Used correctly, pay per click (PPC) advertising can do wonders for your business and provide excellent return on investment. If you are interested in running a PPC campaign for your business, it is essential to do your research beforehand to avoid making mistakes which could jeopardise your campaign. Ensure your venture into PPC advertising is a success by steering clear of the following faults.
1. Rushing to Launch
It is understandable that you’re keen to get your PPC campaign up and running as quickly as possible, but launching a campaign prematurely can do more harm than good. It is more important to take the time to prepare your campaign thoroughly, ensure all campaign elements are in place before launch, and not to set too much of a restrictive deadline. The majority of hastily launched PPC campaigns lack features such as customised landing pages, conversion tracking and integration with other marketing channels, all of which can potentially derail your campaign.
2. Making Decisions Before the Data Is In
PPC campaigns offer great flexibility and the ability to make small adjustments with little effort. However, flexibility is not always going to be in the best interests of your campaign. It can be difficult to wait for data to accumulate before changing the settings or elements of your campaign, but postponing changes until there is sufficient data will enable you to make more informed decisions that will not threaten the success of your campaign. It is recommended to evaluate data by number of impressions and conversions rather than on a calendar frequency basis.
3. Not Bidding on Brand Bidding on brand in PPC campaigns means bidding on your company name as keywords, so that when a potential customer searches for your company name, your PPC ad will display with the search results. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because your website has already been optimised it will appear in the organic search results. A combination of organic results and paid results helps reinforce your brand presence, and if you don’t bid on your brand you risk your competitor bidding on it instead.
4. Resisting Certain Ad Networks or Tactics
PPC is an ever evolving channel, and there are many different PPC networks available to choose from. Every business is different, so a strategy that worked for one might not work for another and vice versa. It is impossible to know whether specific networks or tactics work for your business until you have tried them, so don’t limit yourself just to one strategy, or deliberately exclude certain strategies.
5. Going it Alone
Many of those who are new to PPC try to do everything themselves, wishing to grow expertise and prove their capabilities. If something doesn’t go to plan, for example your ad gets disapproved; your entire business might put PPC campaigning on hold, and your competitors will benefit from your absence. It can be very difficult to challenge negative thinking about PPC within an organisation, so make sure you have staff on hand who are experienced in PPC to guide you through the process.
Don’t struggle through the occasionally confusing paid search process alone. If you are new to the world of PPC campaigns, get in touch with one of our experts and find out how we can help. We care about your business and can guide you through running a successful PPC campaign.
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