3 Common PPC Campaign Mistakes We Find When Performing Campaign Audits
A lot of people try to tackle an AdWords text ad campaign without properly taking the steps to be successful. When performing a complete PPC campaign audit, I find 3 common problem areas in a majority of self-run campaigns.
1) Not Enough Ads
One of the single biggest problems I’ve seen with accounts is not running enough ads. I’ve come across ad groups with 15 keywords but only one ad. In an ideal campaign, each keyword would have at least two ads running. This is important because you want each ad to be extremely focused on the keyword. Also, running multiple ads at one time will allow you to test which ads convert best. Be sure to set your ads to rotate evenly in order to get the max benefit of the test ads. Find out how to write stronger ad copy.
2) Using Ads that Don’t Reflect Intent Keywords
I see a lot of ads that don’t use the target keywords in the ad headline. For example, I’ve seen real estate investor ad groups that target We Buy Houses but that specific phrase is not in the headline or ad text. In order to entice people to click your ad, they need to be reassured they are heading to the right page. Be sure to use the keyword phrase in your ad. If the keyword phrase has too many characters, try using an abbreviated term that closely relates to the keyword. Try to always use your target keyword in your headline and first or second line of ad text.
3) Not Enough Ad Groups
An ideal campaign will have enough ad groups to cover the keyword themes you’re targeting. I’ve seen campaigns that have 20 unrelated keywords in one ad group. I would prefer to break down some of those keywords and where possible, create an ad group for each keyword theme. For example, the target phrase of We Buy Houses would have its own ad group with phrase, exact, and modified broad match targeting. Dividing keywords into their own ad groups will also add to the number of tightly focused ads you can create.
Fixing these three common problem areas is a great start to revamping a sluggish PPC campaign. Need help? Contact SoaringSEM today to perform an in-depth PPC audit on an already existing campaign. Or, if your new to the game fill out our Pre-PPC audit or check out our PPC Service Packages.