How many times have you clicked on an advertisement which you found interesting? Or how many times have you purchased or subscribed to something that was offered on a landing page? Every time you click on an advertisement, the advertising agency pays an already set amount to the publisher. The publisher is generally a search engine or a website owner. This concept is known as pay per click advertising.
This seems like the publishers are looting you of money. However, that’s not the case. The advertisements put up are made to generate leads and customers which later on create monetary value.
The one thing that must be taken into account is that the better the content of the advertisement, the better chances of earning more. If the number of visitors turning in to customers is high, then your cost per click will be negligible.
There are many things overlooked while making a pay per click(PPC) advertisement. These may seem extremely simple but can have a huge effect on the outcome of your online advertisement.
Mistake #1. Not keeping in check of your budget
Before placing an advertisement online, or setting up anything at all, a budget should be made. If there is no budget in place, the possibility of having to bear a loss will be higher. Budgets allow you to allocate how much time and resources will go into one aspect of your business.
Budget Management
A budget needs to be kept to avoid making losses and keep a score of all the costs.
Mistake #2. No strategy in place
A Pay Per Click advertisement is meant to derive customers. For this very reason, a strategy must be in place, as to what kind of customers will be targeted. In case there is no strategy being implemented, the core reason for placing an advertisement is lost.
A target needs to be set so that the advertisement can be made according to what they desire. The better preparations made, the outcome is likely to be higher.
Strategies and budgeting go hand-in-hand. Setting up a goal before creating any advertisement also allows you to figure out your spending.
Mistake #3. Ineffective Call to Action
Call to action buttons are of extreme importance in Pay Per Click advertisements. This is what helps in converting the visitors on your page to your lead or customers.
Call To Action
Once a strategy is implemented, the target audience is known. This makes the process of making the advertisement easier. However, if your call to action button is not effective then all that hard work goes to waste.
Individuals searching for something online usually require a solution of sorts. Your advertisements should give the potential customer the image that you understand their problem. The call to action button should convince them enough to choose the action you’re suggesting.
Mistake #4. No usage of keywords and no placement of negative keywords
Keywords play an important role in the advertising business. These words can make or break your online presence. If you do not use sufficient keywords, then the chances of your ad showing up will be low. This will affect the visitors opening your advertisement and conversion rate.
Keywords can be placed in three types of categories which include broad match, phrase match, and exact match keywords. Their ranges go from broad to narrow respectively. Also, the usage of these depends on the type of audience that you are aiming for.
Just like effective usage of keywords is important, the placement of negative keywords is also necessary. This restricts the clicks of those individuals who do not intend to become customers. This will help in reducing or minimizing the cost per click.
Mistake #5. Not conducting tests for your system
When you carry out any project or set up a system, do you not do a test run to verify whether it’s functioning properly? The same can be said for Pay Per Click advertising.
Test your Advertisement
A test run is a good step to take before establishing the advertisement online for all users. This enables you to go through any issues or blockages that may arise in the process. You don’t want to run the ad online and turn potential customers away because of faults in your system.
Mistake #6. Boring advertisements and landing pages
Advertisements and landing can become extremely boring if not enough research is carried out. If targets are not set, you’re out of scope for your ad or landing page. This makes online ads irrelevant and the visitor ignores any such ad they come across.
It is essential to keep the landing page of your website relevant to what you have advertised. If you have said something related to a sale, then make sure the landing page includes that too. Click-baits make visitors unhappy and they tend to never move forward with the brand that does so.
Mistake #7. Focusing on short term goals
A major mistake the advertisers make about Pay Per Click advertising is that they focus on short term goals. Making a profit should not be your priority as profits are always low initially. If the main drive of your work revolves around earning an immediate profit, then you will be dissatisfied.
Your main focus should be on developing your brand. The more known your brand becomes, the more followers you get. This results in a higher conversion rate which allows long term profits. If your goals are restricted to the short term, then your online success is in trouble.
When you’re focused on long term goals then the issue of earning a short-term profit is no longer important. Once you achieve a high level of conversion rate by establishing your company or brand, the Pay Per Click Advertising cost becomes negligible. This then results in lower costs and higher profits.
Conclusion
PPC advertising is a tool to bring in customers using an online platform. This can be cost-effective if proper strategies and planning are implemented. If rookie mistakes are made, as mentioned above, then the overall outcome is affected. Costs can be minimized by setting long-term goals, conducting proper tests and coming up with relevant content for potential customers.