A successful Pay Per Click (“PPC”) campaign in Malaysia requires CONSTANT monitoring and optimization to ensure you are getting the highest ROI possible.

A PPC strategist is a full-time job on its own due to the amount of work needed for proper optimization of each Google ads campaign.

Without proper optimization, you are letting the ads run on its own on autopilot and you won’t be able to get the results you desire for the campaign.

In this article, we will discuss the top 10 ways to fully optimize your PPC campaign. You can perform this optimization weekly or monthly, depending on your current resources and time.

Top 10 Ways to Optimize PPC Campaign

1. Click Through Rate

2. Search Impression Share

3. Quality Score

4. Add Negative Keywords

5. Review Ad Schedule

6. Set Location Radius

7. Assess Auction Insights

8. Check Active Ads Status

9. Investigate High Invalid Clicks

10. Adjust Bidding for Location, Device, and Ad Schedule

PPC Optimization 1: Click Through Rate

Click though rate (“CTR”) is the ratio of the number of clicks your ad receives divided by the number of impressions x 100%.

For example, if you had generated 10 clicks from 100 impressions, your CTR would be 10%.

You will be able to check the CTR in the overview of each ad account:

The higher the CTR, the better it is as you are generating the clicks to your website instead of those clicks going to your competitors’ website.

Check your CTR for EACH ad, if it’s below 3%, there is room for improvement.

Here’s what you can do to improve CTR:

1. Create engaging ad headline and description. Think from the user perspective, what would make the user click? Put yourself in their shoes. Here are 195 power words you may include in your ads.

2. Promotion offer. If you are currently running a promotion, showcase the details in your headline or description. Include numbers to be more specific (e.g 25% discount for December 2018)

3. Explain your unique selling proposition (USP). Why you are better as compared to your competitors?

4. List the benefits of your products and services.

5. Create multiple ads for testing, this will help you identify the type of ads that works well to generate clicks.

When should you optimize CTR: Weekly basis

PPC Optimization 2: Search Impression Share

Search impression share is the percentage of impressions your ads had gotten as compared to the total numbers of impressions your ad could have gotten.

If you have a low search impression share, it means your ad is NOT shown for most of the time on Google. And when your ad is not shown, your competitors’ ad will be shown instead.

To view this data, go to Campaign > Click on Columns > Modify Columns > Competitive Metrics > Tick the 3 boxes (screenshot below)

The formula are as follows:

Search Impression Share + Search Lost IS (Budget) + Search Lost IS (Rank) = 100%

If your search lost IS (budget) percentage is high, it means that your budget for the campaign is too low, causing your impression share to decrease.

If your search lost IS (Rank) percentage is high, it means that your ad rank (quality score and bid) for the campaign is too low, causing your impression share to decrease.

Check your search impression share, if it’s not 100%, is it due to budget lost or ad rank or both?

Here’s what you can do to improve Search Impression Share:

1. If it’s due to budget, increase your campaign budget and you will observe a higher impression share.

2. If it’s due to ad rank, increase your max bid for the ad auction based on the percentage lost (e.g if your Search Lost IS (Rank) is 25%, increase your max cpc by 25%.

3. Decrease your location radius, the smaller the location targeting, the lower the potential impression share. This is a great solution if you couldn’t increase the total budget or max bids.

4. Adjust ad schedule. Instead of showing your ads at all times, only select the working hour of your local business. This is another alternative solution if you couldn’t increase the total budget or max bids. We will discuss this further in the 5th tip below.

5. Improve your ad quality score. This will lower your search lost IS (rank).

When should you optimize Search Impression Share: Weekly basis

PPC Optimization 3: Quality Score

Quality Score is an indication of the relevance and quality of your Google ads.

Each keywords in your campaign gets a Quality Score of 1-10, where is 1 is the lowest score and 10 is the highest.

Quality Score is made of 3 main components:

1. Landing page experience – relevance of keywords in your landing page to the ad

2. Ad Relevance – relevance of keywords to the ad

3. Expected CTR – compelling ads

To view this data, go to Campaign > Keywords > Click on Columns > Modify Columns > Quality Score > Tick the 4 boxes (screenshot below)

Check each ad group and keyword, if the Quality Score is below 6, work on the 3 main components above.

When should you optimize Quality Score: Weekly basis

PPC Optimization 4: Add Negative Keywords

One of the keys to a successful PPC campaign is choosing what keywords NOT to target.

