Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is essential to a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, but many companies are doing it wrong. PPC campaigns are already costly enough, so making mistakes that cost you even more money can harm your overall marketing ROI.
Below, we’ve collated some of the most common mistakes beginner advertisers and unknowing business owners make when they start PPC ad campaigns. If you’re new to the playing field, learn how to alleviate and avoid these ROI-damaging errors.
Many novice advertisers make the first mistake of neglecting keyword research. The online world is saturated with innumerable ads, and keyword matching is one way the algorithm filters out irrelevant ads to target users.
Using generic, broad keywords won’t suffice. You need to dig deep and really understand what your target audience is searching for through keyword research.
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs can make your job a hundred times easier when doing your keyword research. Don’t shy away from using negative keywords, either. Ads are more powerful when they evoke strong emotions. Keyword research is a routine, so make it a habit to refine your keyword lists regularly.
When creating an ad, do you go with your first draft without a thorough quality check? Many marketers and advertisers share this common mistake that’s costing them clicks and conversions. Producing generic, unclear, and poorly researched copy can negatively impact your ad’s performance.
When writing your ad copy, use clear, action-oriented language. Don’t just describe what you do; show your audience how you can solve their problems or fulfill their needs.
Another important aspect of ad copy quality is A/B testing. Take advantage of this feature to test variations of your ads and see what resonates best with your target audience.
According to a new Hubspot report, a personalized landing page makes a PPC campaign 5% more effective. This number might seem small but don’t underestimate it.
Most of the time, advertisers use their websites to direct users from their ads. The thing is, a general homepage is not always the best place to send your audience. Creating a dedicated, optimized, and mobile-friendly landing page for your offer can significantly increase your ad’s relevance and, consequently, its success.
While you may be saving money, underspending on ad campaigns also hurts your ad’s performance. In contrast, overspending can quickly exhaust your budget and limit your ad’s reach.
An ad campaign can be expensive, especially if you don’t have a set budget and you don’t monitor your spending. However, you can easily tweak your budget strategy by assessing your previous ad campaign spending and setting budget caps and bid adjustments.
In marketing and advertising, you must center your audience on your campaigns. Unfortunately, many professionals skip audience research and targeting.
Not everyone is your audience. You can’t just put out an ad and hope for a random conversion. Some ad platforms have an audience segmentation feature, which helps target your ads to specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. You can also use this feature to retarget opportunities.
Marketing, in the end, is a numbers game. If you’re not running up historical data before running a campaign and analyzing current numbers after a campaign, it’s challenging to learn from your mistakes and improve.
Don’t just track vanity metrics like likes and impressions. Instead, look at and regularly monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) that actually drive the bottom line, such as click-through rates (CTRs), conversion rates, and return on advertising spend (ROAS).
Surprisingly, few advertisers are aware of ad extensions. Ad extensions are similar to rich search results, where you can add valuable information (e.g., phone number, address, etc.) next to your ad.
Ad extensions boost the visibility and click on your ads. Just make sure you’re using updated and relevant extensions that align with your campaign goals.
Did you know that mobile ad spending reached almost $400 billion in 2024? If you’re still not optimizing your ads and landing pages for mobile devices, you’re missing out on a huge potential audience.
Optimize your ads for various screen sizes, ensure the text is legible, and test how your landing page looks on different devices. These steps can significantly improve your ad performance and help you reach a larger audience.
PPC ads have enormous revenue-generating potential when used correctly. If you’re planning your next PPC campaign to promote your services or launch a new product line, make sure you avoid these common mistakes.
Our team can help you create a hands-free solution for your next PPC campaign. Contact Connection Model to optimize your campaigns and avoid costly errors!