Having a strong PPC advertising strategy is important for driving more traffic to your website, increasing sales, and boosting brand awareness. PPC is an efficient method for businesses to attract relevant audiences and achieve measurable results. This article will break down what PPC is, followed by some effective PPC advertising strategies to help your business stand out.
What is PPC?
PPC stands for pay-per-click, a form of online advertising where advertisers pay a fee each time someone clicks on their ad. The most common PPC platform is Google Ads, where businesses bid on keywords related to their products or services, and their ads appear at the top of search engine results pages when users search for those terms.
PPC campaigns can also run on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram or as display ads on various websites. PPC offers a fast way to drive targeted traffic, as advertisers only pay when a potential customer engages with the ad. You can get reliable PPC solutions from the best PPC agencies.
Effective PPC Advertising Strategies
Here are some of the most effective PPC marketing strategies.
1. Advertise on Multiple Platforms
While Google Ads remains a popular and effective choice for many businesses due to its vast reach and the ability to target specific audiences, it shouldn’t be your only platform for PPC advertising. Broadening your approach by advertising on social media networks, such as Facebook, can be highly beneficial.
Facebook, in particular, offers opportunities to boost brand awareness, engage with customers, and drive sales. By diversifying across different platforms, you can maximize your reach and align your strategy with the goals of your business. Evaluate different ad networks to find the ones that best suit your needs.
2. Launch Remarketing Campaigns
Remarketing is a powerful tool to boost conversions. It allows you to show ads to people who have already visited your website, increasing the chances they’ll choose your product over a competitor’s by 70%. By using Google Analytics, you can create targeted audiences based on factors like pages viewed or time spent on your site.
Once your audience is built, you can easily create a remarketing campaign in Google Ads. While Google Ads is often the top choice due to its large reach, you can also use platforms like Bing Ads. If you’re new to this, professional remarketing services can help you get started.
3. Include Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are a valuable addition to your PPC strategy, offering new ways to enhance your ads. Google Ads frequently updates its list of extensions, so it’s worth exploring new options that could improve your campaign.
Some useful extensions include:
Message Extensions:
This extension allows mobile users to easily text your team directly from your ad. You can set up automated replies and manage incoming messages via a designated phone number or email. It’s particularly useful for industries like hospitality and travel, where quick communication is key.
Call Extensions:
Make it easy for users to call your business by adding a call extension. On mobile, customers can call your team with a simple tap. This extension is ideal for businesses offering urgent services, such as heating and cooling repairs.
Price Extensions:
Highlight your product details, prices, and options using a price extension. It’s a hassle-free way to keep prices updated and provides users with valuable information upfront, especially beneficial for ecommerce stores. Extensions like these help your ads stand out and add more value for your audience, no matter the industry.
Explore the various ad extensions available in Google Ads and incorporate them into your PPC strategy. Experimenting with different extensions can enhance your ads’ performance and effectiveness.
4. Design Mobile-First Landing Pages
To effectively engage mobile users, companies should focus on designing mobile-first landing pages for several key reasons:
- Majority of Traffic: Over half of global internet traffic originates from mobile devices.
- High Transaction Rate: More than 40% of online purchases are made on mobile devices.
- Ad Engagement: Over 50% of ad clicks occur on mobile devices.
Unfortunately, many businesses overlook mobile optimization in their PPC strategies. While ads may appear correctly on smartphones and tablets, the landing pages they link to often provide a poor user experience. An effective landing page should be:
- Fast: Load quickly to retain visitors.
- Functional: Work seamlessly across devices.
- Intuitive: Be easy to navigate.
- Relevant: Match the ad content to meet user expectations.
To maximize your ROI from PPC campaigns, prioritize creating mobile-friendly landing pages. You can either develop these in-house or leverage landing page design services to enhance the user experience.
5. Try Lookalike and Similar Audiences
Consider using lookalike audiences on Facebook and similar audiences on Google Ads to connect with users resembling your existing customers. These options enhance targeting precision, allowing you to reach a wider yet relevant audience. Both platforms automate audience creation, requiring minimal input from you.
In Google Ads, you can use a remarketing audience with at least 100 users to create a similar audience. For Facebook, you can upload a customer file or reference site traffic, with a recommended source audience of 1,000 or more people. Combining these audiences with display remarketing can increase conversion rates by over 40%.
Businesses leveraging lookalike audiences often experience significant success, sometimes quadrupling their PPC ROI. Experimenting with these strategies can enhance your PPC efforts.
6. Set a Realistic Advertising Budget
Many businesses enter online advertising with an unrealistic budget. While ad platforms allow for any budget, insufficient spending won’t yield the desired results. You don’t need a lavish budget, but establishing a realistic one is essential. Start by researching average costs in your industry, particularly the average cost-per-click (CPC) for ads.
Understanding what similar companies invest in PPC advertising helps you create a more accurate budget. This data can also support your budget proposals to decision-makers. To maximize your PPC strategy, assess your budget against industry standards to ensure it’s both effective and achievable.
7. Write Compelling, Benefit-Rich Ad Copy
All PPC strategies must focus on high-quality ad copy. If your copy, from the headline to the multimedia, doesn’t engage users, your campaign will struggle. Without compelling content, potential customers won’t click on your ad, which limits conversions.
To create effective ad copy, keep these best practices in mind:
- Highlight what makes your business unique, like free shipping or price matching.
- Showcase relevant prices, promotions, or exclusives.
- Use strong calls-to-action (CTAs) such as “Buy now” or “Sign up.”
- Ensure landing pages reflect the promises made in your ad.
- Emphasize the benefits of your product or service over features.
Investing time in your ad copy can significantly enhance your campaign’s performance. Review your existing ads and identify those that need improvement.
8. Use Responsive Search and Display Ads
Google Ads offers the option to use responsive search ads and responsive display ads, allowing your business to automate parts of your PPC strategy while harnessing the power of machine learning.
With responsive ads, Google Ads generates numerous combinations of your ad copy and images, testing their performance with users. This data helps identify the most effective combinations, resulting in smarter and more impactful ads for your business.
Additionally, you gain flexibility in experimenting with different headlines and descriptions. By leveraging responsive ads, you can enhance your PPC strategies and achieve better results.
9. Embrace A/B Testing
To optimize your PPC strategy, it’s essential to regularly monitor your ad performance and conduct A/B testing. Most experts recommend reviewing your ads weekly to ensure they are effective.
Google Ads supports this approach by allowing you to create experiments. For text ads, it’s advisable to develop three to four variations with different messaging for testing. Through these experiments, you can assess various factors such as bids, audience targeting, and location targeting.
By comparing the performance of your test ads with a control group, you gain valuable data that informs your decisions. This way, you rely on real audience insights rather than guesswork, enhancing the effectiveness of your PPC strategy.
Closing Thoughts on PPC Advertising Strategies
Implementing a well-structured PPC advertising strategy can lead to increased website traffic, better conversions, and a higher ROI. By advertising on multiple platforms, launching remarketing campaigns, using ad extensions, and continuously optimizing your ads, you can stay ahead of the competition and drive meaningful results for your business.