A negative keyword allows you to exclude certain words from your campaign and ensure your ad clicks are relevant.

For example, let’s say you selling women running shoes, you can exclude the keyword “men” as your negative keyword. If a person types men running shoes into Google, your ad will not appear.

Adding negative keywords will prevent your ads from getting unnecessary “wasted” clicks in the future.

To add negative keywords, go to Campaign > Keywords > Negative Keywords > Click on the + button to start adding.

We also recommend reviewing your search term report (next to negative keywords) daily to add in more negative keywords.

The search term report will show you what users are typing into Google and subsequently clicking on your ad. If you see any word that doesn’t fit your product, add them to the negative keyword list.

The more negative keywords you add, over time your ads will perform better.

When should you add negative keywords: Daily basis

PPC Optimization 5: Review Ad Schedule

By default, Google will spread your budget and show your ads equally all day during the 24 hours period.

Depending on your budget, you could adjust the setting on your Ad Schedule and ONLY show the ads during your business working hours.

For example, if your business operates from 9 to 5pm and closes on Sunday, you can set the ads to only appear from Monday to Saturday and 9 to 5pm.

If someone is searching on Tuesday at 7pm, your ads will not appear.

However, if you have the budget, we recommend letting the ads run all day for the first month. By the end of the month, you will get data on your business’ best performing day and time of the day.

Using this data, you can allocate a higher budget for this day and time.

To review your ad schedule performance, go to Campaign > Ad Schedule > Check Day & Hour

When should you review ad schedule: Monthly basis

PPC Optimization 6: Set Location Radius

Instead of setting your targeting to country or state, we recommend setting a location radius.

For example, if you run a local business, set the radius to 10km from your location. By doing this, only people who are within the 10km radius can see your ads. This will bring you higher quality customer and prevent people who are staying too far from seeing your ad.

Here’s an example of the location radius setting:

Once you are seeing results with the 10km radius, you can slowly increase to 12, 15, or 20km and so forth until it stops working.

The key is to start near your location, get clients in this radius, and gradually increase the radius from there on.

When should you optimize Location Radius: Monthly basis

PPC Optimization 7: Assess Auction Insights

Auction insights will show you 2 key data – Impression Share and Average Position against your main competitors

The first data, impression share refers to the percentage of impressions you receive divided by the total impressions you are eligible to receive. The higher the percentage, the better it is as your ads would be shown on Google most of the time.

Aim for at least 70-80% impression share, and refer to PPC Optimization #2 above on the ways to increase your impression share.

The second data, average position is your position on Google versus your competitors. Ideally, your average position should be 1.0 – 2.0, which means your ad is either in the first or second position each time a person searches for your keyword on Google.

When should you optimize Auction Insights: Weekly basis

PPC Optimization 8: Check Active Ads Status

The next optimization is a quick one. To ensure your ads are running, check the status of the ads once a month.

Head over to Ads & Extensions and check on Status:

All ads’ status should be “Approved” for your ads to be running smoothly.

If the status of your ads is “Approved (Limited)” or “Disapproved”, contact your PPC agency or local Google ads support to diagnose the problem and get the ads approved.

When should you optimize Ads Status: Monthly basis

PPC Optimization 9: Investigate High Invalid Clicks

Invalid clicks are clicks on your ad that are considered illegitimate, from malicious software or they could simply be accidental clicks.

Google identify invalid clicks based on their system of filtering out IP address, duplicate interaction, time of interaction, and other patterns. For those clicks identified as invalid, Google will not charge you for the click.

This will help protect advertisers from click fraud and ensure the ads are only spent on prospects and buyers that are interested in your services.

However, if you notice high invalid clicks for your campaign, you may inform Google’s support to investigate further.

Here’s how to access your invalid clicks data. Go to Campaign > Click on Columns > Modify Columns > Performance> Tick the Invalid Clicks

When should you optimize Invalid Clicks: Monthly basis

PPC Optimization 10: Adjust Bidding for Location, Device, and Ad Schedule

This is the final optimization for a successful PPC campaign.

Adjust the bid price and bid higher for location, device, and ad schedule that are generating the conversions.

Here are the three sections where you can increase the bid price:

Start by testing with a 10% bid increase, and gradually increase if you are generating higher conversions.

