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Make the Most of Your PPC Budget with These Proven Paid Search Tactics

Despite the lower upfront costs associated with search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) remains to be one of the favorite strategies among digital marketers. This is because PPC provides faster results compared to SEO. With PPC, you can see a change in your traffic even less than a day after you launch your campaign. PPC is also cost-effective since you only need to pay based on how many clicks your ads got.

Despite these advantages, PPC has a few downsides. For one, without proper planning and budgeting, it’s easy to sink thousands of dollars into an ineffective PPC strategy. PPC isn’t just about investing the most money. It’s about investing in the right keywords and platforms. Most companies even work with PPC experts and agencies to guarantee the success of their PPC campaigns.

We asked some PPC management experts on their tried-and-tested tips for a successful PPC strategy, and we’ve listed them down for you to use in your campaigns.

Use single keyword ad groups (SKAG)

SKAG allows you to build laser-focused ad campaigns for your business. Through SKAG, you can target one keyword but use different match types company targets a single keyword by using multiple match types:

  • Exact: [skincare products for oily skin]
  • Phrase: “skincare products for oily skin”
  • Broad: +skincare +products +for +oily +skin 

With SKAG, you can increase your click-through rate (CTR) and decrease your cost-per-click (CPC). It can also allow you to write ads and build landing pages that are more relevant to your users’ needs, which makes them more effective.

This strategy is more aggressive and expensive than others because it targets broad searches, but compared to targeting generic keywords, SKAG still leads you to users who are interested in your business. However, since it’s a more expensive strategy, you may want to review data from previous PPC campaigns to determine what the best phrases are to target. Work with five SKAG at most. Running too many will make your campaign disorganized and bloat your PPC budget.

Run A/B testing regularly

A huge part of an effective PPC campaign is writing effective ads that will encourage users to click. How do you figure out how to make your ads to be more enticing?

The answer is A/B testing. This is where you release two versions of an ad and compare which one performs better. Continue running tests and modifying your variables until you narrow down the factors that make a successful ad. This data is helpful for your business because it reflects your consumer base’s preferences. By knowing what language resonates with them, you can incorporate that in other site elements like content or product listings.

When you’re writing your ad drafts, consider the following questions:

  • What are your target market’s needs?
  • What unique benefits can you offer your consumers?
  • What is the user intent from this search?
  • What language is appropriate?

Aside from the ad itself, you should also run A/B testing on your landing pages. While an ad’s goal is to get clicks, it ultimately falls on your landing pages to close the deal. If your landing pages are underperforming, you can easily spot that when you have high traffic but a stagnant conversion rate.

Don’t overlook other platforms

While Google may be the biggest search engine globally, don’t neglect advertising on other search engines and social media sites like Bing, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Bing still holds 30% of search engine traffic and it also offers cheaper ad rates than Google. Meanwhile, Facebook has 2.8 billion active users and a sophisticated ad targeting algorithm. Expanding your ad placement can boost your brand visibility significantly. Another benefit is that most businesses are focused on advertising on Google, so by targeting other search engines, you’re likely to face less competition for high volume keywords.

Implement retargeting lists for search ads (RLSA)

RLSA is used to target past site visitors when they search keywords in your PPC campaign. These visitors deserve special attention because they’re more likely to convert compared to users who have never heard of your company before. With RLSA, you can focus on these users at an additional bidding rate.

How does one use RLSA? On your Google Analytics account, you can create remarketing lists by listing your past visitors. You can choose how far back you want to go, but most PPC management experts recommend that 30 days is a good place to start. 

When your list is complete, you can add them to your PPC campaign as an audience and adjust your bid to run a more aggressive campaign on these users. With these users, you can create a more specialized ad to better address their concerns. Since you already have experience with them before, you may know their browsing or purchasing habits. Use this information to your advantage when creating an ad specifically for return users.

Work with a good PPC agency

PPC management can be difficult to implement, especially if you don’t have a PPC expert on board or if your company doesn’t have any prior data to base your campaign decisions on. This is why, especially for PPC novices, it’s best to work with a reputable agency to get you started. You may be concerned about the additional cost of hiring an agency, but it’s worth it because it’ll save you from wasting your money on strategies that don’t work. They can offer you advice that’s tailored to your business, which is more valuable to you than generic tips that blog posts often provide.

PPC can work wonders for your business, from boosting brand visibility, site traffic, sales, and revenue to providing you with valuable information about your consumers. Before starting on your PPC campaign, clarify your goals and budget so you know how well your campaign is performing. Starting with a set budget also keeps you from accidentally going overboard with the spending. Use analytics tools to gather comprehensive data on your campaign so even if you don’t meet your goals, you at least have data you can learn from. Do your research by reading articles, learning from experts, and analyzing your competition’s PPC campaigns

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