Paid search, or pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, is a powerful way to drive targeted traffic to your website. By bidding on specific keywords and phrases, you can ensure that your ads are seen by people who are actively searching for products or services like yours. But with so many businesses using PPC, it can be tough to stand out and make your campaigns truly effective.
That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to creating a successful PPC campaign. We’ll cover everything from keyword research to ad copy to measuring and optimizing performance. By the end of this post, you’ll have a solid understanding of the key elements of a winning PPC strategy and be well on your way to driving more qualified leads to your website.
Here’s a quick overview of what we’ll be covering:
- Keyword research: How to find the right keywords for your campaign and organize them for success
- Ad copy and landing pages: Best practices for writing ads that drive clicks and creating landing pages that convert
- Ad groups and campaigns: How to structure your PPC campaigns and ad groups for maximum efficiency
- Measuring and optimizing performance: Key metrics to track and how to use them to improve your campaign’s performance
Let’s dive in!
Keyword Research
Keyword research is the foundation of any successful PPC campaign. It’s essential to understand what people are searching for when they’re looking for products or services like yours. By selecting the right keywords and phrases, you can ensure that your ads are seen by people who are most likely to convert.
But with millions of keywords to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here are some tips to help you find the right keywords for your PPC campaign:
Use Keyword Research Tools
There are a variety of tools available, such as Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush, that can help you identify the keywords that are most relevant to your business. These tools allow you to analyze search volumes, competition and even suggest keywords that you might not have considered.
For example, if you’re running a PPC campaign for a new line of organic skincare products, you could use Google Keyword Planner to identify keywords related to “organic skincare” and “natural skincare” and also get an idea of the monthly search volume and competition for each keyword.
Google’s Keyword Planner
Look at Your Competitors
Analyze your competitors’ PPC campaigns to see what keywords they’re targeting. This can give you some great ideas for keywords that you might have missed. Look at the ad copy and landing pages of your competitors and see how they are positioning their message. For example, if your competitor is targeting “organic skincare products” and “natural skincare routine”, you can consider including those keywords in your campaign.
Focus on Long-Tail Keywords:
Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive than short-tail keywords. They may drive fewer clicks, but they are more likely to convert. Long-tail keywords are also usually less expensive, which makes them a great option for small businesses or businesses with a limited budget. For example, instead of targeting the broad term “organic skincare” you can target “organic skincare for sensitive skin” or “organic skincare for oily skin”, this way you will attract a more specific and likely to convert audience.
Google’s Keyword Planner – Long-Tail Keywords
Once you’ve identified your keywords, it’s important to organize them in a way that makes sense for your campaign. Here are some best practices for structuring your keywords:
Group Keywords Themes
Organize your keywords into groups that are related to each other. This will make it easier to create ad groups and campaigns. For example, you can group your keywords by product category, brand or even by target audience. By grouping your keywords by theme, you’ll be able to create more targeted ad groups and campaigns that are tailored to specific groups of keywords.
Grouping keywords into themed groups
Use Match Types
Match types determine how closely the keywords you’ve chosen for your campaigns must match the terms people are searching for. There are three main match types:
- Broad match: Your ad will show for any search that includes your target keywords, even if the search is for something unrelated. This match type casts the widest net but can also lead to irrelevant clicks and waste ad spend.
- Phrase match: Your ad will show for searches that contain your target keywords in the same order as you’ve written them. This match type is more restrictive than broad match but still allows for some variation in the terms people search for.
- Exact match: Your ad will only show for searches that match your target keywords exactly, with no variations or additional words. This match type is the most restrictive but also the most likely to produce relevant clicks and conversions.
If you want a visual representation of these match types in action, take a look at this graphic from WordStream:
Image credits to WordStream.
Use Negative Keywords
Negative keywords allow you to exclude certain terms from your campaigns. This can help to improve your click-through rate and reduce wasted spend. Use negative keywords for terms that are not relevant to your business or for terms that might generate clicks but not conversions. For example, if you are running a PPC campaign for a clothing store, you might want to add “jobs” or “careers” as negative keywords, since those terms are unlikely to result in conversions for your business.
