These 5 free PPC tips have been proven to help DIY PPC managers save money and garner targeted leads.
(Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference!)
1. Position, Position, Position (Same As Location, Location, Location)
Being #1 isn’t always the best place to be! Depending on your competition, the average cost per click and your conversion data, other ad positions like 2, 3, or 4 may be more cost-effective. Run a few tests to find out what spot works best for you:
- Bid for a top position and monitor your results (conversions, click thru rate, cost per click)
- Repeat again after two weeks, but this time, lower your bid to appear in position 2 on average
- You can repeat the test one more time, dropping your bid again to appear in position 3 on average
Once your test period is complete, evaluate the results. Choose the position and cost per click that produced the most conversions and start saving money!
2. Negative Keywords – Not Just Once & Done
If your ads are showing for the wrong search queries, it can become very costly! Low Click Thru Rates (CTR) can cause your Quality Score to drop and your Cost Per Click (CPC) to rise (not to mention the dollars spent on those irrelevant clicks!) Adding in Negative Keywords to your Campaign will cut down on Irrelevant Impressions, which will increase your Click Thru Rate. It will also eliminate Irrelevant Clicks, which will decrease wasted dollars. When setting up a Campaign, use a Keyword Tool to help find Negative Keywords, but don’t stop there. Each week review the Search Terms in your Keyword Tab and add in any irrelevant queries as Negative Keywords. This process should be repeated weekly for the first month of running a Campaign, then bi-weekly in the second month, and then finally monthly for the length of your campaign. Continually adding in negatives will save you money!
3. Show Your Ads When People Want to Buy
Unless you have an unlimited budget, you’ll want to set your ads to show when people are most likely to convert. Here are two ways you can accomplish this:
- Review the conversion data (for several months) under the Dimension Tab in the Hour of the Day View. If you are receiving most conversions (sales, leads) between 10 am and 1 pm, shorten your ad scheduling to show your ads between 9 and 2 or increase the bid between the hours of 10 and 1.
- If you don’t want to take the time to review all the data, turn on the Conversion Optimizer and let Google decide for you. As long as you have had at least 15 conversions in the last 30 days, Google will automatically adjust your ad delivery to show the ads at the most converting times. Using valuable advertising dollars at the right time of the day will save you money and increase your revenue!
4. Where is THAT Product? Use Sitelinks to Lower Bounce Rates
Sometimes a general ad for your site may be triggered over a specific ad/landing page for a search query. (For example, a search for “spring flower bouquets” may trigger the ad and landing page for “all flower bouquets”, causing the user to click on your ad and leave your site without actually viewing the specific spring flower bouquets page. People are impatient and want instant gratification! To combat this issue, add SiteLinks to your “general” ads, promoting specials or certain sections of your website. Including a “Spring Flower Bouquet” site link would enable the person seeing your “general” ad to click below the ad right onto the site link (spring flower bouquet). The link would take them directly to the spring flower bouquet page, increasing your chance for conversion.
5. Device Bidding – Is Your Site Mobile Friendly?
With Device Bidding, you are able to bid up or down for ads showing on mobile devices. Here are two reasons why you should bid down on mobile:
- If your site isn’t mobile friendly, bid down to eliminate viewers from seeing your ad as often on mobile devices
- If you have reviewed your mobile click data and find that people are bouncing off or not converting
Eliminate wasted clicks on mobile if your potential customers are more desktop or tablet users. However, if you have a great mobile-friendly site (and you should!), bid up so your ads get one of the two coveted ad spots on mobile. But, be sure to review the mobile click data to make sure the ads are working for you. As time goes on, the use of the smartphone over desktops is inevitable so if your site is not mobile friendly, now would be the time to jump on the mobile friendly bandwagon!