Pay-per-click advertising can be expensive, tedious, time-consuming, and sometimes downright overwhelming. There are plenty of PPC campaigns that start off sounding good during the planning stages and fall flat during actual execution. However, effective results and great ROI makes all the effort worth while. Here are five tips for getting a better ROI from your PPC efforts:
1. Embrace Negative Keywords
Avoid paying for unwanted traffic by using negative keywords effectively. When applying negative keywords, your ad will not show to users entering search queries that include a negative keyword that you have specified.
For example, if you are a new car dealership, you could list the word “used” as a negative keyword for your PPC campaigns. Consequently, if a users searches for “new and used cars”, your ad will not show.
Using negative keywords effectively can help filter out traffic that does not match your target market (keep the tire-kickers out so you don’t waste your money on them).
2. Geo-Based Keywords
In terms of online marketing, location can be everything. If you are targeting customers in Miami, you don’t want folks in San Diego clicking on your ads (wasted ad spend).
All major search engines have geo-location features that use IP addresses to present ads specific to a searcher’s location. You can narrow your focus by adding location to your keywords by using the full name of your state, the state abbreviation, or just the city name if it’s distinctive enough. To get more out of your location-based keywords, mix it up with different variations.
3. Spruce Up Your Calls-to-Action
When someone clicks your ad, you know that you you’ve at least piqued their interest. CTAs like “learn more” and “click for a free estimate” encourage a clicker to take action without feeling pressure to commit to a decision. There is an inherent fear of clicking if you don’t know where that click will lead.
Let searchers know exactly what they’re getting by using CTAs such as “click here for free shipping” or “get started with a free download” to make it clear what that click means.
4. Use Keyword Phrases
Searchers who know what they’re looking for tend to be specific with the terms they type in that search box. Somebody shopping for “coats” is likely to type in something like “red fall coats” in an effort to get more productive search results.
By using various keyword phrases throughout your content, you have a better shot at coming up in somebody’s search engine results page. By getting more specific, you also get away from overused keywords not likely to produce results.
5. Don’t Default to the Homepage as Your Landing Page
A homepage is not necessarily a landing page. Don’t automatically send searchers directly to a generic homepage if another page on your site is more specific. Choose the landing page that best matches your ad copy. In other words, your landing page should be a continuation of your ad copy with more details and additional CTAs.
Finally, take the time to test and analyze your PPC campaign before you commit a major chunk of your PPC marketing budget on it. You can test multiple ads simultaneously to compare and contrast your results. Test for one variable at a time to get more useful results. Consider factors such as the times when you get the most clicks and how many conversions you actually get.