Keyword research can be a bit tedious but with the right tools and approach, you can find the right keywords that align with your business goals. Remember that keyword research is an ongoing process, so be prepared to periodically revisit and update your keywords to ensure that they continue to drive the best results.
Ad Copy and Landing Pages
Ad copy and landing pages are crucial components of any PPC campaign. Your ad copy needs to be attention-grabbing and persuasive, while your landing pages need to be optimized for conversions. Here are some best practices for creating effective ad copy and landing pages:
Write a Compelling Ad Copy
Your ad copy needs to be clear, concise, and compelling. It should highlight the benefits of your products or services, and be specific about what you can offer. Use action words and make sure that your ad is easy to read and understand. For example, instead of saying “New organic skincare products available”, you can say “Get clear, radiant skin with our new organic skincare line”.
An optimized ad copy will drive more traffic than a generic one
Use Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are additional features that you can add to your PPC ads to make them more appealing to potential customers. They can help improve your ad’s visibility and make it more informative and actionable.
Here are some examples of ad extensions:
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- Sitelink extensions: These provide additional links to specific pages on your website, making it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
- Call extensions: These allow visitors to call your business directly from the ad, making it easier for them to get in touch with you.
- Location extensions: These show your business address and phone number, helping potential customers find you more easily.
- Review extensions: These display customer reviews and ratings, helping build trust and credibility with potential customers.
Using ad extensions is important because they can help improve the performance of your PPC campaigns by:
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- Making your ads more informative and actionable
- Improving your ad’s visibility by taking up more space on the search engine results page
- Increasing click-through rates by making it easier for visitors to take action
By using ad extensions in your PPC campaigns, you’ll be able to improve the performance of your ads and reach more customers.
Create a Landing Page That Converts
Your landing page is often the first point of contact that a potential customer will have with your business, so it’s important to make a good impression. Your landing page should be well-designed, easy to navigate, and focused on converting visitors into customers.
Here are some best practices for creating a landing page that converts:
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- Keep the design simple and uncluttered
- Make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for
- Use persuasive copy and images
- Test different versions of your landing page to see which one performs the best
For more tips and tricks on creating a page that converts, check out this video from Semrush.
By following these best practices, you’ll be able to improve the conversion rate of your landing page and drive more sales for your business.
Optimize Your Landing Pages for Mobile
With the majority of internet traffic now coming from mobile devices, it’s more important than ever to make sure your landing pages are optimized for mobile. Not only will this improve the user experience, but it’s also a major ranking signal for search engines like Google.
Here are some best practices for optimizing your landing pages for mobile:
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- Use responsive design to automatically adjust the page to the size of the device being used to view it.
- Ensure fast page load times.
- Make the content easily readable on a small screen.
- Avoid using flash or pop-ups.
- Make the call-to-action (CTA) clear and prominent, and easy to tap with a finger on a small screen.
By following these best practices, you’ll be able to reach more customers and improve the overall performance of your PPC campaigns.
Use A/B Testing
A/B testing is a technique that allows you to compare two versions of a landing page or ad copy to see which one performs better. This can help you to optimize your ad copy and landing pages for better conversions.
By following these best practices, you’ll be able to create ad copy and landing pages that are more likely to drive conversions. Remember to always be testing and optimizing your ad copy and landing pages to ensure that they are performing as well as possible.
Ad Groups and Campaigns
Ad groups and campaigns are the backbone of any PPC campaign. Organizing your keywords, ad copy, and landing pages into ad groups and campaigns can help you to achieve better performance and ROI. Here are some best practices for structuring your ad groups and campaigns:
Organize Your Keywords Into Ad Groups
Create ad groups based on the themes of your keywords. For example, if you are selling clothing, you might have ad groups for men’s clothing, women’s clothing, and children’s clothing. This will make it easier to create targeted ad copy and landing pages for each group of keywords.
Choose an Ad Group Strategy
When it comes to organizing your ad groups, there are a few different strategies you can use. Here are a few popular options, along with their pros and cons:
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- Single-keyword ad groups (SKAGs): With SKAGs, each ad group contains only one keyword. This allows for highly targeted ad copy and landing pages that are closely aligned with the keyword. Pros of this strategy include better performance and higher Quality Scores, but it can be time-consuming to set up and manage.
