The spring is here and a lot of people are dusting off their running sneakers and getting out to shed those extra pounds. Maybe you should be doing that too… for your PPC account! If your PPC account could benefit from getting rid of some dead weight, you’ve come to the right place. This quick tutorial will help you figure out what to focus on to achieve a leaner PPC account. A slimmed down AdWords account is easier to manage and, ultimately, more effective in the long run!
1. Pause Unprofitable Keywords
With conversion tracking set up, you should be able to determine which of your keywords are driving Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). Any keywords that are just sucking up ad budget like a thirsty sponge should be cut right away. Pause these unprofitable keywords so that you can focus your efforts (and your budget) on the keywords that are actually paying off.
Can’t quite bear to part with them even though the data is telling you that you should? You can always reduce their bids to minimize budget waste and maintain some measure of branding. You can also opt to separate them out into a separate campaign to try to achieve profitability by taking a different approach (writing new ad text, using a different landing page, etc.).
2. Add Search Queries that Have Converted
Search queries are a treasure trove of possibilities. You can use them to inspire new marketing angles, identify new campaign and ad group ideas, generate negative keywords, and much more! The simplest way to use search queries, though, is to add any that have converted to your existing keyword lists. These search queries check all of the boxes – they’re related to what you’re advertising, they have search volume, and they have conversion potential. This is why they’re such a rich source of keyword possibilities!
3. A/B Test Top Performing Ads
Your best performing ads are working for a reason. That reason might be an eye catching title, a compelling value proposition, an engaging call-to-action, a well-matched landing page, or a number of other factors. Pausing your underperforming ads and focusing on each of the elements present in your top ads allows you to create new versions to test against your star ads. Copying and pasting ads and then making minor tweaks lets you hone in on what’s resonating best with your search audience, and it’s easy! As time goes on and you continue to shed lower performing ads and test new versions of well performing ads, you’ll continue to make strides towards greater profitability.
You can (and should) also beef up your ads with ad extensions to give them more versatility. Ad extensions are more important these days than ever before, but that doesn’t mean that all extensions are created equal. Some ad extensions are better at helping your ads stand out from the competition and motivating searchers to convert to buyers. This is why it’s important to figure out what’s working for your business and then perfect the approach that you take for that extension. Test them all (sitelinks, calls, locations, callouts, reviews, and structured snippets) to find a combination that elevates your ads!
Still confused about what you need to do to improve your PPC performance? Don’t have time to do it yourself? Contact us! We’ll provide you with a free AdWords audit that identifies what needs to be improved and work with you to figure out how we can help!
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Business Blogging and Web Copywriting. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and son and enjoys cooking, watching sports, and spending time together as a family. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about current marketing trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
With conversion tracking set up, you should be able to determine which of your keywords are driving Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). Any keywords that are just sucking up ad budget like a thirsty sponge should be cut right away. Pause these unprofitable keywords so that you can focus your efforts (and your budget) on the keywords that are actually paying off.
Can’t quite bear to part with them even though the data is telling you that you should? You can always reduce their bids to minimize budget waste and maintain some measure of branding. You can also opt to separate them out into a separate campaign to try to achieve profitability by taking a different approach (writing new ad text, using a different landing page, etc.).
2. Add Search Queries that Have Converted
Search queries are a treasure trove of possibilities. You can use them to inspire new marketing angles, identify new campaign and ad group ideas, generate negative keywords, and much more! The simplest way to use search queries, though, is to add any that have converted to your existing keyword lists. These search queries check all of the boxes – they’re related to what you’re advertising, they have search volume, and they have conversion potential. This is why they’re such a rich source of keyword possibilities!
3. A/B Test Top Performing Ads
Your best performing ads are working for a reason. That reason might be an eye catching title, a compelling value proposition, an engaging call-to-action, a well-matched landing page, or a number of other factors. Pausing your underperforming ads and focusing on each of the elements present in your top ads allows you to create new versions to test against your star ads. Copying and pasting ads and then making minor tweaks lets you hone in on what’s resonating best with your search audience, and it’s easy! As time goes on and you continue to shed lower performing ads and test new versions of well performing ads, you’ll continue to make strides towards greater profitability.
You can (and should) also beef up your ads with ad extensions to give them more versatility. Ad extensions are more important these days than ever before, but that doesn’t mean that all extensions are created equal. Some ad extensions are better at helping your ads stand out from the competition and motivating searchers to convert to buyers. This is why it’s important to figure out what’s working for your business and then perfect the approach that you take for that extension. Test them all (sitelinks, calls, locations, callouts, reviews, and structured snippets) to find a combination that elevates your ads!
Still confused about what you need to do to improve your PPC performance? Don’t have time to do it yourself? Contact us! We’ll provide you with a free AdWords audit that identifies what needs to be improved and work with you to figure out how we can help!
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Business Blogging and Web Copywriting. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and son and enjoys cooking, watching sports, and spending time together as a family. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about current marketing trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
RSS Feed
