A well-executed Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign can generate more money for your small business than it costs. It enables you and fellow small and medium-sized companies to compete with the big boys for a fraction of the expense of a traditional advertising campaign in print, radio, or TV.
The problem that arises is getting your PPC ads to perform the way you need them to. If you own or are working for a small business, this may be where you are. You’re not alone. Truth be told, several PPC ads problems are pretty common. Just because other businesses struggle may not make you or your boss feel better, though, you are putting your hard-earned money out, and you should expect them to deliver even if it is something you’re struggling with.
Now the good news is that you don’t have to figure the solution out on your own. In this post, I am here to help you fix the three most common PPC ad problems.
The 3 Most Common PPC Ads Problems
Instead of burdening you down with every conceivable stumbling block, I'm going to focus today on the three most frequent PPC ad problems and explain how to fix them. You'll be well on your way to a successful, and maybe more importantly, a profitable PPC ad campaign in no time!
1. You’re Not Getting Enough Impression Share (IS)
Google says that “Impression share (IS) is the percentage of impressions that your ads receive compared to the total number of impressions that your ads could get.”
There are three main reasons why your IS may be lower than you would like it to be. This includes the following:
- Low keyword bids: You are bidding too low on keywords in auctions, and your competitors are easily outbidding you.
- Budget restrictions: Your maximum budget is set at a very low amount.
- Poor Ad Rank: Your ads are less likely to appear near the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) due to the other two factors.
When improving your PPC advertisements, keep in mind that impressions are the initial step of the life cycle. Clearly, if your advertisements aren't generating enough impressions, you're off to a bad start.
Your PPC advertisements are unlikely to generate many conversions if they aren't even noticed. The solution is to ensure that they are visible from now on! The best thing to do is to adjust your budget to the maximum limit. With a limited budget, you will struggle to stand out from the competition.
Remember that you only pay if the ad is clicked on, you are not wasting money by bidding higher to ensure your PPC ads are seen more.
2. Low Click Through Rate (CTR)
Perhaps your problem is that searchers see your ads, but they don’t want to click on them. As a result, the Click Through Rate is low.
Google says Clickthrough rate (CTR) is “A ratio showing how often people who see your ad or free product listing end up clicking it.” They go on to say, “Clickthrough rate (CTR) can be used to gauge how well your keywords and ads, and free listings, are performing.”
CTR can be expressed using the following formula:
Following impressions, CTR is the most important component of the lead-generating puzzle. As a result, a high CTR is usually indicative of relevant targeting and well-optimized ad text.
If your ads are yielding a low CTR, you need to identify the source of the problem. It might be due to a low impression share, improper audience targeting, or even an unintended consequence of poor ad rank.
With those probable causes in mind, let’s look at various PPC optimization remedies to solve your low CTR issue.
- Low impression share: Perhaps you're dealing with two distinct common PPC ad issues! This is a typical reason for a poor CTR. Naturally, a higher impression share will result in more clicks and a higher CTR. To increase CTR, you must first address the low impression share issue.
- Irrelevant Audience targeting: You will attract the wrong audience if you bid on the wrong keywords. That makes sense, doesn't it? Fortunately, you can fix this problem by updating your negative keyword list with search phrases that are attracting the wrong individuals.
The answer here is to simply better match your content, advertisements, and landing pages with more relevant keywords.
3. Too Many of Your Clicks Fail to Generate Genuine Leads
Getting a lot of clicks is fantastic, but it's not so great if all of those clicks come from prospects who never convert. This is a significant issue. After all, they are paying for these clicks while receiving little in return. This is a problem that must be addressed ASAP!
This could happen because:
- The same prospects keep seeing your same ads.
- Irrelevant search queries trigger your ads.
- Your ad copy lacks a strong call to action (CTA).
- Your landing page is the actual problem.
The problem with poor lead generation can usually be traced back to something within your control, which also means the solutions are in your control! Here are three things that you can do to improve lead generation:
- Stop spreading yourself too thin: I don't advise bidding on as many keywords as possible. Instead, concentrate on the ones that are most relevant to your services. This makes it simple for genuine leads to locate your services.
- Write a better headline: A strong headline can persuade your prospects. It might be time to improve yours. They should include important information that will entice searchers to click, such as the keyword they searched for and pricing.
- Use a strong CTA: The headline is not the only thing that is important. Your CTA is what evokes a reaction and motivates searchers to act. Make sure yours says something like, "Call us now," "Sign up today," or "Get a free quote today."
Common PPC Ads Problems Can Be Fixed
To be truly effective with PPC, you have to pay close attention to the details, be dedicated, and regularly monitor your campaigns. Instead of risking losing your sales by trying to do PPC campaigns on your own, consider bringing in an experienced agency helping small businesses with their PPC ads, SEO, and landing pages. If you would like to have a conversation with me about that, feel free to reach out.
