The best PPC practices include:
Pay-per-click advertising improves your online visibility when done right. Historically, it has high ROI performance. Businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 spent on Google Ads. 64% of people click on Google ads when looking to buy an item online. It's crucial to implement the right strategies to gain better visibility in the search engine and increase conversions.
Each platform has unique features and audience targeting options. Google Ads reaches over 90% of internet users worldwide. Facebook Ads target users based on over 350 parameters. LinkedIn Ads, though more expensive, can be highly effective for B2B marketing.
PPC advertising has great potential. But, I advise new PPC advertisers to approach this biz with caution. Paid advertising is expensive. Newbies are prone to exceeding the budget and mismanaging campaigns. It has a steep learning curve, which is why I avoid it completely and use organic leads because it's much more sustainable long-term.
If you're still eager to explore the PPC ad agency biz model, I list 20 best practices in this article. These strategies will help maximize your campaigns while efficiently managing costs.
1. Use single keyword ad groups (SKAGs)
Focus each ad group on one keyword for better targeting and more precise ad copy. SKAGs can increase click-through rates (CTR) by up to 28%.
Example: Instead of having an ad group for "running shoes," create separate ad groups for "men's running shoes," "women's running shoes," and "kids' running shoes."
Indicators of Success in SKAGs
2. Do thorough keyword research
Use tools like SEMrush, Google Keyword Planner, or Ahrefs for extensive keyword analysis. These tools help you find high-performing terms with great search volume.
According to WordStream, the average conversion rate for Google Ads across all industries is 3.75% for search and 0.77% for display. Proper keyword research can help you identify terms that perform above these averages.
SEMrush: Offers comprehensive keyword analytics. It provides information like search volume, keyword difficulty, and SERP features. SemRush provides competitor keyword analysis and gap analysis.
Google Keyword Planner: It is a free tool within Google Ads. Google Keyword Planner offers search volume data and forecasts for keyword performance.
Ahrefs: It is known for its extensive backlink database. Ahrefs offers powerful keyword research features. It provides "clicks" data, which shows how many searches result in actual clicks.
3. Automate bidding strategies
Use automated bidding features in Google Ads to optimize bids for better performance. Automated bidding improves conversion rates by up to 30%. Google's Smart Bidding uses machine learning to optimize for conversions in every auction. This feature is known as "auction-time bidding."
Google Ads PPC Best Practices
4. Optimize ad copies
Your ad text should include keywords that catch the attention of your target audience. Optimizing ad copies of PPC campaigns improves the quality score of ads. Ads with emotional appeals perform 50% better than those without. They drive 31% more sales to the business.
Example: An ad copy that says "Buy Running Shoes," could be improved to "Transform Your Run with Our Lightweight, Cushioned Shoes."
5. Use negative keywords
Exclude irrelevant terms to prevent budget waste and improve ROI. Negative keywords can reduce wasted ad spend by up to 30%. These are words or phrases that you add to your PPC campaigns to prevent your ads from showing up in irrelevant searches. They help you refine targeting by excluding search queries that are not relevant to your products or services.
Let's say you're running a campaign for a high-end watch store:
- Negative keyword: "cheap": Prevents your ad from showing for "cheap luxury watches"
- Negative keyword: "repair": Excludes searches like "watch repair services"
- Negative keyword: "free": Avoids displaying ads for "free watch giveaway"
Benefits of Using Negative Keywords
6. Leverage broad matches with audience targeting
Combine broad match keywords with audience targeting to widen reach while maintaining relevance. Google reports that advertisers who use audience targeting on search see a 20% increase in conversion rates.
Example: Targeting for an online furniture store
- In-market audience for "Home & Garden"
- Custom intent audience based on visits to competitor websites
- Remarketing list of users who viewed product pages but didn't purchase
- Set up separate ad groups or campaigns for each audience segment
- Use audience targeting to show ads to the specified groups
7. Implement ad extensions
Use site links, call-outs, and structured snippets to provide more information and increase click-through rates. Ad extensions can improve CTR by up to 15%. For example, a restaurant could use call extensions to display their phone number, location extensions to show their address, and review extensions to showcase positive customer feedback.
Types of Ad Extensions
Sitelink Extensions: Additional links to specific pages on your website.
Callout Extensions: Short, descriptive text snippets highlighting unique offers or aspects of your business.
