A well-run PPC campaign can deliver excellent ROI, but to make it justifiable you definitely need to be aware of the budget-burning mistakes that can be made in this context.
With that in mind, here are a handful of the biggest reasons why waste occurs in a PPC context and what you can do to fix this.
Poor keyword optimization
Choosing the right keywords is at the core of a good PPC campaign, but in many cases only the minority of those targeted will actually be responsible for generating conversions.
There are a few factors at play here, chief amongst which is the misplaced belief that targeting a multitude of different keywords will deliver the best results, when in reality the opposite is true. Honing in on your most reliably effective and engaging keywords is better than trying to gamble and hope that you strike it lucky with a scattergun approach.
Of course that is not to say that you will get better budget pacing for PPC if you only opt for broad match keywords, as these are both highly competitive and often too general to secure the kind of traction that most marketers are looking for.Misuse of data
Every type of digital marketing, from affiliate marketing to social media marketing, spews out copious amounts of information which professionals can use to their advantage, and yet there are still lots of examples of this data not being exploited to its full potential.
This can either happen if you do not take heed of conversion-related data to delve into which of your PPC ads are working best and which are underperforming and thus wasting your budget, or if you are soaking up too much data and thus becoming overwhelmed by all the metrics at your disposal.
Focusing on the data which relates specifically to the user’s journey after they click through from an ad, such as how long they spend consuming the content on landing pages, whether they then download a brochure or get in touch via email, or even if they move straight onto a sale, will serve you well. Furthermore you can use your findings to tweak your PPC ads, trimming the fat and going for a lean yet effective strategy which is provably impactful.
A disconnect between ad copy and landing page content
The best PPC ads tend to be those that are both relevant to the user’s original search, and then provide them with access to a landing page which is in keeping with their expectations. The only way to set expectations is to leverage the ad copy itself, and if you do not get this right, you could create a lot of costly clicks without the conversions to justify them.
One common example of an ad which will lead to landing page disappointment is one which makes a promise which is then not adequately fulfilled. This could be caused by targeting the wrong keywords, as discussed above, or by making a misleading promise about a product or service.
Getting this right is not just about ensuring that you make the most of your PPC budget, but also about protecting your brand’s fragile reputation, so it is doubly important.
Underspending
Finally it is worth considering that being too frugal with your PPC budget can actually be wasteful, because it will lead to your ads not attaining the attention that they might deserve, so they could sink without a trace and not really deliver any actionable data.
It is easy to be put off PPC marketing if you do not set a sensible budget for it, so stay on top of these elements to see tangible benefits.