- Shared-theme ad groups (STAGs): With STAGs, ad groups contain several keywords that share a common theme. This allows for more efficient management of large sets of keywords, but ad copy and landing pages may be less targeted. Pros of this strategy include easier management and higher volume, but it may result in lower Quality Scores.
- Hybrid: A combination of both SKAGs and STAGs, this strategy allows you to use SKAGs for high-performing keywords and STAGs for lower-performing keywords
- Other strategies: Other strategies include organizing ad groups by product lines, by target audience, or by campaign goals.
Ultimately, the strategy you choose will depend on your business needs and resources. It’s important to experiment and test different strategies to see which one works best for you.
Use Campaign-Level Negative Keywords
In addition to ad group-level negative keywords, you can also use campaign-level negative keywords to exclude irrelevant terms from all of your ad groups.
Use Different Campaigns for Different Goals
It’s important to remember that different campaigns should be used for different goals. For example:
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- Brand Awareness Campaign: This type of campaign is designed to build brand recognition and create a positive image for your company. The goal is not to drive immediate sales, but rather to get your name in front of as many people as possible. Ad groups in a brand awareness campaign might focus on high-level, short-tail keywords related to your business or industry.
- Lead Generation Campaign: If your goal is to generate leads, a lead generation campaign may be a good choice. Ad groups in this type of campaign might focus on long-tail keywords that are specific to your products or services, and the ad copy may highlight the benefits of your offerings. The landing page for these ads should be focused on getting the user to fill out a form or contact you in some other way.
- E-commerce Campaign: For an e-commerce business, the goal may be to drive sales. In this case, a targeted e-commerce campaign may be the best option. Ad groups in this campaign might focus on specific product lines or categories, and the ad copy may highlight promotions, discounts, or other incentives to buy. The landing page for these ads should be the relevant product page on your website.
By dividing your PPC campaigns into different goals, you can more effectively target your audience and measure the results of each campaign. This will also allow you to adjust your strategy as needed to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your PPC advertising.
Use Different Campaigns for Different Audiences
You may also want to use different campaigns for different audiences, such as existing customers or new prospects. This will allow you to tailor your ad copy and landing pages to each audience, and use different targeting options.
Measure and Optimize Your PPC Campaign
Measuring and optimizing your PPC campaign is crucial for making sure that you are getting the best return on investment. Here are a few key metrics to keep an eye on:
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- Click-through rate (CTR): This measures the number of clicks your ad receives divided by the number of times it’s shown. A high CTR is a good indicator that your ad is relevant and resonating with your target audience.
- Conversion rate: This measures the number of conversions (i.e. sales or leads) divided by the number of clicks. A high conversion rate is a good indicator that your ad is driving the right kind of traffic.
- Cost per conversion: This measures how much it costs you to acquire a conversion. A lower cost per conversion is better, as it means that you are getting more bang for your buck.
- Return on ad spend (ROAS): This measures how much revenue you are generating for every dollar you spend on advertising. A high ROAS is a good indicator that your PPC campaign is profitable.
To optimize your PPC campaign, use these metrics to identify areas for improvement. For example, if your conversion rate is low, you may need to improve your landing page. If your cost per conversion is high, you may need to adjust your bid prices. Be sure to test different strategies and make changes to your campaign based on the data you collect.
Regularly monitoring and optimizing your PPC campaign can help you get better results and improve your ROI. Remember to keep testing different strategies and tactics, and don’t be afraid to try new things. The more you experiment, the more you’ll learn about what works best for your business.
The Bottom Line
Creating a successful PPC campaign takes time and effort, but the rewards can be well worth it. By understanding the ins and outs of the process, you can create a campaign that drives the right kind of traffic to your website and generates the results you’re looking for.
The key to success is to start with a solid foundation. Conduct thorough research and understand your target audience, choose the right keywords, and create compelling ad copy. Use the right ad group strategy, and make sure to measure and optimize your campaign regularly.
Remember that PPC advertising is an ongoing process. Keep testing and experimenting with new strategies and tactics to see what works best for your business. With the right approach and a bit of patience, you’ll be well on your way to creating a successful PPC campaign.
Thanks for reading, and good luck with your PPC campaigns! If you’re looking for help managing and improving your campaigns, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
