7 min read

6 Tips for More Effective PPC Campaigns

Ted Tagalakis : Aug 28, 2023 6:44:07 AM

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is an incredibly powerful strategy for driving targeted traffic to your website. But let's face it, if you don't know what you're doing, you're going to blow your budget on a campaign that flops harder than a DC movie on opening weekend. Plus, if you’re planning on running multiple PPC campaigns, managing them all properly can put you through hell and back.

Best-case scenario: you work long, stressful hours just to break even. Worst-case scenario: you end up with irrelevant keywords and landing pages that hold up as well as a wet noodle.

If you want to improve your Google Ads and see better results from your PPC campaigns, we here at SpicyPixel have pulled together six tips for more effective PPC that will make your campaigns so efficient, your head will spin.

Understand the Basics of Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

PPC is the ultimate marketing strategy for savvy advertisers wanting to improve their Google Ads performance, but first — let's start with the basics. What is PPC anyway?

Pay-Per-Click is a digital marketing model where advertisers pay each time one of their ads is clicked on. So literally — paying per click. In PPC advertising, advertisers bid on keywords or phrases that are relevant to their target audience, and their ads are displayed on search engine results pages or other relevant websites based on those keywords. By bidding on the right keywords, a PPC campaign will bring in a flood of customers to your website.

The first step to setting up a PPC campaign is to understand Google Ads. If you're running Google Ads (and you absolutely should be running Google Ads), the recommendations section of your Google Ads account can help you boost campaign performance. Don't worry; it's not rocket science, but it does take some finesse. Check the video below for a crash course on using the recommendations section.

Now that you’re feeling more familiar with Google Ads, it's time to find the right keywords that you want to bid on. Choose keywords that you know your audience is searching for online. There are three ways to do this: Research your audience (we go over this more in the next section), analyze what words your competitors are using, and finally, use keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.

Once you have your keywords all figured out, it's time to create your ads. Now, there’s a lot that goes into creating perfect Google Ads, but for the purposes of this article, let’s just focus on writing the perfect copy. In your messaging strategy, you want to be sure that the keywords you’re targeting are reflected in your copy so the algorithms can get your brand in front of the correct audience.

But wait, you're not done yet. After you create the perfect advertisement, you’ll want to be sure your ads are taking your audience to a landing page. Once you do that, you can analyze your performance metrics and make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck. If you’re a “numbers-guy,” this will be like being a kid in a candy store. You’ll have more numbers, stats, and data than you’ll know what to do with, and you can use these key figures to achieve optimal results and watch your business soar.

Research Your Target Audience

Every audience segment has its niche. To find it, read what they post online. Look at the memes they share. Get a feel for their feelings. Identify what's popular and relevant (these will be the keywords you will use). Learn what makes them laugh, cry, and everything in between. What are their interests? Habits? Needs? What problems do they have, and how can you solve them? There's an old adage: people don't buy products, they buy solutions.

Now that you've done your homework, you can segment your audiences and target them correctly.

Monitor Your Campaigns Regularly

Think back to 9th-grade science class. Do you remember learning about the scientific method? If not, allow us to refresh your memory. 1) Ask a question. 2) Form a hypothesis. 3) Make a prediction. 4) Test the prediction. 5) Repeat.

Why are we bringing this up? Well, as marketers, everything we say, everything we do, everything we create is an experiment. So once you've done your research and identified what keywords you should include in your Google Ads, it's time to implement Step 4) Test the prediction.

Track your performance. If something isn't working as well as you thought it would, then try testing different ad formats. Still not there? Try some new targeting options. Testing different ad copy, landing pages, ad optimization strategies, and keyword campaigns regularly will lead to faster optimization and more effective PPC results. After you've tested, it's time to move onto Step 5) Repeat. Research new keywords, adjust your bids accordingly, and do it all again. And again. And again. Just make sure you set a budget and stick to it. It's easier than you think to blow through your entire budget.

Congratulations, you’re now a scientist. Go ahead and pick yourself a complementary lab coat from the PPC Gift Shop.

Utilize Keyword Lists for More Effective PPC

Let’s talk about one of the most effective tools for managing a PPC campaign: Keyword Lists, which are a collection of keywords that we advertisers use to target ads to specific search queries or topics. Basically, they help us target ads to the right audience.

Keyword lists are typically organized into groups that are related to each other and have similar ad copy and landing pages. The best part? You can make as many groups as you want. There’s no law that says you can’t!

Once a keyword list is created, you can select the keywords that you want to Whitelist. These are the keywords that you want to show up in searches for. For example, say you're running a PPC campaign for a — oh, I don’t know — a shoe store for dogs. You might want to whitelist keywords such as “dog clogs”, “puppy loafers” or “athletic paw-wear.”

