Posts tagged: A Tactical Guide to PPC Campaigns: Tips

By Pablo Espinal

What is UP! Pablo Espinal here,

If you’re looking for THE complete guide to PPC campaign success on the internet, you’ve come to the right place.

In this guide, we’ll go over all the tips, tactics, and strategies you need to know to make your PPC campaigns a success.

The best part?

Everything in this guide is up-to-date and working great right now, so you can save a ton of advertising money on your campaigns.

Let’s get started!

Tip 1: SIMPLIFY As Much As Possible

Cutting the fat means reducing ad runs for days or dates that have historically yielded fewer results. 

The above will also save you time monitoring performance in front of the screen.

Focus on only the revenue-producing campaigns. This means limiting broad matches only to these. You can do this by: 

• Googling your main keywords and taking a look at the SERP

• Checking out your analytics to see which terms people use to find your site (with a high conversion rate)

• Brainstorming with co-workers or customers to come up with other relevant terms

This will allow for better money savings when looked at over a long time. 

Here is how to set date parameters on your PPC campaign:

• Navigate to the “Settings” tab in your Adwords account
• Select “All time” from the date dropdown menu
• Choose the start and end date for your analysis

Once you have that information, go to the “Dimensions” tab and select “Search Terms.”

You can now see the terms people used to find your site.

Fat cutting can also be applied to location targeting, focusing on only locations that have historically provided actual results.

Here’s how to set up location targeting on your PPC campaign:

• Go to the “Settings” tab in your AdWords account
• Click on “All online campaigns.”
• Select the campaign you want to edit
• Scroll down to “Advanced location settings,” and click on the pencil icon next to it
• You can now select which locations you want your ads to show in
• Once you’re happy with your selections, click “Save and continue.”

The most important thing to remember regarding location targeting is that you should always be testing. 

What works in one location might not work in another, so it’s important to experiment and find what works best for your business.

Tip 2: Get To It ASAP

Since PPC can be highly costly in a very short time, make sure to make the changes needed to your ad spend fast. 

Daily checking of your ad spend will get the above done. This is why, per step 1, it’s suitable only to have the most productive campaigns running. 

Setting up a daily budget tracking script can help with step 2. Think of it like having an auto cap on your everyday ad spend.  

Here is how to set up a daily budget tracking script:

• Go to the “Tools” dropdown menu in your AdWords account
• Click on “Scripts” under the “Bulk operations” heading
• Select “+ New script”
• Copy and paste the below code into the box that appears:

function main() {
var campaignIterator = AdWordsApp.campaigns().get();
while (campaignIterator.hasNext()) {
var campaign = campaignIterator.next();
if (campaign.isEnabled() && campaign.advertisingChannelType == ‘SEARCH’) {
var stats = campaign.getStatsFor(‘TODAY’);
// Logs the campaign name, spend, and impressions to the console.
Logger.log(campaign.getName() + ‘: ‘ + stats.getCost() + ‘, ‘ + stats.getImpressions());
}
}
}

• Save the script by clicking on “OK”
• Click on “Authorize” when prompted
• Click on “Advanced options,” then check the box next to “Use your account’s time zone”
• Under “Script triggers,” click on “+ Add Trigger”
• In the pop-up window that appears, select the following:
• Event type: Time-driven
• Frequency: Daily
• Time zone: AdWords account time zone
• Start date: Today’s date
• Start time: 00:00 (midnight)
• Click “Save”
• Back on the “Scripts” page, click on “Close”

Check back in a few hours to see if it’s working as intended.

Tip 3: Lower Your Daily Budget

According to Google Ads rules, even when you set a daily limit of $100.00, you could end up spending twice that amount.  

This is because Google calculates monthly averages when saying “daily limit.” Another way of saying this is that your daily limit is never actually honored. 

For example, if you’re spending $100.00 a day, on average, then your monthly spending will be about $3000.00.

But if one day you spend $200.00, the following days will have to make up for that by averaging only $50.00 each to meet your $100.00 daily average. 

