Pay per click is a marketing strategy that continues to stand the test of time. It’s one of the most common types of digital marketing strategies, and one of the only types to get you in front of your target market at any stage of the buying process, and right where they are most likely to be - in the search engine. And of course, one of the biggest benefits of PPC is that you only pay when your ad is clicked on.
However, according to LEWIS, a boutique PPC agency, many business owners don’t reap the benefits of PPC simply because they don’t understand what they’re doing. In other cases, they fall victim to common misconceptions that prevent them from launching a PPC campaign or building an effective one. With that in mind, here are a few of the biggest PPC myths:
The rationale behind putting as many keywords as possible into your PPC campaign is that you’ll reach more people. And while you may certainly get more traffic, you run the risk of getting plenty of unqualified traffic. Your keywords should be relevant and useful; otherwise, you’ll end up spending a lot of money on clicks that aren’t converting.
Number one seems like a great position to be in. After all, who doesn’t want to be in the number one spot on Google? However, being number one doesn’t equate to profit. In fact, in order to score that coveted position, you might spend more money than you actually generate. Additionally, many users who click on the first ad are still in the early research phases of browsing. It’s important to experiment with and pay attention to how different positioning alters your cost vs. value.
Next on our PPC myth lists is set it and forget it. This couldn’t be further from the truth. While your campaign is running, you should be consistently looking for new optimization opportunities. If you want to make the most out of the cash you’re spending, pay attention to the untapped potential. It’s important that you monitor and test regularly to get the most positive results.
Long-tail keywords refer to keywords that are specifically related to your business, product, or service. Think of long-tail keywords as the “niche” of the PPC world. Although there is a smaller audience for it, the keywords are much more targeted and therefore may be likely to convert.
While long-tail keywords should certainly be a part of your strategy, you don’t want to focus solely on long-tail keywords simply because they are less competitive and cost less. General keywords help you get in front of your target audience and build brand awareness; even if they don’t click on your ad, they’ll see your brand name in their initial search efforts.
While it’s clear that Google has the majority market share in search engines, this doesn’t mean it’s the only engine you should invest in. Both Yahoo and Bing can offer lucrative benefits (and in some cases, you may achieve better results with less popular engines). The route you choose depends on your demographic and key traffic sources.
Unless you’re knowledgeable in PPC (or are a fast, technology-driven learner with plenty of time), chances are you could benefit from working with a PPC agency. These agencies focus solely on PPC and have the know-how to help you make the best of your campaign.
A good agency will optimize your PPC landing pages, make recommendations for your website design, test your campaigns, use data to make improvements, and much more. This is especially important for business owners and marketers who don’t have the time to invest in as big a venture as PPC.
Last on the PPC myths list is that PPC means instant results. Some campaigns will generate leads quickly, while others can take weeks before you see any results. Just as with search engine optimization, there are no guaranteed results when it comes to paying per click. Although your ads are put to work instantly, understand that they could take some time to mature.
