Many people know firsthand that trying pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is the key to the prosperity of lots of websites. But how do you make sure that as many people as possible click your links? Do you need to use any tricks, and where to start as a beginner? There are quite a few pitfalls that any PPC specialist should avoid that you should look out for first.
Searchability
One of the key problems is that PPC specialists are trying to stay ahead of trends and optimize contextual advertising for queries that are not yet popular enough on the web. Your work will make sense if people on the Internet are already trying to search for certain content or links.
Your job is to meet existing needs and follow trends, not predict which aspects might be potentially interesting to people. For example, imagine that you are a student looking for a writing service. Typically all you need is a “write my essay for me cheap” search query. Think about what’s critical to your target audience.
Deceptively Easy
If you use Google tools for your daily work, you probably know that this company has done a lot to simplify PPC activities. But you should avoid options such as broad match and the default campaign. The point is that your audience may need certain keywords, and you need to adapt your work to some criteria. Don’t use basic options because you will only waste your time. As a rule, additional personalization of settings will help any PPC specialist increase work efficiency and avoid wasting budget.
Wrong Keywords
Negative keywords are exactly the aspect that can greatly influence the result of your work. Imagine spending a lot of time tweaking all the PPC aspects and choosing the wrong negative keywords. What are the consequences? Typically, the results can be disastrous. First, you should narrow down the potential searches for your target audience. Otherwise, people will not find what they need, and your work will be in vain.
Then, use those negative keywords that will help you prevent your search ad from showing for certain queries. In general, you will have to think about how to change your work strategy. For example, think about fallbacks or other ways to complete tasks to achieve the desired result.
Tracking Results
As a rule, without paid search management, it will be difficult for you to track the success of your work. The point is that many companies focus on CPC or CTR when it comes to the performance of PPC specialists. Correct analysis of the data and an initial understanding of the evaluation criteria will help you identify the level of success of your work. As a rule, you should initially understand what kind of conversion you need and how you can confirm that you have coped with the task. Test several options to find the direction that will help you achieve the desired results faster and reduce the risks of failures.
Infrastructural Challenges
And here is one of the biggest problems in the industry today. You should remember that PPC is only a marketing aspect that cannot help a site owner achieve the desired result without a good site, database, and information processing. So even if you’ve done an excellent job, make sure the back end of your site is working properly. The symbiosis of a properly functioning infrastructure and PPC activities will help any business achieve the desired results. Think about how you can prevent any key problems while working. Perhaps you should analyze the most successful strategies and exclude factors that negatively affect the result. This approach will help you achieve your desired goals faster and avoid pitfalls.
Account Structure
Running one ad per ad group, using poor naming conventions, and duplicate keywords are the kind of challenges that can negate all your efforts. There is usually a lot of work to be done by many PPC specialists to take the right steps and convince clients of the importance of certain activities. You probably value your time and aim for a positive result. Then having the right account structure is critical to you. Take a look at the most important and useful aspects for your work to be effective.
Increased Ad Spend
And here is another challenge that is a nightmare for many beginners. Modern realities are such that PPC ads are expensive, and you should clearly understand which category of people you want to attract to the site and lead to a specific action. Plus, you need to do a lot of work for PPC traffic to help your business achieve certain goals. Sometimes a temporary increase in waste helps to analyze general market trends and remember ineffective strategies. So this is why you need to adapt to the ever-changing conditions in your chosen business segment.
Expert Knowledge
One of the main challenges is that you need to know and understand the niche you have chosen. The point is that PPC can only be effective if you follow a clear strategy, use the right methods, settings and keywords. Only a combination of knowledge and experience can help anyone achieve a positive result. You may need to enlist the support of an expert. Do not be afraid to ask for help from someone who knows more secrets than you. Ask your “mentor” about overcoming some of the barriers and what you need to do to make fewer mistakes in the future.
Final Words
Many PPC professionals have to spend a lot of time researching a specific niche and creating the right campaign. As a rule, there is no universal tip that would help you avoid all the pitfalls. However, all of the above challenges are critical for any beginner. If you have just started to learn the PPC world, you need to gain experience and understand how any tool works to avoid mistakes in the future. The career of an expert in this field depends on the right decisions. That is why constant self-development is so important.
About the Author
Andy Johnson is an E-commerce writer and marketer with over fifteen years of experience creating commercially successful digital products. His passion is building the image of companies through correct positioning, brand strategy, and local marketing. Andy is always striving for excellence and testing new strategies to bring new products to the market.
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