Here are 8 basics we use with our small business PPC management clients that all small businesses should consider before getting started.
1 – Figuring Out Your Budget
Deciding how much to spend could be the hardest part for a beginner. You should start with a good handle on how much you’re willing to spend per month while knowing in the back of your mind that you’ll make some mistakes upfront and “lose” some of the money you spend. So, in the beginning, don’t spend more than you can afford to comfortably lose.
2 – Figuring Out Your Cost Per Click (CPC)
So the next step is figuring out how much you’re willing to pay per click. This metric is called cost per click, or CPC for short. Early on this is going to be difficult, because there’s a number of variables in play that you’re not going to know yet.
3 – Figuring Out Your Keywords
There’s a temptation to list every service you offer and every keyword variation you can think of right off the bat. Don’t do it. Start with a single service line, and focus on the keywords that you think are most likely to convert into a sale. You can always add more keywords to test later – for now we want to focus on a small enough handful that you can manage them all comfortably.
4 – Using Negative Keywords to Improve Conversion Rates
If you’re running a landscaping business, do you want to be buying clicks from people searching for “cheap landscaping companies” or people looking for “do it yourself landscaping“? Probably not, which is why we use negative keywords to remove certain types of searches we don’t want.
5 – Writing Your Ad Copy
There are entire books written about the copywriting you use for ad headlines and how to go about testing it, but here’s a few tips to start with:
- Include the keyword you’re targeting in the headline. Searchers will be on the lookout for that keyword phrase, and it shows up as bold if it’s in your headline.
- Try to include some sort of feature or benefit, such as ‘free consultation” or “expert” or “winter special”.
6 – What Page to Send Visitors To
Most of the time, you’ll want to send PPC visitors somewhere other than your homepage. A good start is to send them to your service page for that keyword. An even better solution is to set up a landing page, dedicated to that service, that encourages the visitor to do what you want them to do.
7 – Make Sure You Have Google Analytics Installed
You’ll be able to track some data in Google Adwords, such as which ads generate more clicks, and how much clicks cost for different keywords. But, the data you really need to know is how many of those clicks get to your website and buy something or contact you for more information.
8 – Use Geographic Targeting to Pick Your Best Clients
There are tons of approaches to targeting users geographically – by zip code, city, county, state, radius, and more. Pick the one that makes the most sense and covers the area your clients are most likely to come from, and focus there.
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