Are you just getting started with PPC advertising? Want to make the most of your marketing budget?

If you’re starting to use pay-per-click advertising (PPC) to promote products and services for your business online, it’s important that you set your campaigns up correctly. Unfortunately, a lot of PPC newbies make mistakes with PPC advertising that lead to them wasting their budget and ultimately prevent them from getting the results that they want.

Luckily, our expertise can help get your campaign moving in the right direction. Below we’ll list the most common PPC mistakes business owners make, that you should also avoid to ensure profitability—moving forward.

Choosing the Wrong Keywords

One of the biggest mistakes that PPC users make is that they don’t choose their keywords wisely. It’s crucial that you think about user intent carefully when choosing keywords.

Many businesses end up using a lot of general keywords that are short and just one or two words in length. These keywords are often too general to do much good. Using these keywords is a recipe for disaster, since a lot of people who see your ads won’t even be interested in your advertising message.

Instead, opt to use long-tail keywords that are more specific and are at least 3-4 words in length. Also, think carefully about the intent of the searchers that you’re targeting to ensure you’ll reach the right audience.

Being Inconsistent

Another big problem that PPC users face is they’re not consistent. The keywords that you use, the ad copy you write, and the landing page(s) you set up should all be in line as a part of a cohesive whole.

If you’re not targeting keywords that are truly relevant to what you’re advertising, you may not get the results you’re looking for.

For example, if you’re targeting keywords related to new laptops but your ad is related to computer repair, few people will click on your ad. Similarly, if your ad leads to a page on your site that doesn’t seem to be related to your ad copy, you’ll also have a problem.

To prevent this, be sure that every part of your ad campaign fits together and that one thing leads to another in a logical way.

Running Ads Without Landing Pages

One of the most important things you can do to improve the results of your PPC campaigns is to ensure that you have great landing pages in place. Clicking on an ad should lead searchers to an optimized landing page that is highly relevant to your ad copy.

A landing page can be used to encourage visitors to take a single action and to do it in a focused way. It can help you lead them where you want them to go on your site and can encourage them to take an action—such as calling you, giving you their email address, or making a purchase.

Writing Poor Ad Copy

Poorly written ad copy is also another common problem with PPC campaigns. Many ads haven’t been writtent to optimize conversions and may even have grammar or spelling mistakes.

It’s crucial that you don’t skimp on this part of your PPC ads and moreover ensure that your ad copy is focused, interesting, unique, and well-written.

Your ads should speak to your audience directly and should cater to what they’re actually looking for. The ad copy should also feature your keywords, as well as a call-to-action which encourages searchers to click on your link and to learn more about your product or service.

Ignoring Ad Extensions

If you want to make your ad campaigns highly effective, then it’s also essential that you’re using ad extensions to your advantage. Many business owners don’t realize the value of using ad extensions on their PPC ads.

While a great ad campaign can be run without ad extensions, they will likely make your ad campaign more effective if you use them. With ad extensions, you’ll be able to add more information into your ads—such as direct links to other pages on your site, a phone number, locations, or other specific information.

Using ad extensions can make things easier for people who see your ad and will also make your ad more noticeable overall.

Neglecting to Use Search Term Reports

Another key reason your PPC campaigns may be failing is that you’re not making the most of search term reports.

The search terms report can be accessed in the keywords section of your campaign and will show you what people are actually searching for that have triggered the display of your ad. Looking at this report can be incredibly insightful and help you get a closer look at your audience.

Search term reports can also help you ensure you’re not targeting any keywords that are costing money and not transitionally getting your business results. You may get ideas for new keywords or ad groups that you’ll want to use as well by leveraging this process.

Not Setting Negative Keywords

Not using negative keywords is also a major mistake business owners make on PPC advertising campaigns.

Negative keywords are words that often go along with the keywords you’re actually targeting, but that will make the query irrelevant to your own goals if used. If you don’t choose negative keywords, you may end up showing ads to a lot of people who don’t care about your business or products at all.

For example, if your ad is about “computer scanners” it won’t do you any good to be advertising to people who are searching for “police scanners”. In this case, you may want to make the word “police” a negative keyword so that people who are searching for police scanners won’t end up seeing your ads.

Avoiding These Common PPC Mistakes Business Owners Make

While you may be doing a lot of things right with your PPC campaign already, it’s important that you take notice of these common PPC mistakes business owners make. You’ll want to ensure that you’re following the above tips carefully, especially if you want to make the most of your budget and have a high-level of success with your online advertising efforts.

Need help with your PPC strategy? Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you.