Additionally, you can also select Negative Keywords that you want to Blacklist. This is essentially the opposite of a whitelist. These are keywords that you don’t want to show up in searches for. For example, you probably wouldn’t want you doggy shoe company to show up in searches for “B*tch Boots”.

Advertisers use negative keywords and blacklists to further refine their targeting and improve their ad relevance. By using negative keywords effectively, you can control your brand's association and limit costs while maximizing exposure.

Align with SEO Growth to improve performance

You know those two people who seem like they were practically made for each other? Like they’re perfect for one another? Match made in heaven? Well, they don’t have sh*t on the fuming love affair that exists between PPC and SEO.

SEO and PPC are two different digital marketing methods that we marketers use together to create flawless marketing strategies. PPC is the paid king of advertising and SEO is free, but when both come together, the clouds part and the cosmic divine reaches down and personally gives your campaign their blessing.

The PPC and SEO power couple really start to shine when we measure how they increase visibility in Search Engine Result Pages. We also call these SERPS. Because your PPC campaign is great for determining which keywords should go in your Google Ads, you can use the same strategies for maximizing your SEO efforts for SERPS.

Landing Page Optimization

If you want to crush your competition, boost your conversion rates, and optimize for an even MORE effective PPC campaign, you need to understand the art of the Landing Page. A landing page is your digital storefront, the first thing your potential customers see when they click on your Google Ads. So, you better make it damn inviting.

Designing a landing page requires finesse and attention to detail. You need to nail down the copy, visuals, and form elements. Your copy must be so relevant and descriptive, your visuals so eye-catching, that potential customers can't help but want to click around and stay a while. But none of that will matter unless your landing page is easy to navigate. If your landing page feels more like a labyrinth, you'll lose your customer's attention faster than you can say "bounce rate."

But beyond the copy and creative, the real trick is to align the content of your Google Ads with the content on your landing page. They need to match. Because if they don't match, your audience will feel like you’re trying to pull a bait-and-switch scheme on them. Look, people already hate advertisements enough. Let’s not make it worse.

Any Tips for Managing an Effective Ppc Budget?

You want a more effective PPC budget? We’ve got nothing but tips!

Remember to set the daily cost caps/budgets, as well as the total overall budget. This will help prevent you from overspending.

Assign your budget according to performance metrics such as Click-Through Rate (CTR), Cost-Per-Click (CPC), and Conversion Rate (CVR), and double down on the Goo campaigns that have the highest return.

Measure efficiency by tracking Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA) or Cost-Per-Lead (CPL). This will help you understand which campaign pages are driving the most conversions and leads.

Know your Quality Score! Ad relevance, landing page relevance, and click-through rate all contribute to a higher quality score in your search ads, which results in an overall lower cost.

Finally, you’ll want to make sure you understand the different average Cost-Per-Click (CPC) for different product categories, marketplaces, and ad types. Once you’ve got your ducks in a row, you can use this information to determine your optimal bidding strategy.

What Metrics and Strategies Can I Use to Increase Conversions and ROI On My PPC Campaigns?

Strategies? You know we have them!

Learn how to target the demographics, interests, and locations that are more likely to convert based on your campaign goals. This will help you reach a more relevant audience and increase chances of conversion.

Use dynamic Bidding Strategies (Cost-Per-Click Bidding or Cost-Per-Thousand Impressions Bidding) with optimization for conversions. This way, you can allocate more budget towards the ads that are working.

Try bidding strategies such as Fixed Bids to save cost. Fixed Bids allow you to lock in pricing so you can control costs while still getting quality leads and conversions.

Set up campaign performance indicators, such as Conversion Rate (CVR) so you can track performance easily and make adjustments accordingly. PPC campaigns can be hard, so make it easy on yourself.

Is a CTA (Call To Action) Important For More Effective PPC Campaigns?

Short Answer: Yes.

Long Answer: Your CTA helps your potential customers know exactly what to expect when they click on your campaigns and landing pages. They help your brand be more clear, concise, and to the point as not to confuse your audience. CTA’s don’t need to be fancy. Their main function is to be relevant and easy to understand.

Does PPC Marketing Include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn?

Damn right! PPC advertising can include Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even LinkedIn. The basic principles are the same. Ideally, you want to target all of the platforms for more effective PPC.

Is YouTube Bidding Similar to Google Ads?

Yes and no. YouTube ads only cost a few cents for your video to be seen. Compare that to traditional Google Ads, and your campaign can cost up to $50 for one click. So YouTube can help you achieve a much more effective PPC campaign than Google.