Paid ad is a unique strategy in that it provides a “shortcut” to marketing results with very little investment. With the right approach, you could start a campaign today and begin seeing promising search results tomorrow.

But this method will only provide ROI if you’re careful to avoid common mistakes that could be hurting your campaign.

Here are 5 missteps you should know.

#1 Clicks Don’t Measure Success

The success of a PPC campaign is not measured by clicks, especially not when every single click costs money. Clicks aren’t new customers or clients—they’re potential leads. 

When measuring success, metrics like leads and conversions allow you to gauge a more accurate summation of a campaign’s ROI and track your progress. 

How can you go beyond attracting leads to driving conversions? Steps you can take include: 

  • Using one to two clear CTAs on each page that matches landing page intent
  • Minimizing landing page distractions and clutter
  • Incorporating lead magnets 
  • Optimizing on page content  

#2 Not Targeting Every Stage of the Buying Cycle

Every consumer’s buyer journey is different. But most will go through stages like: 

  • Awareness
  • Interest
  • Further research
  • Shopping the market
  • Making a purchasing decision  

If all of your efforts are directed toward a singular stage, you could miss out on potential high-intent consumers that are in different phases or searching for other keywords. To prevent this, you must select keywords and craft ad copy that targets a person throughout every step of the sales funnel. 

#3 Trying too Many Keywords at Once

To create a successful ad campaign you must pay close attention as you undergo the trial and error process. In the meanwhile, you have to manage ad groupings, write unique ads, and optimize landing pages. For each keyword added to the mix, that juggling act becomes more difficult and the results less clear. 

It’s much better to start small and hone your strategy on a micro-scale before you expand broadly. This will also let you create a custom landing page that’s aligned with the keyword and user intent. 

#4 Low-Quality Ads 

The keyword you select for a PPC campaign is irrelevant if the ad itself is low-quality. To address this issue, Google notes that there are three components that have the greatest impact on an ads’ quality score, including:  

  • Expected clickthrough rate – The chance that your ad will be clicked when displayed.
  • Ad relevance – How closely your ad aligns with user search intent. 
  • Landing page experience – How relevant and useful the page is to the person who clicked on the ad.

#5 Not Actively Monitoring Campaigns 

Although paid ads can have an instant impact, getting the most out of them will take time and constant tweaking. Checking in on your campaign infrequently is not a winning strategy. Instead, you should review your metrics and optimize the campaign at least once per week. This gives you plenty of opportunities to see what works, what doesn’t, and then adjust accordingly. 

Semgeeks—the PPC Management Company in NJ

PPC has the potential to generate immediate ROI. But it’s also risky, seeing as each click costs you. And if those clicks aren’t converting, you lose money. 

So, how do you prevent that problem? 

First, avoid the all too common mistakes discussed above. Second, partner with PPC experts like the team at Semgeeks to create a winning strategy and then hone it over time. 

Work with us to create Google Ad campaigns that convert. 

Sources: 

Small Biz Genius. 34 Profitable PPC Stats to Keep Your Eye on in 2021. https://www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/ppc-stats/#gref

Google Ads. 5 Ways to Use Quality Score to Improve Your Performance. https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167130?hl=en