The result? You could end up spending $6,000.00 in a month, even with a daily limit of $100.00!

After reviewing your monthly report, play around with the numbers to avoid the above. For example, instead of a $200.00 daily limit, set it at $175.00

Here is how to set up daily budgets for your PPC campaigns:

• Log into your Google Ads account
• Click on the “Campaigns” tab
• Select the campaign you want to adjust
• Scroll down to the “Budget” section and click on the pencil icon next to it
• Enter your desired budget amount
• Make sure the “Delivery method” is set to “Standard.”
• Click “Save”

Here are some other things to keep in mind when it comes to your daily PPC budget:

• If you’re starting out, set your daily budget low and increase it as needed
• If you’re scaling up your PPC campaigns, do so gradually to avoid overspending

Tip 4: Look Closely Over Your “Exact Match” Data

Google does not consider “exact match” the same as you do. They have been known to show ads for searches that are only loosely related to your target keywords.

For example, if you’re targeting the keyword “red shoes,” your ad may appear for a search like “buy red shoes.” But it may also appear for a Google search like “red shoes size 12.”

This means that instead of word-by-word matches, Google pays just as much attention to keyword variations that share the same meaning. 

Ensure your “Exact Match” parameters account for close keyword variations that share the same meaning. 

To set up Match parameters in your PPC campaigns, just:

• Go to the “Keywords” tab
• Select the keyword you want to edit
• Click on “Edit match settings.”
• Choose from one of the following options: Broad, Modified broad, Phrase, or Exact
• Save your changes

Some other things to remember when it comes to exact match in PPC:

– Pay attention to search queries that have high impressions but low click-through rates

– Add negative keywords to your campaign to avoid these types of searches

-The final tip is to keep a close eye on your search query report. This will show you all the queries that triggered your ad and can be found under “Keywords” in your Google Ads account.

Tip 5: Always Be Flexible To Learn And Adjust

PPC can be overwhelming, so remember to take a deep breath if you see a sudden, unexpected shift that you did not prepare for. 

Most importantly, you caught the shift and can now make adjustments. Whether this means changing your daily ad spend total or changing a keyword match parameter. 

You can also monitor your PPC campaigns by setting up alerts. 

This will allow you to get an email notification whenever a sudden change in your campaign’s performance.

To set up alerts for your PPC campaigns, follow these steps:

• Log into your Google Ads account
• Click on “Campaigns” in the sidebar menu
• In the top right corner of the “Campaigns” page, click on the three dots and select “Alerts” from the dropdown menu
• On the “Alerts” page, click on the plus sign in the top right corner to create a new alert
• Choose the “Campaign” you want to receive alerts for and select your “Alert trigger.”
• Enter your email address in the “Recipient email addresses” field and click “Save.”

Tip 6: Location, Location, Location

Looking at the location of your current and possible customers is a brilliant step. 

You will see patterns in demographics that can aid in your campaign setup and maintenance. 

Based on the above, you may decide to split campaigns and restructure them based on states or regions. So some keywords are targeted in one place, while others are targeted elsewhere. 

The most important thing to remember when it comes to performance by location within a PPC campaign is always to look for patterns and act on them.

You set your location in a PPC campaign like this:

• Log into your Google Ads account
• Navigate to the “Settings” tab and click on “Location Options.”
• Choose “People in, or who show interest in, your targeted locations.”
• Click “Save”
• Now, your PPC campaigns will only target people within (or interested in) the locations you’ve selected.

Tip 7: Pay Attention To Device Types

There are only 3 or 4 ways people will see your ads. It’s either a cell phone, tablet, PC, or laptop.

Paying attention to performance metrics based on the different devices available to view your ad is not only necessary but needed. 

If cell phones outperform tablets on specific campaigns/keywords, you need to adjust your bid amounts to reflect this. 

To set the device types within a PPC campaign:

• Log into your Google Ads account
• Navigate to the “Settings” tab and click on “Devices.”
• Choose which device types you want to target: computers, mobile devices, or both
• Click “Save”
• Now, your PPC campaigns will only target the device types you’ve selected.