Structured Snippet Extensions: Lists of specific products, services, or categories.
Call Extensions: Your phone number, allowing people to call your business directly.
Location Extensions: Your business address, a map to your location, or the distance to your business.
Price Extensions: Showcase your products or services with their prices.
Lead Form Extensions: Allow users to submit their information directly through your ad.
8. Test different ad formats
Experiment with text, display, and video ads to identify the most effective formats for your audience. Video ads have been shown to have a 1.84% CTR, higher than the average display ad CTR of 0.35%. For instance, a clothing retailer might find that video ads showcasing their products on models perform better than static image ads.
Common PPC Ad Formats
Text Ads: This is a standard format in search results. It comprises a headline, descriptions, and a display URL.
Responsive Search Ads (RSA): Ads that automatically adjust their content to match relevant search queries.
Display Ads: Visual ads that appear on websites within the Google Display Network.
Video Ads: Ads that play before or during YouTube videos or on video partner sites.
Shopping Ads: Product listings that appear in search results for relevant queries.
9. Optimize landing pages
Ensure landing pages are relevant, fast, and mobile-friendly to boost conversion rates. A 1-second delay in page load time can cause a 7% reduction in conversions. According to Google, 53% of mobile site visits are abandoned if pages take longer than 3 seconds to load.
PPC Landing Page Best Practices
10. Monitor quality scores
Regularly check quality scores in Google Ads to identify areas for improvement. Ads with a quality score of 10 have up to 50% lower cost-per-click than those with a score of 5. Quality Score is calculated based on the combined performance of 3 components: expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
What is Quality Score?
Quality Score is a diagnostic tool provided by Google Ads. It gives you an estimate of the quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages. Quality score is reported on a 1-10 scale, where 1 is the lowest score and 10 is the highest.
Components of a Quality Score
11. Schedule ads appropriately
Run ads during peak times when your target audience is most active. Ad scheduling can improve CTR by up to 10%.
Example:
A B2B company might focus their ad schedule during business hours, while a food delivery service might increase bids during dinner time.
Why is Ad Scheduling Important?
12. Utilize geo-targeting
Focus ads on specific geographic locations to reach the most relevant audience. Geo-targeting increases conversion rates by up to 30%. For instance, a local bakery could target users within a 5-mile radius of their store location.
What is Geo-Targeting?
Geo-targeting is a feature in PPC advertising that allows you to show your ads to users in specific locations. It is also known as location targeting. "Location" can mean countries, states, cities, postal codes, or even a radius around a specific point.
How To Implement Geo-Targeting in Google Ads
13. Set up conversion tracking
Track conversions to measure the effectiveness of your PPC campaigns. This can improve ROI by up to 50%. According to Google, advertisers experience an average of 35% more conversions when they turn on cross-account conversion tracking.
How To Set Up Conversion Tracking
14. Regularly review analytics
Analyze data to understand campaign performance and make data-driven decisions. Companies using analytics are 5 times more likely to make faster decisions. Google Analytics can provide valuable insights into user behavior, helping you optimize your PPC campaigns and landing pages.
Key Analytics to Monitor
15. Use remarketing campaigns
Target users who have previously interacted with your site for higher conversion opportunities. Remarketing can increase conversion rates by up to 150%.
Example: An online retailer could show ads featuring products that a user viewed but didn't purchase.
Types of Remarketing
16. Implement A/B testing
Continuously test different ad elements to identify what works best for your campaign. A/B testing can improve conversion rates by up to 25%. Test elements like headlines, ad copy, call-to-action buttons, and landing page layouts to optimize performance.
How To Conduct A/B Testing
Choose the elements you want to test in your campaign. Experiment with various tones, lengths, or focuses. Try different phrases, colors, or placements of your CTAs.
Set-up your test campaign. Use advertising platforms with built-in A/B testing tools. Only test one element at a time for clear results.
Determine the sample size and duration of your test campaign. Use statistical significance calculators to determine how many impressions or clicks you need.
Monitor and analyze results by tracking key metrics like click-through rates and cost per conversion.
Implement the strategies you gathered from your test campaign into your main campaign.
Apply the better-performing version to your main campaign.