For example, increase bid for locations, devices (mobile or desktop), and ad schedule (ad timing) with the highest conversions

When should you optimize Bidding: Monthly basis

Recap of PPC Optimization:

1. Assess CTR and tweak ads to improve click-throughs  – weekly

2. Aim for a high search impression share to dominate your competitors – weekly

3. Improve Quality Score by optimizing the 3 main components – weekly

4. Add negative keywords to ensure ad clicks are relevant – daily

5. Review ad schedule and allocate a higher budget for best-performing time and day – monthly

6. Set location radius near your business location and assess performance – monthly

7. Assess auction insights for impression share and average position – weekly

8. Check active ads status to ensure all ads are 100% approved – monthly

9. Investigate high invalid clicks to prevent click fraud – monthly

10. Adjust bidding for location, devices, and ad schedule – monthly

Conclusion

And that’s a wrap!

Optimize your PPC campaign with these 10 steps and you will dominate your competitors on the PPC platform.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this PPC optimization guide, and if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below or email us at info@axceldigital.com

The post 10 Ways to Optimize Your Google PPC Campaign For Higher Conversions appeared first on Axcel Digital.

$95 BILLION..

That’s how much Google makes in a year for its ad revenue.

While this might sound crazy, the numbers are only going higher year on year as more companies invest their marketing budget on Google Ads pay per click campaign:

Source: [Statista]

But here’s the sad truth – most companies are paying Google WAY MORE than they should be. This is due to the common mistakes and settings companies make while launching the pay per click campaign.

After performing a ton of Google Ads audit for our clients, we have put together a guide on the 5 tips to help you run a profitable pay per click campaign and avoid the common mistakes.

If you don’t have a Google Ads account and have not run a campaign before, these tips will come in handy when you are ready to get started. Here’s the guide from Google on how to create an account.

Top 5 Tips for Google Ads Pay Per Click Campaign

1. Pick the Right Match Type for Your Keywords

2. Add Negative Keywords

3. Craft Engaging Ads to Maximize Clicks

4. Utilize Ads Extensions

5. Landing Page Optimization

Pay Per Click Tip #1 – Pick the Right Match Types for Your Keywords 

There are 4 match types for every pay per click search campaign and we will discuss the differences in each match type.

For simplicity, let’s assume our keyword is “eye surgeon” for each match type examples.

Match Type 1 – Broad Match

The Broad Match type is where you allow Google to pick similar keywords to the keywords you have chosen.

So if your keyword is “eye surgeon”, Google could show your ad to people who type “heart surgeon” or “eye bag”. This can be very dangerous as you are wasting money on the unrelated search term.

Choosing Broad Match is probably the most common mistakes we have seen in our pay per click audit as companies literally lose thousands every month by going with Broad Match.

Avoiding this match type will save you a lot of money in the long run.

By default, the setting from Google is Broad Match, and we need to change that. What we want to go for is Broad Match Modifier, which is our second match type.

Match Type 2 – Broad Match Modifier

With Broad Match Modifier, Google will still show your ad broadly, BUT they would exclude similar keywords.

So if someone types “top eye surgeon” or “eye consultant surgeon”, your ad will be shown as both the word “eye” and “surgeon” are in the search term.

However, if they type similar keywords like “heart surgeon” or “cosmetic surgeon”, your ad will not be shown as the Broad Match Modifier has excluded similar keywords.

To use Broad Match Modifier, use the + symbol, in this case, you would set your keyword as +eye +surgeon.

Match Type 3 – Phrase Match

Phrase Match is a little different than Broad Match Modifier. Your keyword must appear in the same order in the search query.

For example, “eye laser surgeon” will not appear in your ad, but “top eye surgeon” or “eye surgeon in Malaysia” will appear because the word “eye” and surgeon” are in order.

To use Phrase Match, use the “ “symbol. In this case, you would set your keyword as “eye surgeon”.

Match Type 4 – Exact Match

Exact Match type is where your keyword matches the search query 100% without any variation.

Unlike all the other match types, Exact Match is restricted to the keywords you enter in the ad group.

If your keyword is “eye surgeon”, the only time your ad will appear on Google is when someone type eye surgeon.

If they type “best eye surgeon” or “eye surgeon in Kuala Lumpur”, your ad will not appear.

To use exact match, use the [ ] symbol, in this case, you would set your keyword as [eye surgeon] to tell Google you are selecting exact match type.

