10 Paid Search & PPC Planning Best Practices

10 PPC Best Practices to Improve Marketing Strategy:

1. Define Goals: Set primary and secondary goals for your marketing program, ad platforms, and campaigns.
2. Budget Review & Optimization: Regularly reconcile planned vs. actual spend, eliminate underperforming campaigns, and consider reallocating budgets.
3. Consider New Ad Platforms: Explore beyond Google, Microsoft, and Meta Ads to platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat.
4. Top Topics in Google Ads & Microsoft Ads: Incorporate video, explore Performance Max campaigns, and utilize automation.
5. Revisit Keywords: Evaluate keyword groups, review search term queries, and stay updated on current keyword rules.
6. Revisit Your Audiences: Review past audience selections, and consider new targeting opportunities like LinkedIn user targeting and detailed demographics.
7. Organize Data Sources: Centralize data viewing and reporting, possibly using Google Analytics.
8. Reevaluate How You Report: Update essential PPC key metrics and reporting frequency.
9. Consider Using Scripts: Automate report generation and repetitive tasks in Google Ads with scripts.
10. Seek Collaboration: Engage with industry peers and resources like the Paid Search Association for new ideas and second opinions.

Optimizing PPC Campaign Budgets:

• Regular Reconciliation: Compare your planned budget versus actual spend on a monthly, quarterly, or semiannual basis.
• Eliminate Underperforming Campaigns: Free up budgets by discontinuing campaigns that are not delivering desired results.
• Capture Additional Traffic: Use ad platform tools to estimate potential clicks and costs for successful campaigns.
• Shift Budgets: If certain paid media channels are underperforming, consider reallocating those budgets to more successful ones.
• Invest More: If your company is seeing positive results, consider increasing the overall paid search and social budget.

New Ad Platforms to Consider for PPC Campaigns:

• LinkedIn: Best for professional and business targeting, also accessible through Microsoft Ads.
• TikTok: Targets a younger Gen Z audience with video content.
• Pinterest: Ideal for products, services, and consumer goods with a female-focused target audience.
• Snapchat: Appeals to a younger demographic with video ads, app installs, filters, and lenses.

These platforms can be chosen based on where your audience spends time online and can complement traditional platforms like Google, Microsoft, and Meta Ads.

Importance of Revisiting Keywords in PPC:

• Evolving Match Types: The definition of match types like [exact match] has changed to include search queries with the same meaning or intent, affecting ad triggers.
• Brand Representation: Ensure keyword groups accurately represent your brand and product/service.
• Search Term Trends: Discover new trends and behaviors by reviewing search term queries.
• Strategy Impact: Changes in keyword performance and conversions should be assessed to adjust strategies.
• Current Rules: Stay informed about the current keyword rules, which can affect close variants and traffic volume.
• Platform Differences: Understand how keywords work differently across platforms to optimize effectively.
• Irrelevant Keywords: Monitor search term reports for irrelevant keywords due to match type changes and update negative keyword lists accordingly.