Are You Making the Most of Pay Per Click?

Many organisations across all industries are recognising the benefit in using Pay Per Click (those “sponsored listings” around the edge of the Google results) to win more business from the internet.
However, how many people can actually do this right and show a positive return on the money being spent?
Here are the 7 Golden Rules to follow when creating a Pay Per Click campaign.

Rule 1: Avoid Broad Match.
It is important not to be lazy when setting up your campaign. The more focused your keywords, the less you pay. Your ads will also appear higher if they a more relevant to the search. Take your 100 keywords and make them into 200 by adding exact variations.

Rule 2: Avoid Geo-Targeting.
Google offers an easy way to advertise a certain area. But there are many technical reasons this doesn’t work effectively. Instead, identify the larger towns and cities you work in and put those into your ad copy as keywords.

Rule 3: Don’t Copy the Competition.
Just because someone is doing it one way, doesn’t make it right. Ensure your adverts are relevant for you and what your customers are looking for. Make sure your ads identify what makes you unique, why should they choose you over the next guy?

Rule 4: Take Advantage of Seasons.
You know your industry better than anyone else. If you know that a certain product sells better at a certain time, then take advantage of that. Thousands of people will make similar searches at certain times of the year. Identify the need of the customer and match it with your campaign.

Rule 5: Include “Negative” Keywords.
Occasionally, Google will show your adverts for searches that you didn’t intend to appear for. These cost you money and impact on the performance of your campaign generally. Using the reporting functions, identify these searches and ensure they are included in the negative keyword section to prevent it happening in the future.

Rule 6: Create Good Ad-Copy.
Google will consider a number of factors when working out click cost and ad position. The more relevant your ad, the better Google will like it. Make sure your keywords have unique adverts with the keyword in the Title, the Ad Copy and the Display URL. You will appear higher and pay less as a result.

Rule 7: Don’t Ignore the Brand Names.
Think about it. If your customers are searching for a particular product, that you can supply and install, why not appear for that. People might be searching for a brand following a TV or Radio advert, so make sure they find your site at the same time. Remember though, if you get a letter from the brand asking to remove it, I would comply!

If you follow these guidelines and monitor the campaign regularly, you should have no problems increasing your business online. Say goodbye to printed directories, internet advertising is bigger, easier to track and here to stay – make sure your part of it.

Don't forget to use your PPC campaign when performing search engine optimisation to ensure you optimise the right keywords