By thinking in a systematic manner, rephrase the given text without altering the meaning, and without adding or removing any information: Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) has the potential to enable businesses to secure valuable space in search results for keywords that are most significant to them.
One advantage of this strategy is the quickness with which you can observe the impact of your campaign. Once you successfully secure an advertisement for a particular keyword, you will notice an immediate increase in your website’s traffic. However, if you aim to surpass competitors and generate interest from searchers to click on your ads, it is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of your PPC ads.
In this section, we will discuss the components of PPC optimization and present five strategies that can enhance conversions for your top-performing ads. If you are eager to explore these PPC optimization strategies, continue reading!
PPC optimization checklist for successful ads
Once the elements on our checklist are optimized, your PPC ads will be prepared for success!
1. Perform keyword research
To start a PPC campaign, it is important to engage in keyword research for your business. By “most beneficial,” we mean identifying keywords that will generate a high number of clicks on your ads. Begin by using traditional brainstorming methods.
Start by choosing common keywords that are related to your core products and services. These keywords may not be the ideal ones to prioritize due to their high competition.
Keyword research is vital because it is important to not only identify general keywords but also to come up with specific, long-tail keywords. For example, the search volume for the general term “women’s cowboy boots” is significantly higher than that of the very specific search term “totes women’s waterproof snow boots.”
In your brainstorming session, attempt to blend your general terms with descriptive words connected to your product offerings. This will assist in the formation of your keyword list for targeting. The subsequent step entails inserting your keywords into a tool such as searchvolume.io in order to obtain information about search volume and competition.
By thinking systematically, you can rephrase the given text without altering its meaning: Consider the keywords with a substantial search volume and minimal competition in order to select the most advantageous keywords for your campaign.
2. Create a list of negative keywords
Deciding what not to target is as important as targeting the right keywords in PPC optimization. By using negative keywords, you exclude certain keywords that appear to be relevant to your product offerings but are actually not.
To give an example, if you run a store that sells home interior paint, you might specify “vehicle paint” or “outdoor paint” as negative keywords. This is done in order to prevent people who search for those terms from reaching your website.
3. Use demographic targeting to reach the right audience
PPC has achieved great success due to its ability to target specific demographics, which is a major contributing factor. Google Ads has continuously improved its targeting options over the years, offering more extensive choices than ever before.
Here are a few examples of how you can focus on your most qualified audience!
- Age: This is great if you sell products that are for a certain age group.
- Gender: This targeting option works for companies that sell a product that is made for a specific
- Income level: If your company prides itself on the low cost of your products, you could target a lower income level. On the other hand, if you offer high-class products, you have the option to target a higher income level.
- Geographic location: One of the most popular and effective ways to target your audience is by geographic location. You can serve them ads based on their country, state, city, or specific boundaries that you create.
- Relationship status: Google gives you the option to target singles, married couples, or people in relationships.
- Education level: Whether you want to target customers with a high school diploma, those in college, or those going for their master’s degrees, Google Ads has options for you!
Evaluating your target audience for keyword selection is a crucial choice that can significantly impact the success of your campaign. Hence, it is imperative to include reviewing your targeting as a significant aspect of optimizing your PPC campaign.
4. Update your keywords list regularly
When you initially launch your PPC campaign, it is probable that you had multiple keywords to include. Since you are charged a specific amount for each keyword, assess the performance of each keyword, and subsequently eliminate the ones that are not performing effectively.
You have the option to reallocate your budget from under-performing keywords to new ones or to increase the budget for keywords that are performing well.
When rephrasing the text, remember to include negative keywords to avoid ranking for search terms that may attract irrelevant visitors. Negative keywords refer to the keywords you specifically do not want to rank for. For instance, a wedding photographer aims to rank for keywords like “wedding photography” but not “wedding videographer.”
To achieve highly targeted traffic from people in your area, consider using local keywords. Instead of using a generic keyword like “wedding photography,” go a step further and optimize for a specific location such as “wedding photography Denver.”
