Lessons to Take Away from Unsuccessful PPC
Pay-per-click (PPC) is a form of paid advertising that allows you to connect with your target audience in a very personal and direct way. Many PPC success stories are certainly inspirational. However, there are just as many things that can be learned from a PPC failure, which is broadly defined as any campaign that fails to meet expectations, often in a way that produces very little return on the initial investment. The experienced professionals from Saba SEO, the trusted experts in Internet marketing, PPC, and SEO San Diego businesses rely on to increase targeted traffic and boost revenue, offer these suggestions for learning from a PPC failure.
You Need a Realistic Baseline
It’s possible to have success with less costly keywords, but there are times when you’ll need a certain cost-per-click minimum to get the kind of exposure you want for your ads. Do some research ahead of time to find out the average cost per conversion for your industry or niche so you have a better idea of what kind of baseline to keep in mind when you plan your ad budgets.
You Have to Know What Sells and Which Keywords Work
Even if you have a limited budget to work with, you can still turn a PPC failure into a success if you focus on the right products. Take a look at your existing shopping ads to find out what products are selling best. This way, you’ll be able to leverage a smaller budget by focusing on more profitable products. With keywords, PPC failures may be due to:
- Failure to identify which keywords are leading to conversions
- Not doing proper competitor research to see which keywords your competition is effectively targeting
- Not paying attention to the keywords that aren’t generating sales—you can always use these as negative keywords that are purposely excluded from your PPC ads so you’re not presenting your ads to searchers who aren’t likely to be interested
Real Data from Real Queries Matters
A PPC failure can leave you with more than just a painful budget deficit. Use the data you got from queries real people and customers typed to get a better idea of where to focus your efforts with your next PPC campaigns. Tools such as Answer the Public can also give you an idea of what kinds of questions people are asking about your products or services so you know what to emphasize in your ads.
Finally, another thing you can learn from a PPC failure is the importance of testing ad copy. If this is a step you overlooked with a failed campaign, take the time to present a few different versions of your ad copy in your next campaign. Pay attention to which words or phrases perform best (e.g., “best-selling” vs. “top-quality”) so you can use them in future campaigns and the related landing pages linked to your ads. While nobody likes to fail, take comfort in knowing PPC missteps can sometimes lead to future successes.
If you need expert help with your online marketing strategies, call on the experts from Saba SEO, a premier SEO company in San Diego. Our AdWords specialists know the top PPC strategies and how to create high-converting directed ads that appeal to the customers who need your product or service most. If you want to find out if pay-per-click is right for your business needs, give us a call today at 858-277-1717 and schedule a complimentary consultation.
