing your ads, think about how much information you can pack into each one without it being too long or boring. The best way to do this is by writing in a way that will convince the reader to click on your ad and take action.
For example, if you're selling a product on Amazon (or any other eCommerce site), don't include a long description of why people should buy it—just say what they'll get when they buy it!
No Variation In Ad Copy
Ad copy is the most important part of a PPC campaign. It’s what will convince a user to click on your ad, so it should be different for each keyword and ad group.
Your ad copy should have variations, such as:
Unbranded text ads – this could include phrases like “order now” or “buy now”
Branded text ads – these are usually longer than unbranded versions and include more detail (for example: “You can get this product at [store name] for less than $10 today only!”)
Landing Page Is Irrelevant To Your Ad Copy
Landing pages are meant to match the ad copy. If your ad copy is targeting a specific audience, then the landing page needs to reflect that same audience. For example, if you're running an ad campaign targeted at women over 50 who love cats and dogs, then it makes sense that your landing page would also feature images of cats and dogs (and maybe even one or two cats wearing dresses).
Landing pages should be relevant as well. The goal of any PPC campaign is ultimately getting website visitors who see those ads on Google search results or social media sites like Facebook—so make sure people can find what they're looking for when they arrive at your site!
You need a clear, concise copy on all documents related from start-up through the expansion stage so people don't get lost along the way; this means no long paragraphs full of confusing words like "website design company" instead use simple sentences like "We're a website design company."
Lack of Mobile Optimization
Mobile users are often in a hurry and don't have time to read long ads. You can use this information to your advantage by optimizing your site for mobile users.
Mobile-friendly sites are important for SEO as well as PPC campaigns, because they better rank on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! More importantly though, they provide a better user experience by allowing visitors more access to content via their smartphone or tablet device than desktop browsers do currently (which is why so many websites still look like they were built around 2004). It's also important that you optimize the layout of your page so it works well across all devices—this includes optimizing images for retina displays and ensuring text appears correctly regardless of whether or not there is sufficient contrast between text color/font size/etc., which means making sure images aren't blurry when viewed from certain angles; making sure links aren't too small; ensuring headlines display properly without having an extraneous spacing between words when viewed within proximity distance from each other at small sizes such as 200x200 pixels; etc.
Not Using Call Extensions
Call extensions are a great way to drive more calls to your business. They can be used in conjunction with other ad extensions, such as video or map location.
However, call extensions are not supported by all mobile devices and browsers. Additionally, some ad networks may not accept calls from certain countries or carriers (e.g., only Verizon Wireless supports call extensions).
Not Monitoring Performance or Making Adjustments
As you build your PPC campaign, it is important to monitor performance. Knowing what’s working and what’s not will help you make adjustments so that your ads are more effective in reaching the right audience.
It is also important to make sure that all of your landing pages and ads are relevant to one another. For example, if an ad shows up on Google with a certain keyword phrase (e.g., “best food delivery services”), then it would be beneficial for this keyword phrase to appear somewhere within the landing page as well (e.g., “delivery service reviews by top chefs”).
Avoid these mistakes to increase your PPC effectiveness.
Set a budget before starting.
Use long ad copy.
Use variation in your ads to increase engagement and conversion rates.
Have landing pages relevant to your ad copy, and make sure they are optimized for mobile users as well as desktop users (if applicable).
Make sure you’re using call extensions to maximize conversions from PPC ads by offering immediate phone support on any issue that may arise during the checkout process or after the purchase has been made online through Google Shopping Engine (GSE).
Conclusion
We hope you’ve learned a lot about how to avoid common PPC mistakes. While it may be difficult to get a handle on all of the details, we encourage you to keep these tips in mind as you continue your journey toward increased CPCs and ROI. As always, if there are any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us so that we can help!
