Low Budget PPC Management Tips
Managing a PPC account of any size or spend level can be very complex. Sponsored PPC ad platforms usually have many different options and setting choices which makes it difficult to understand what you’re paying for. Worse yet, not understanding these account and campaign settings could result in little to no return on investment. So how does the little guy win? Here are some useful tips that will help small business owners with low budget PPC accounts actually see return on investment.
Useful PPC Management Tips:
- Promotional Ad Credits. Ad platforms such as Google, Yahoo/Bing, Facebook, and even LinkedIn, regularly distribute promotional ad credits for new accounts with average values ranging between $25 and $100. One of the best ways to receive one of these ad credits is to visit one of the ad platform’s help center, ask for one and they usually have no problem encouraging you to spend money with them. Or, just keep your eyes open for banner ads with ad credits because once you visit their websites, they typically target you with retargeted banner ads because they know you’ve visited their site.
- Daily Budgets. Set daily budget low and work upwards. Do not spend your entire budget in one place unless you’ve got a sure bet. Even then, it’s still a bet because there is no guarantee that a “click” will convert into a sale. Once you see the results from the smaller budget, gradually raise your budget as you are comfortable.
- Targeting. This is where it can get a little tricky because targeting methods and settings change based on your goals. Check the geographic targeting settings to make sure only people within your service and/or shipping will see your ad. This helps eliminate waste on clicks that won’t convert. We provide no obligation consultations so feel free to ask for help.
- Keyword Matching. Keyword matching is how search engines match your PPC keywords with a search engine result page (SERP). There are three basic types of keyword matching, Exact Match, Phrase Match and Broad Match. Exact match [keyword] matching is a system where ads are matched with searches that only include the exact keyword phrase and nothing else. Phrase match “keyword” matching is a system where ads are matched with searches including the exact keywords and all search phrases with other words either before or after the matched keyword. Broad match keyword matching is a system where ads are matched with the keywords and most searches that are similar to the matched keywords. For low budgets PPC accounts, we recommend using [Exact Match] as seen here with brackets or “Phase Match” as seen here with quotations. Most ad platforms (Google, Yahoo/Bing) will automatically select Broad Match in order to deliver the maximum number of impressions. If you are new to PPC and you have a small budget, do not use Broad Match keywords.
- Alternating Ad Text. Alternating ads are a great way to improve results. The ad text is what someone sees when looking at a SERP. An alternating ad displays multiple variations of an ad on a rotating basis in order to gauge ad copy response. The goal is to determine what version of ad text is producing more clicks. We recommend asking others to submit possible ad text variations and have a competition to see which version wins.
- Track and Monitor Results. Tracking your campaign involves more than just watching your budget. We recommend using tracking software such as Google Analytics in conjunction with your account statistics. Google Analytics data can be used to create new ads, new PPC landing pages, and a better customer experience.
- PPC Optimization. Using the data from tracking and monitoring, it’s time to make a few changes to your account. For ads receiving a lot of impressions with very few clicks (CTR below 1%) try adding alternating ad text. You also might have to increase the bid if the ads average position is lower than 5 or 6. If a specific keyword is receiving massive amounts of clicks it could be good, it could be bad or it could be both. Let’s start with bad. Massive amounts of clicks could exhaust your budget so your ads will no longer appear for the day, month or until you allocate more funds depending on your billing setup. If you budget is gone and your ads aren’t showing, you have a problem. The good news is that you have found a popular keyword, but is the traffic converting? If the answer is yes then keep going, however, the answer we hear most often is no. Try checking the keyword match type and make sure it’s an [exact match keyword] setting with brackets. Next, add a few more alternating ads that are more specific to your products and services. This will discourage people that are not interested from clicking on your ads. For example, if you sold edible chocolate flower gift baskets and you advertising on the keyword “Flower Gift Baskets,” you’d want to make sure you put “Edible Chocolate Flower Gift Baskets” in the ad text so it only attracts interested buyers. In addition, you will most likely enjoy a higher conversion rate because you are giving the visitor exactly what they where expecting to see, edible chocolate flower gift baskets. Sounds good, huh?
- Brainstorm and Collaborate. Brainstorming is part of every successful campaign. Remember, you are not your customer. That being said, holding company meeting to discuss conversions, ad text variations and possible keywords is a great way to develop new ideas and strategies. At Total Market Exposure we regularly have PPC ad text copy competitions to see who can create the best ad campaign with the highest click-through-rate (CTR). The winner gets bragging rights until the next competition and you get more customers.
No Obligation Consultations & Campaign Audits
