Running a paid search campaign is a bit like juggling. Professionals make it look easy, but paid search services require focus, patience, and years of experience to get it right.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, “paid search” (also known as pay-per-click or PPC) is a digital marketing tactic that involves buying ads on search engine results pages. But unlike other forms of advertising, you only pay when someone actually clicks your ad. The average ROI for paid search is 22:1. In other words, for every $1 you spend in a PPC campaign, you get $22 back. This makes paid search services one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing.
But there’s a lot that can go wrong. Paid search involves many variables and a strategic approach that requires research, testing, analysis, and creative thinking. If you’re inexperienced, it’s easy to make mistakes that can blow through your budget and send your ROI plummeting.
In today’s blog, we’re highlighting some of the most common paid search mistakes – and how you can avoid them.
Mistake #1. Poor Keyword Research
Before you launch a PPC campaign, you need to do keyword research. And you need to do it right. We often help clients who attempted to run a paid search campaign on their own and made the critical misstep of cutting corners on keyword research. They bid exclusively on broad terms, which had high competition and attracted irrelevant traffic.
If the keywords in your paid search campaign are too broad, you’ll burn through your budget quickly, and you won’t have quality leads to show for it. Instead, you should use keywords that target specific audience segments. Don’t be afraid of using longer, more detailed phrases.
Although these terms might see lower traffic, that’s okay. Most PPC campaigns are about quality clicks, not quantity. It’s better to receive lower amounts of traffic that result in higher conversion rates than thousands of clicks from people who just skim your landing page and leave.
Mistake #2. Ignoring Negative Keywords
Another common mistake is ignoring “negative” keywords, which are the terms and phrases you want your ad platform not to target. If you don’t tell your platform what to exclude, your ads may show up in irrelevant searches.
For example, let’s say you’re running paid search services for a company that sells accounting software. You don’t want to waste your ad budget on searches for “accounting jobs.” Additionally, unless you’re specifically focused on increasing conversions for a free trial, you don’t want to show up for “free accounting software” because consumers may feel misled.
To avoid this mistake, define exclusion parameters when you set up your campaign. Start with obvious negative terms (in our example above, terms like “job” and “free”) and add to your list as you get more data. Regularly revisit your ad dashboard and weed out search terms that bring in the wrong kind of traffic.
Mistake #3. Generic Ad Copy
If your ad sounds bland, robotic, or spammy, you’ll struggle to get clicks. Generic ad copy is one of the biggest mistakes people make in paid search services. Your ads need to stand out and inspire people to click.
Think about what makes your product or service unique. What problem does it solve for your consumer? How does it add value to their lives? PPC ad copy should lead with a clear benefit, speak directly to the consumer, and include a compelling call to action.
But remember to avoid exaggerated claims, fluff, and clickbait.
Mistake #4. Sending Clicks to the Wrong Landing Page
Just because someone clicks on your ad doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed a conversion. You still need to direct them along the consumer funnel, which means your ad must match its landing page.
If your ad is about a specific product, the link needs to send them to a page where they can buy it – not a general home page, category page, or another place on your website. Most users will simply bounce if they can’t find what they’re looking for right away.
A disconnect between your ad and your landing page can tank conversions and tell Google your user experience isn’t great, which drives up your costs over time. Luckily, this fix is simple: create specific landing pages tailored to each ad group or campaign. Match the headline, deliver what the user was promised, and make it easy for users to complete a conversion.
Mistake #5. Ignoring Mobile Users
Today, most people use the internet on their phone or other mobile device. That’s why it’s vital to create ads and landing pages that are mobile-optimized. You might have a gorgeous desktop experience, but if your mobile site is hard to navigate, you’ll lose lots of potential customers. In the current landscape, a responsive UX design isn’t optional – it’s essential.
Before you launch your paid search campaign, test everything on mobile. Make sure the text is easy to read without zooming, buttons and links are easy to tap with a finger, and your most important content is front-and-center. That also means optimizations like:
- Cutting unnecessary copy and images
- Shortening sign-up forms
- Keeping your CTAs short and direct
Mistake #6. Setting and Forgetting
Finally, one of the worst errors you can make is putting your campaign on autopilot after it launches. Paid search services aren’t “set it and forget it.” A strategy that worked for one month might not work the next. Your campaign’s success can be affected by a wide range of external variables like seasonal trends, competitors tweaking bids, and algorithm changes.
Check your ad dashboard regularly – at least once a week – and monitor any drops or spikes in your campaign’s KPIs. If your ad performance declines consistently, evaluate your campaign and optimize accordingly. You should also run regular A/B tests for different ad copy, CTAs, and landing pages.
Paid Search Services: Not As Easy as They Seem
The bottom line is that paid search isn’t as easy as it seems. However, with the right strategy, PPC can be one of the most powerful tools in your digital marketing arsenal. Use the proper tools, planning, and avoid making mistakes to get the most out of your paid search ad spend.
At Mandzok Marketing, we’ve run successful PPC campaigns for our clients for over 25 years. Skip the trial-and-error headache of running your own campaign and see how we can help your business grow! Contact us today for a free digital marketing consultation.