Based on Google research, the device type that always outperforms in PPC is mobile, so make sure you’re Pay-Per-Click campaigns are set to target mobile devices more often than the other types.

Here are a few other things to keep in mind when it comes to targeting different devices:

• Make sure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly. If it’s not, you’re wasting money on PPC ads. Take a look at this post showing you how to ensure mobile friendliness.
• Pay attention to user behavior when it comes to mobile. People use their phones differently than they use a desktop computer, so make sure your ad copy and landing pages reflect that
• Test, test, test! Try different campaigns and strategies on different devices to see what works best for you

Tip 8: Focus More On Search and Display Networks

Search vs. Search Partners vs. Display, you know the deal. 

Paying attention to results from all 3 of these networks might not be necessary. 

Over time, search partner networks can show negligible results compared to Search and Display. 

For this reason, splitting search and display campaigns is a good strategy. 

Since search is a pull medium and display is a push medium, make sure you are looking closely at KIPs(key performance indicators) throughout the different stages of the UX. 

Specific KPIs in search networks that you should look out for are:

• Clicks
• Impressions
• Ad Position(Avg.)

Specific KPIs in display networks that you should look out for are:

• Views
• Engagements
• Interactions/Clicks If you’re not happy with the results you see on either of these networks, don’t be afraid to adjust your budget or bids.

Tip 9: Make Sure Your Suppression Lists Are Ready 

A suppression list is a great way to make sure you’re not wasting money on ads that will never be seen by people who have no interest in your product.

Think of it like this; if you’re selling snowboards, you will not want your ad shown to someone in Hawaii.

Things to remember about suppression lists

• They need to be updated regularly
• They should include all the places you don’t want your ads to show up
• Pay attention to the results of your ads after implementing a suppression list

To create a suppression list:

• Navigate to the “Display Network” tab
• Click on “Placements”
• Select the campaign you want to edit
• Click on the “Exclusions” tab
• Click on “+ New Exclusion” and select “Suppression List” from the drop

BONUS- Advanced Tips

Create a custom audience

A custom audience is a great way to target people who have already shown an interest in your product.

To create a custom audience:

• Navigate to the “Audiences” tab
• Click on “+ New Audience” and select “Custom Audience” from the dropdown menu
• Enter a name for your audience and select the type of audience you want to create
• Click “Create”
• Now you can start adding people to your custom audience

Use Dynamic Search Ads

Dynamic Search Ads(DSA) are a great way to target people searching for terms related to your product.

To set up a DSA campaign:

• Navigate to the “Display Network” tab and click on “+ Campaign.”
• Select “Dynamic Search Ads” from the dropdown menu
• Enter a name for your campaign and click “Continue.”
• Select the language, location, and budget for your campaign
• Click “Continue”
• Choose the devices you want to target and click “Save & Continue.”
• Now, you can start adding people to your custom audience.

Retarget website visitors 

Retargeting is a great way to keep your product in front of people who have already shown an interest in it.

To set up a retargeting campaign:

• Navigate to the “Display Network” tab and click on “+ Campaign.”
• Select “Retargeting” from the dropdown menu
• Enter a name for your campaign and click “Continue.”
• Select the language, location, and budget for your campaign
• Click “Continue”
• Choose the devices you want to target and click “Save & Continue.”
• Now, you can start adding people to your custom audience.

Optimizing for Google Shopping 

Google Shopping is a great way to get your product in front of people searching for terms related to your product.

To set up a Google Shopping campaign:

• Navigate to the “Display Network” tab and click on “+ Campaign.”
• Select “Retargeting” from the dropdown menu
• Enter a name for your campaign and click “Continue.”
• Select the language, location, and budget for your campaign
• Click “Continue”
• Choose the devices you want to target and click “Save & Continue.”
• Now, you can start adding people to your custom audience.

WELL that’s it folks! Don’t forget to like and share below

By Pablo Espinal