If you manage your own Google AdWords account but the very thought of logging in and performing tweaks sends shivers down your spine, I’ve put together a really simple five point checklist for you.
There’s no better time to spring clean your AdWords account than the dawn of a New Year – so what are you waiting for?
An AdWords campaign is never complete. The most successful campaigns are chopped and changed regularly in order to wring out every last cent of ROI.
PPC is becoming increasingly competitive – in order to run a successful campaign you must be committed.
1. Review manual bids
There are a number of niches out there where keyword bids take on an upwards trajectory all year in the run up to Christmas. As soon as the holiday season is over, the CPC falls right off.
So, the simple question you need to ask yourself is this: “Am I overpaying for any of the keywords I’m bidding on?”
2. Check deep links still work
I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I will anyway. You must triple check the pages you’re sending AdWords traffic to actually exist. There’s nothing more annoying than running a Google search then clicking an ad listing, only to be taken to a 404 page.
The bounce rate on a 404 page is as close to 100% as you’re likely to see. Visitors won’t stick around and attempt to find the correct page on your website, they’ll just click back to the search results page and find another listing to click.
Websites evolve over time. Pages get moved and links get broken, that’s perfectly normal. You’ve just got to keep on top of it, because if you don’t you’ll end up throwing lots of money at traffic that lands on non-existent pages.
3. Dig out your keyword research tool
Keyword research is something that only needs to be done when a PPC campaign is first established, right? Well, actually no. Keyword research is an on-going task you should make a commitment to.
You don’t need to fire up your favourite software every day to sniff out the latest keywords, but you should make an effort at least once every quarter. User trends mutate and change on a continuous basis. The most profitable keyword in your niche might not remain the same for long – if you’re serious about PPC success you can’t rest on your laurels, you’ve got to be active in seeking out the latest and greatest keywords.
4. Be creative with ad copy
Can you think of anything worse than having to write creative ad copy for your campaigns? I know I can’t.
I really don’t enjoy doing it, but at the end of the day if you want your PPC campaign to remain profitable, it’s something you’ve got to do.
You don’t have to come up with three or four new ads for every single ad group you’re working on, why not just come up with three new ads for your entire campaign, then modify them slightly for each ad group in that campaign? That way you can use the data the ads generate across your whole campaign in order to decide how to take them forward.
5. Set up conversion tracking
Even in January 2014, there are still PPC account owners out there that are going to setup conversion tracking “tomorrow”.
It’s time to stop putting off your conversion tracking installation – just get it done! If installing conversion tracking code isn’t something you can do yourself, make a date with your designer or grab a coffee with your coder. It takes less than an hour to install AdWords tracking code.
