Google pay-per-click advertising is a great tool for building brand awareness and generating leads online.
It can be a bit complicated for some, but there are four things you should be doing for your PPC to reach its fullest potential.
1. Organize keywords to target niche prospect groups
The difference between an ignored ad and an effective ad is its relevance. An ad for jewelry gets ignored when it appears in the search results of someone seeking remodeling services. The way you can make your ad the most relevant to prospects is by separating them according to the keywords they target and organizing them into groups.
The more thoroughly your keywords are organized, the more they will appear as if made specifically for the prospect.
Organizing your keywords does two things for your PPC: it makes your ads more relevant to prospects, and it increases your click-through rate.
These are the exact factors that also give you a high quality score for your ads. A high quality score gets you better ad locations on websites and better ranking for search ads. It also gives you a lower cost per click for your ads. Google is rating your ad on how helpful it is to your prospect, based on its relevance and click-through rate.
2. Create consistency throughout your PPC process
The PPC process is composed of three steps: grab prospects’ attention with a relevant ad; direct them to a landing page that elaborates on what the ad offers; and present a special offer as an incentive for prospects to fill out a contact form.
From your ad to your offer, your PPC marketing message and design should feel continuous and cohesive. It shouldn’t feel like three steps. If your landing page looks different than the image ad that attracted the prospect, the user will experience disconnect.
At each step, build trust throughout the process, ultimately leading to the prospect filling out your contact form. That’s how you turn them into a lead.
3. Optimize ads for phone responses
For most businesses, phone responses are a more valuable lead than those from contact forms, so it’s a great idea to optimize your ads to generate these calls. There are two ways to do this:
1. Make sure your number is displayed in all images and text ads.
2. Adjust your display times to only show ads when you’re in the office. This gives you the opportunity to get those calls and make the most of them when you’re open for business. Your phone responses don’t cost you anything.
4. Use ad extensions
PPC ads have a small character limit, but luckily Google offers Ad Extensions. These give you the ability to present important marketing information without adding to your character limit.
Location Extension: Helps prospects find your office.
Product Extension: Shows pictures and prices of your products.
SiteLink Extension: Presents multiple pages from your website simultaneously.
Phone Number Extension: Adds a click-to-call number beneath your ad.
Social Media Extension: Shows how many +1s your Google+ page has.
Seller Rating Extension: Shows the rating your customers have given your company. (Google only shows it if it’s four or five stars.)
Make sure you are taking advantage of every opportunity to improve your PPC efficacy. You’ll see the difference in your sales numbers. ●
Joy Gendusa is the founder and CEO of direct mail marketing firm, PostcardMania. She originally started the company in 1998. It now employs more than 200 people and has more than 53,000 customers in more than 350 industries. For more information, visit www.postcardmania.com.