17. Optimize for voice search
Include natural language keywords to capture voice search traffic. By 2022, 55% of households are expected to own a smart speaker. Instead of targeting "best Italian restaurant," you might optimize for "what's the best Italian restaurant near me?"
Strategies for Optimizing PPC for Voice Search
18. Leverage YouTube ads
Utilize video ads on YouTube to engage a broader audience. YouTube ads can reach 95% of internet users. According to Google, viewers who complete TrueView ads—YouTube's skippable ad format—are 23 times more likely to visit or subscribe to a brand channel, watch more by that brand, or share the brand video.
YouTube Ads Best Practices
Types of YouTube Ads
In-Stream Ads: Skippable ads that play before or during YouTube videos.
Discovery Ads: Appear alongside related YouTube videos, in YouTube search results, and on the mobile homepage.
Bumper Ads: Non-skippable 6-second ads.
Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads: 15-20 second ads that viewers must watch before their video.
19. Monitor the strategies of your competitors
How to Use Competitor Insights
20. Adjust budgets based on performance
Allocate bigger budgets to high-performing campaigns. Optimize the campaign by adjusting it as needed. Regular budget optimization can improve ROI by up to 25%. Use features like Google Ads' Performance Planner to forecast how changes to campaigns might affect key metrics and overall performance.
How To Use Google Ads' Performance Planner
Find Performance Planner in the Tools section of Google Ads.
Define your performance targets, such as conversion and spending.
Review your forecast. and see how new changes might affect the campaigns.
Implement the changes and monitor actual performance against the forecast.
Important Considerations When Launching a New PPC Campaign
Best PPC Platforms
What is PPC Advertising?
PPC advertising is a strategy for promoting products/services using paid ads. It's a powerful tool for businesses to reach people looking for what they offer. Advertisers create ads that show up in search results on Google or Facebook. These ads are quite effective. About 45% of clicks on search pages go to ads. Ad placement is then decided by an auction system. The decision is based on factors like keywords and how often people click the ad. Advertisers pay a fee each time someone clicks their ad.
How Does PPC Work?
Pay-per-click advertising works by allowing advertisers to place ads on an online platform. The advertiser pays every time the audience clicks on the ad. It starts with keyword research. The first step is to use keyword search tools to identify keyword terms. A PPC campaign is created next. It involves setting up ad groups and writing compelling ad copies. Advertisers engage with PPC companies to optimize these campaigns. Advertisers then set the maximum CPC amount they’re willing to pay. They can also bid for ad placement. Google Ads uses an auction system where quality, relevancy, and bid amount influence ad placement. The performance of ads is then tracked. Metrics like click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and ROI help analyze the effectiveness of campaigns.
What’s the Difference Between SEO vs PPC?
Improves visibility through organic search
Upfront and ongoing costs when creating and optimizing content
Long-term strategy that could take months to materialize
Limited control over ranking as it depends on search engine algorithms.
No ad copy. SEO focuses on content quality and relevance.
Targeting is limited to the keywords
Landing page affects overall customer experience
PPC
Improves visibility through paid ads
Instant charge on click, controllable with budget caps
Quick and short-term strategy for driving traffic
High control over ad placement, budget, and targeting options.
High-quality score ad copies are essential for reducing costs and increasing rankings.
Flexible targeting options which include demographics, location, and time of day
Landing page impacts the quality score of the ad
I Tried the PPC Strategy and Switched To Free Traffic
I tried the PPC strategy, but it was not long before I switched to free traffic. PPC was becoming too expensive for me. It requires extensive management and the platform policies are constantly changing. It has complex interfaces and algorithms that take time to master. Pay per click could be a good traffic source if you want instant results. You definitely need huge marketing budget to sustain the costs.
I switched to free traffic strategy because I get better ROI long-term. Getting traffic through lead gen sites could take about 3 to 6 months. However, once these sites are established, organic traffic continues to flow without continuous spending. I also found that my free traffic generation efforts were getting more conversions. It is because the audience trust organic searches more than paid ads.
I get consistent free traffic through a business model called local lead generation. This biz builds simple websites for local service providers and ranks them on Google. It's way better than pay per click because I don't have to pay for every visitor that clicks on the ad. Each organically ranked site can make at least $2K monthly. And, I make $52K monthly from all the sites I own. It's possible to make money with PPC. However, what really brought me consistent financial wealth for over a decade now is free traffic through local lead generation.
