The Four Most Common Mistakes You Can Make With PPC Ads

Any form of advertising that allows you to target prospects by interest and location, like pay per click advertising does, has got to be one of the best advertising options available. You can measure your results precisely, and even control how much you spend. It’s also affordable for small business owners who compare it to other options like television and radio.

Like anything else, PPC has disadvantages and shouldn’t be entered into without doing your homework. Hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of advertising could be wasted if you attempt a campaign that isn’t planned and doesn’t have a strategy. There is a lot of information offering guidance when deciding your PPC strategy, so it’s a good idea to learn more about it.

Getting things off the ground is quite easy, provided you don’t follow in the footsteps of others who have made these simple mistakes. The upside is that simple issues are easily fixed with pay per click, so if you do start out with a mistake you can turn it around very fast and start seeing results.

1. The most common error is using your home page as the landing page. It doesn’t matter what search engine you’re using as a base for your campaign. While it seems logical to send prospective sales to your website’s homepage, it can detract from your sales. Here’s how.

People who click on your ad are looking for something very specific. It was their keyword search that brought them to your ad, so lead them straight to the sale when they click. Landing pages work, they allow you to present your customers with exactly what they’re looking for. Focus your landing pages on keywords you’re using in your advertisements.

2. Improper customization of landing pages. Ideally, your PPC campaign should work by presenting a potential customer with an ad closely targeted to their keyword. The landing page they arrive at should be closely geared towards that keyword, to present no confusion as to what the page is about. Your customer should never have trouble finding what he or she is looking for! Put each product or service on its own landing page, to avoid confusion.

3. Using generic copy for your ads. Statements that work in other media formats probably won’t transfer to PPC. Catch phrases like “quality service” just aren’t part of the vocabulary when people are using search engines. Use a main keyword in a headline that creates interest, then tell them the benefits. Line three is perfect for special features or a discount offer. Take a look at what other advertisers are doing online.

4. Low bid placement. All search engines use their own methods for determining where to put your ad. Yahoo and Google use a combination of the relevancy of your ad, and your bid price. One big mistake that many people make is not tightly targeting keywords enough to get top placement. As much as eighty-five percent of all PPC clicks happen on ads in one of the top three positions. If you can’t focus your ads tightly enough to get that top spot, you’re missing out on a lot of traffic.