My Pay Per Click Development Process
You're at a crossroads. You're trying to determine if you should invest in an advertising strategy or SEO now that you have some capital to work with. But, before you start spending cash on ads, let's take a look at my PPC process in order to give you a better understanding of what this type of strategy entails. At the end of the day, we prefocus on a plan that caters to user intent and improves conversion rates. PPC isn't just about the click. If you're missing some of these elements, then you could be leaving money on the table. No matter where you're advertising, improving the return on every click should be a priority. BlogContactIn order to begin helping you understand how to approach PPC Advertising, I encourage you to get familiar with what it actually is. According to Webopedia, pay per click is a strategic formula used to price online advertisements. When managing PPC, your advertiser pays an agreed amount to publishers when your ad is clicked on. This could be in Google or Bing search results, on a publisher website or other elements of search. Whether the consumer makes a purchase or not, you’re charged with a “cost per click” (CPC) amount. This varies in different industries and can range from a few pennies to over $100. When you’re involved in a market where bidding is competitive, the CPC can fluctuate depending on the strategies of your competition. Knowing exactly where opportunity is and what your ideal return is will help you set yourself up for success in PPC.
Daily monitoring is important, but so is your ability to allocate and manage keywords that align with your offering. Although broad and popular search terms drive traffic when you’re at the top of the page, you should be bidding on keywords with purpose. But, before we jump the gun, let’s dive into my PPC development process.
1. Analyze Your Products & Services
Writing product or service descriptions is one of the most important steps in an effective PPC process. Thoroughly defining what you actually offer allows you to eliminate certain keywords or search phrases that don’t makes sense. When you provide clarity you’re return on investment is higher, Businesses that focus on volume or reach tactics place themselves as an option for consumers to choose from.
2. Research Your Competition
When immersing yourself in the PPC process, challenge yourself to identify a strategy. Are you looking to overcome the market (your competitors) or uncover a niche to take over? Although you can invest in both, it’s important that your paid ad strategy has a definitive purpose. Either way, you’ll want to see what your competition is doing so you can determine the best approach to a positive ROAS.
3. Develop Strong Landing Pages
Before you get ahead of yourself with campaign development, I urge you to design user friendly landing page templates. Funneling traffic with resonating call-to-actions will drastically improve conversion rates. A visitor that searches a specific phrase is looking for specific information. Routing them to a general service page can hurt their user experience. Develop trust with a clean page and a clear solution.
4. Search For Relevant Keywords
This is where the aforementioned 3 steps come into play. Now that you know what you provide, who your competing with, and how you’re going to convert – it’s time to find the most effective search terms. There are plenty of platforms that allow you to organize findings, but it’s important that you stick to the plan. Unless your strategy surrounds Adsense, focus on keywords showcasing imminent needs with intent.
5. Determine Geographical Targeting
Now that you know which keywords to use, you’ll need to determine which markets you’re targeting. If you’re offering a product or a service that can be offered remotely (like consulting), then you don’t need to worry about local keywords. Either way, different parts of the country (and world) have unique ways of communicating. Keep this in mind when you’re creating new campaigns or revising ad copy.
6. Develop Your Advertisements
Pay per click ads are a lot more complex than one may think. Once you’ve organized your keywords, you basically have to mold them into a sales pitch. Grouping similar terms in each campaign helps you write relevant ad copy. Analyze your adgroups and curate content that supports your brand promise. Don’t be afraid to look into Display ads or imagery campaigns as they can decrease your click costs.
7. Set Up Tracking & Reporting
Look, if you’re investing in an PPC ad strategy you need to have tracking, If you don’t, it’s time to hit the pause button. Being able to see what’s working, and how well, allows you to bid accordingly. If you don’t know where to start, find someone that can help. If you hire someone, do your research and ask about click attribution, view throughs, UTM parameters, A/B testing, etc. Understanding wins in advertising.
8. Test Ads Before Full Launch
Now that you’ve pieced together your strategy, I challenge you to value patience. Although a thoughtful plan is best, there can still be wrinkles that need to be ironed out. If you have multiple campaigns, then try testing them one at a time to fully understand the results you’re garnering. Once you have some data to analyze, you can begin to eliminate or expand on certain phrases based on performance.
Concluding the Process
Although this is a brief overview of the pay per click development process, I hope you’re able to bounce with an improved outlook on PPC. Advertising can be a great way to drive sales quickly, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Taking the time to understand your market and what your target audience values can make or break your campaign. But in order to ensure your success, you’ll want to make sure everything is in place for a productive strategy. Feel free to give me a call to discuss this further. We’re passionate about possessing a strategy and look forward to aiding some of you with yours. Best in success nonetheless..
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