Three Helpful PPC Bid Management Techniques

When it comes to PPC (pay per click) advertising, it seems like the marketplace is getting continually more saturated and competitive, making it harder than ever to run a cost-effective campaign. This is true to some extent, but there are still ways to run a campaign that gets great ROI. Here are a few PPC bid management techniques you can utilize to do just that.

First of all, don’t get caught up in the moment and spend more than your budget allocates. This is probably the quickest and easiest way to erase any potential profit you might have brought in. PPC is a game of patience, and you must exercise it if you want to stick around long enough to reap the rewards. Remember that new players will always enter the game, and may get a bit carried away with their bids out of ignorance or lack of discipline. Don’t join in unless it is a very calculated decision. There are always fluctuations in the pay per click game, so you need to pick you spots.

The next bid management technique you should take into consideration is never bidding for the top spot. All too often, people want to feel the thrill of seeing their ad up there on the top spot of SERPs. But this is not financially realistic for most campaigns, and is a quick way to chisel away a good chunk of your margins. You need to let your ad sell your product or service, not the placement of your ad. Plus, consider that many people click on the top spot much more readily than the eighth spot. This means that you will be getting clicks from people who have no intent to purchase your product or service. Now you are playing a high price for low-quality leads, a double whammy. If you pay money for a click, you want that prospective customer to genuinely be interested in what you have to offer.

Another bid management technique that you can make work for you is bid jamming. Certain PPC services have a bid system that is public, allowing you to see the bids of all your competitors. If you have a very direct competitor, you can consider jamming their bid. Basically, PPC services operate similar to an online auction site. If you bid .25 per click, and the next closest competitor bids .13 per click, you will pay .14 per click not .25. So, if your competitor is bidding .25, you may want to bid .24 so that they pay full price for the bid. If you do, they may not be able to keep the top spot for as long.

These are some basic bid management techniques that can help you maximize ROI with your PPC advertising campaign. Remember that patience can go a long way to maximizing the efficiency of your PPC campaign. Don’t be afraid to wait for your moment, and then seize it when it comes.