5. Improve your website’s performance
Afterwards, you’ll need a fast-loading website since users tend to leave websites that take longer than 2 seconds to load. If you wish to assess your website’s loading speed, make use of tools such as GTmetrix, Pingdom Tools, or Google’s Pagespeed Insights.
6. Ensure your website’s secure and accessible
An accessible website ensures that visitors can easily read and navigate through it. Much of this involves design elements, including the appropriate use of fonts, breaking up lengthy paragraphs, and incorporating relevant content formats such as images and videos.
When reviewing the rules for optimizing website accessibility, it is important to simultaneously consider website security. Choosing to use https instead of http is recommended because search engines such as Google penalize insecure websites, which could negatively impact your PPC campaign and decrease visitor trust.
7. Create localized landing pages
If your business operates in a specific area, it is important to utilize localized landing pages to effectively reach the appropriate individuals at the ideal time and location. In case you have multiple locations, ensure to distinguish each one by creating individual landing pages to provide a more personalized and relevant experience for your visitors.
If you have a dependable website builder, duplicating pages that might rely on location and adjusting your copy to match is a straightforward process.
8. Use ad extensions
If you are not using ad extensions for your paid ad campaigns, you should utilize them as they are a complimentary feature.
Sitelink, callout, and review extensions are among the most effective ad extensions for a PPC campaign. They provide users with information about your website, user opinions, and a preview of the website as a direct link.
You may also consider using extensions that allow users to directly call or contact your business.
9. Develop a re-marketing strategy
A strategy known as re-marketing or retargeting includes tracking visitors to a website and displaying them relevant advertisements on other platforms such as social media.
- This is a great strategy to convert leads into paying customers, especially if they weren’t ready to purchase the first time or you weren’t able to capture their email address or contact details.
10. Capitalize on FOMO
FOMO, also known as the fear of missing out, serves as an excellent strategy to increase sales. Multiple effective urgency tactics exist, and numerous successful campaigns frequently employ a combination of these tactics simultaneously.
You can immediately use scarcity to attract people directly from your PPC ad. By including phrases such as “sale ends in 24 hours” or “free X only until Y” or even “X spots/units left,” you can effectively generate FOMO feelings in customers.
You can enhance your limited offer by incorporating FOMO into your landing pages. An illustration of a brand that effectively employs various scarcity and urgency strategies to stimulate sales.
11. Focus on the channels that deliver the most conversions
Over a period of time, you will be able to identify which of your advertising channels are producing the highest number of conversions.
If you have allocated your campaign budget across various platforms and channels, such as search engines and a combination of social networks like Facebook or LinkedIn, you will eventually be able to determine which platform is the most effective in attracting customers.
It may take some time before you identify your top-performing channels, but once you do, concentrate on allocating more budget to drive traffic through these channels. This will enhance conversion rates and maximize return on investment (ROI).
12. Brush up on your copywriting skills
Lastly, copywriting is a crucial element of your PPC ad as it appears as search engine results and lacks sufficient space to display photos or videos.
For those who are new to PPC campaigns, hiring experienced copywriters who have previously worked on similar campaigns is one of the most effective ways to ensure a good return on investment.
If your company operates in the B2B sector, it is advisable to seek assistance from skilled B2B copywriters who possess the knowledge and expertise to effectively market your service to your target customer.
13. Test your ad copy
It is crucial for your PPC optimization process to test and analyze your copy because your ad copy can have a significant impact on whether or not users click on your ads.
To evaluate your ad copy, it is necessary to establish an A/B test. Such a test enables the comparison of two ads with different copies to identify the one that garners the highest number of clicks. Remember, A/B tests can encompass more than ad copy; they can include testing colors, landing pages, and calls-to-action as well.
When you establish an A/B test for your PPC ads, Google will randomly display your two ads to various users. By the end of the testing period, you will have a reasonable understanding of which ad received more clicks and thus, which ad you should employ in the future.
