As a Google Partner Agency with a wealth of experience in managing hundreds of thousands of pounds in ad spend, we know what it takes to drive success in Google Ads and Google Shopping campaigns.
Every marketing manager understands the importance of PPC in their overall strategy, even if they are using a PPC agency to run their ad accounts.
To help you stay on top of your game and understand what you need to optimise in your account for maximum performance, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 essential PPC checks you need to perform – as recommended by our Google Partner PPC experts.
Set Clear Goals and KPIs
Establishing specific, measurable, and realistic goals for your PPC campaigns is essential for PPC campaign success. Determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your business objectives, such as cost per acquisition (CPA), return on ad spend (ROAS), or click-through rate (CTR) and set benchmarks for success so you can measure performance over time.
Review Campaign Structure
A well-organised campaign structure makes it easier to manage and optimise your account and for Google Ads, account structure is everything. Ensure your campaigns are categorised by product or service type and ad groups are segmented by keyword themes. This allows for better targeting and more effective marketing budget allocation.
Optimise Keywords and Negative Keywords
Regularly review your keyword list and make sure you’re targeting the right terms that reflect your audience’s search intent otherwise, you’ll be bidding on terms that aren’t relevant and that are costing you money. You might use keywords similar to those in your SEO strategy, so knowing how SEO and PPC work together is useful knowledge. In addition, identify and add negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing on irrelevant searches, again saving your budget and improving overall campaign performance.
Check Your Ad Copy
Compelling ad copy is crucial for attracting clicks and conversions. Keep your messaging clear, concise, and relevant to your target audience. Always include a strong call-to-action (CTA), highlight unique selling points (USPs), and consider using ad extensions to provide additional information. Regularly test and refine your ad copy to ensure it stays fresh and effective, and bare in mind the average Google Ads CTR is 4-6%.
Assess Landing Page Relevance
Make sure your landing pages are relevant to the keywords and ad copy you’re using. A high-quality landing page should load quickly, be mobile-friendly, and have clear CTAs that guide users toward conversion. A strong connection between your ad and landing page can improve your Quality Score, resulting in lower costs and better ad positioning so there’s no excuse not to do some CRO on your landing pages!
Monitor Budget and Bidding Strategies
You should always keep a close eye on your budget and bidding strategies to ensure your campaigns remain cost-effective. We recommend daily checks to ensure everything is running smoothly and performing at its best.
Choosing the most suitable bidding strategy for your goals, whether it’s manual CPC, Target CPA, or Target ROAS, is also really important and make sure to regularly evaluate your bids, so you’re staying competitive without overspending. Google suggests that an 8:1 return is about right for Google Ads.
Track Conversions and Attribution
Using GA4, you can implement conversion tracking to measure the success of your PPC campaigns accurately. This will help you determine which ads, keywords, and landing pages generate the most conversions. Analysing attribution models will help you to better understand the customer journey and the role your PPC efforts play in driving conversions across multiple channels and visits.
Evaluate Device Performance
Device performance matters, so reviewing the performance of your campaigns across different devices, such as desktop, mobile, and tablet is crucial. Based on the data, you might consider adjusting your bids and targeting settings to optimise performance for each device type.
Analyse Geographic Performance
Taking the time to examine the performance of your campaigns across various geographic locations is another great tip. Identify high and low-performing areas, and adjust your targeting, bidding, and ad copy to capitalise on opportunities or address underperformance. You can also use location extensions and localised ad copy to better connect with your target audience in specific regions.
Review and Test Ad Extensions
Ad extensions enhance your ads by providing additional information, such as phone numbers, addresses, or additional site links. Regularly review and test different ad extensions to determine which resonates most with your audience and drive better results. Remember that ad extensions can improve your ad rank and visibility, so it’s crucial to make the most of them.
Summary
By performing these 10 essential PPC checks, you can ensure your Google Ads and Google Shopping campaigns are set up for success. As a Google Partner Agency with extensive experience, we are well-equipped to help you optimise your account for maximum performance. If you’re interested in learning more about our services or seeking expert guidance, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Remember, staying on top of your PPC game requires ongoing monitoring, testing, and refining. Implementing these checks regularly will help you stay ahead of the competition and maximise your return on investment.
