The question of whether or not to run pay per click (PPC) campaign has been answered many a times. PPC delivers the highest ROI and its benefits supersede the ones offered by other forms of online marketing.

While PPC is the best tool in an advertiser's arsenal, it can sometimes prove to be the opposite if performed incorrectly. In this series of two newsletters, we would be discussing common PPC mistakes that may cost you money.

Common pitfalls – the impediments to your success.

Settings up a pay per click campaign is easy and businesses with little or no beforehand knowledge can do it all by themselves. But because PPC is ‘believed to be easy’ to setup and manage, many businesses end up losing money. While search engines have done a fantastic job at making their PPC interface easy-to-use, the campaign still needs to be optimized to derive maximum ROI.

Pay per click is a sure and easy way to advertise your business and make money, but it is also the easiest way to lose money if done wrong. Mentioned below are 15 (out of 27) common PPC mistakes that, if avoided, could save you thousands of dollars in advertising budget, and help you optimize your PPC campaign.

1. Running a campaign on default settings: Most businesses are unaware of the fact that default settings are meant to maximize revenue for search engines and not for them. Customizing these settings as per their requirement can help them in running an efficient campaign.
   
   
2. Bidding broad while ignoring phrase and exact match: Running your campaign on broad match (default setting) would help you target a wider keyword spectrum but can potentially deliver less targeted traffic. To derive optimum performance, it is always advisable to use a blend of broad match, phrase match and exact match.
   
   
3. Fighting for the numero uno spot: There is no doubt that the #1 position will garner most clicks but PPC is not about volume, it is about maximising ROI. Empirical data show that lower Ad position such as #3, #4, and #5 (featured on top left corner) cost less and deliver better conversion – increased ROI in short.    
   
   
4. Sending users to your home page: Few advertisers take the time to choose the appropriate destination/landing page. Dismal conversion rate is given in such a scenario because homepage content is too generic to convert visitors into customers. People leave as soon as they land because they cannot find what they came looking for - a loss, both in terms of money and prospective clients.
   
   
5. Employing a solitary landing page: Home page is not a suitable landing page, but having one dedicated landing page instead is not the perfect solution either. You would need to have multiple variations of the landing page that are tweaked to be in sync with the Ad copy and offering therein.  
   
   
6. Lack of landing page relevance: Most PPC campaigns are set such that every Ad and keyword send users to a particular landing page. While there is nothing wrong with the approach itself, it is imperative to ensure that the landing pages are tailored on the basis of keywords that send visitors to that page. Search engines give due importance to the said relevancy and its lack thereof can result in negative implications.
   
   
7. Using a single Ad group for all keywords: Putting all keywords under a single Ad group guarantees a low quality score and a decreased level of control. Categorizing sets of closely related keyword under different Ad groups will help you to manage the campaign at a granular level and monitor campaign efficiency rather effectively.
   
   
8. Using generic Ads in individual Ad groups: Using generic Ad for each Ad group is a recipe for sub optimal performance. It is essential to have targeted Ad copies for each individual Ad group. Ad copies that do not entice searchers will result in low 'click through rate' (CTR) and poor Ad performance.
   
   
9. Turning a blind eye to geo targeting: Employing geo targeting is a must for businesses that cater to a specific market (based on location and languages), but is equally important for businesses that service global audience. While local businesses can use it to target their focus market, global businesses can use it to deliver customized Ad copies for different sets of global audience.   
   
   
10. Not segregating content from search: Most advertisers are unaware that PPC campaign can be split into 'search network' and 'content network'. By running separate campaigns for both the networks, you can track and analyze both the campaigns better. Historically, search network performs better than content network but if you wish to tap both of them, it is advisable to run separate tailored campaigns for each one of them.
    
    
11. Bidding identically on search and content network: The AdWords platform allows you to set different bids for search and content network respectively. In most cases, you can bid lower on the content network and still manage to get a significant number of impressions and good click through rate (CTR).
    
    
12. Unattractive Ad copy: Searchers will click on your Ad only if your Ad copy is enticing enough to elicit a click. Every time you are about to write an Ad copy, you should check the Ad copies of your competitors and then write Ads that are both unique and relevant.
    
    
13. Ad copy without keywords: While keyword stuffing is not what you should be doing, a complete absence of keywords in Ad copy is not healthy either. While writing Ad copies you would need to embed your targeted keywords in Ad title and description. This will increase Ad relevance and deliver better CTR.
    
    
14. Failing to bid on your brand name: Assuming that prospective clients will remember your website URL if they remember your company name is foolishness. Many people will search for your company name to navigate to your website, and since brand terms cost less and have the best conversion rate, we see no reason why you shouldn’t be bidding on them.
    
    
15. Avoiding competitor’s brand keywords: Many advertisers fail to fully capitalize on brand keywords by failing to bid on their competitor’s company name or brand keywords. Searchers looking for your competitors may well become your customers, if they can find you for your competitors’ keywords.
    Note: Make sure you read AdWords Trademark Policies to stay clear of any trouble.

If you come to think about it, none of the mistakes mentioned above would take long to be fixed. Even if you stick to sorting ‘a mistake a day’ you will be able to fix all of them in a fortnight. So while you are busy straightening your PPC campaign, we will occupy ourselves in putting together the remaining 12 common pitfalls for you to correct.

Do let us know if you found this information useful. We would look forward to hear from you.