10 Tips for Running a Successful PPC Campaign

Before we get into the heart of this post, you may be wondering why even consider running a PPC campaign at all. 

Easy. Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns are a great way to quickly drive targeted traffic to your website, increase brand visibility, or generate leads or sales. With a PPC campaign, you have tight control over your budget, ad targeting, and performance metrics, and this lets you reach your ideal customers based on specific keywords, demographics, or locations. Unlike organic marketing, PPC delivers immediate results, making it ideal for time-sensitive promotions or competitive industries. Best of all, you only pay when someone clicks on the ad, ensuring cost efficiency and a clear return on investment (ROI).

There’s the “why.” Now for the “how.”

Running a successful pay-per-click (PPC) campaign is like piloting a ship. You need to know where you’re going, understand the tools you’re using, and continuously adjust your course. And while PPC can provide near-instant results, without the right strategy, you can easily spend lots of money without seeing any return on investment (ROI). Here are 10 tips to help you run a winning PPC campaign that brings in leads, sales, and brand awareness while making every dollar count.

1. Know Where You’re Headed Before You Take Off
Before you launch your PPC campaign, it’s essential to know exactly what you’re trying to achieve. Do you want more website traffic? Lead generation? Product sales? Or maybe brand awareness? The clearer your goals, the easier it is to structure your campaign and measure success. A goal of “Get rich quick!” while attractive, is nearly impossible to execute on. But a goal of “increasing sales by 15%” gives you something specific to aim for and track.

2. Choose Your (Key)words Properly
Thorough keyword research is the foundation of any successful PPC campaign. The right keywords will connect your ads with users who are actively searching for specific products or services like yours. Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner will help you find relevant keywords with good search volume and manageable competition. Also remember that it’s important to balance high-traffic keywords with long-tail ones (specific phrases with lower search volume), as these can lead to more targeted, qualified clicks.

3. Make Your Words Work
You only have a few lines to grab attention in a PPC ad, so make every word count. Your future customer should be able to tell what you’re offering and why it’s valuable within moments of seeing your ad. Include a strong call to action (CTA) like “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Get a Free Quote” to let them know they can and should take action now. And a clear value proposition, like a special discount or free shipping, can also set your ad apart from competitors. Don’t forget to optimize! Test different versions of your copy to see what resonates best with your audience. Keep what works. Lose what doesn’t.

4. When Negative Keywords Can Be a Positive
Negative keywords are your secret weapon in PPC campaigns. These are words that you don’t want your ads to appear for. For example, if you’re selling high-end luxury watches, you might want to exclude search terms like “cheap watches” or “free watches.” This helps prevent your ads from getting in front of people who are less likely to convert, which saves you money and improves your ROI.

5. Optimize Landing Pages
You’d think that once someone clicks on your ad, the work of your PPC campaign is done. But that’s just the beginning. The landing page you’re sending them is just as crucial. Make sure your landing page is optimized for conversions, with a clear message that matches your ad, a simple layout, fast load times, and an easy-to-use form if needed. The landing page should reinforce the value you promised in the ad and make it easy for users to take the next step. It should also resemble the ad users have just clicked. A difference in appearance can be distracting. And a distracted customer won’t be a customer for very long.

6. Add On the Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are additional pieces of information that expand your ad and make it more clickable. They can include extra links, phone numbers, addresses, reviews, and more. An ad extension will give your ad more real estate on the search results page and offer more ways for users to engage with your business. For example, a call extension allows mobile users to directly dial your business without visiting your site.

7. Your Budget Should Make Cents
While PPC can deliver quick results, it’s important to set a budget that aligns with your business goals. Start small and scale up as you begin to see what works. A good practice is to set a daily budget cap that you’re comfortable with, then monitor the performance to adjust as necessary. Don’t forget that PPC is an auction system, so bids for certain keywords can vary depending on the competition.

8. Make Sure Your Ads Are A/B Tested
If you don’t test your ads, you’ll never know what works best, what’s dragging you down, and how you can improve on things. A/B testing involves running two variations of an ad, landing page, or even CTA to see which performs better. For example, you might run two different headlines or two different offers. Use the data from these tests to optimize your campaigns continuously. Small changes can lead to big improvements in click-through rates (CTR) and conversions. Once you have a winner, create a new contender and start the process over again.

9. Monitor, Adjust, Tweak, and Mess Around With Your Bids
Your bidding strategy plays a critical role in how often your ads are shown and at what position. Regularly review the performance of your keywords and adjust your bids accordingly. If a keyword is driving lots of conversions, you might want to increase your bid so it will continue to show in a high position. At the same time, if a keyword isn’t performing well, reduce the bid or pause it entirely to focus your budget on better-performing terms.

10. Don’t Rest on Your Success!
You can’t improve what you don’t measure! Tools like Google Analytics and Google Ads can help you track the performance of your PPC campaigns. Keep an eye on key metrics like click-through rate, conversion rate, cost-per-click (CPC), and cost-per-acquisition (CPA). By regularly analyzing these metrics, you’ll have a clear view of what’s working and what isn’t. Use these insights to refine your campaigns over time. Plus, it’s a great way to present your victories to other stakeholders in your organization.

Wrapping It Up
Running a successful PPC campaign is both an art and a science. By following these 10 tips, you’ll be well on your way to maximizing your PPC investment. Remember to be patient. No campaign is perfect right out of the gate. Success comes from learning, tweaking, and optimizing along the way.

Now, get out there and make your PPC campaign the best it can be!