Exact Match is perfect for people who have already spent a lot of money on testing and know what are the exact keywords that are profitable for their business.

Match Types Setting 

Under your campaign’s ad group, you can set your keywords.

Here is an example of the 4 match type variation while creating a campaign:

Action Steps for Match Types 

Ditch the Broad Match and go with Broad Match Modifier by adding the + symbol to your keywords.

Once you have enough data on what are the search terms that generate the most clicks and conversion, allocate a higher budget to include Phrase Match and Exact Match in your campaign.

Pay Per Click Tip #2 –  Add Negative Keywords

Our goal is to maximize the pay per click ROI and there are little details such as negative keywords which could make a significant difference. The keywords you exclude are called negative keywords.

Back to our example earlier, let’s say we use the Broad Match Modifier and our keyword is +eye +surgeon.

Depending on the nature of your business, you might want to exclude keywords like “cheap”, “course” or “career”.

Without negative keywords, your ads will be shown to people type “cheap eye surgeon” or “eye surgeon career” although these might not be your ideal customer.

To add negative keywords, go to Campaign > Keywords > Negative Keywords and click the + button.

Also, once your campaign has been running for a week, go to “Search Terms” to assess what are the keywords that have generated clicks for you.

If you noticed there are keywords that are not suitable, add these keywords to the Negative Keywords.

We recommend checking the search term report once or twice per week.

Action Steps for Negative Keywords 

Before letting your campaign go live, add common negative keywords like “cheap”, “free”, “course”, career”. This is crucial to eliminate wasteful spending.

Once you have enough data on the search terms, continuously assess if you need to add more negative keywords.

Pay Per Click Tip #3 –  Craft Engaging Ads 

No one will click on generic and boring ads.

Every time someone types in a keyword, there will be the top 4 search results. Here’s an example:

The question is, how can you stand out and warrant that click on your ad?

Here are 5 best practices when writing your ad copy:

1. Include your keyword in the Headline and Description.

2. Give the searcher a reason to click. You could write things like “Free Consultation”, “20% Discount”, “Save 30%”, “Set up Fee Waived”, “Free Shipping” or “Free Demo”. Anything that creates urgency and excitement to click.

3. Where possible, include numbers and statistics in your headline or description.

4. For local ads, include the city name in the headline.

5. Capitalize the first word of every word in the description. Instead of saying “We use the latest innovative technology and..….”, say “We Use The Latest Innovative Technology And….”. It is these minor details that can make the difference.

Here’s an example of an ad with the keyword of “eye surgeon in KL”

√ Include keywords in headline and description – Eye Surgeon in KL

√ Give searcher reason to click – Free 1 to 1 Consultation

√ Numbers/Stats – Over 1,200 Happy Patients

√ Local ads city name – KL

√ Capitalize first words – As shown in description

Action Steps for Crafting Engaging Ads 

As we are a big believer in testing and getting the optimal ad performance, create three different ads and assess which one works the best. There is always room for improvement.

Where possible, include all the 5 best practices above when writing your ad copy.

Pay Per Click Tip #4 –  Utilize Ads Extensions 

Ads extension are necessary to enhance your ads and give the searchers personalized options to click on.

The extensions will appear below the headline and description. Here’s an example of the ads extension:

The ads extension example – Video Production, Social Media Marketing, etc.

On your dashboard, go to Ads & Extensions > Extensions

While there are plenty of extensions you can add to your ads, these are the 3 most important extensions:

Sitelink Extensions 

Sitelink extension allows you to point the searcher to different product & services page.

This extension is useful if you have more than one product or services.

For example, one of our ads keyword is “Digital Marketing Agency in Malaysia”. However, digital marketing is a broad topic and we have other services associated with digital marketing.

To make it easier for the searcher, we will include three sitelink extensions:

1. SEO page

2. Social Media Marketing page

3. Email Marketing page

With the sitelink extension, people who need social media marketing services can immediately click on the social media marketing service page.

Callout Extensions 

Callout Extensions allow you to state what makes your business unique. You can also highlight the benefit of your products and services.

For example, we run ads for our web design services, and our callout extension is:

1. Mobile Responsive

2. Modern Web Design

Besides the ad headline and description, another feature that makes your ad stand out over your competitors is by having a Callout Extension.

Call Extension 

Include your contact number by adding the call extension.

Instead of clicking on the ad, interested customers can call your business directly after seeing the ad.

Action Steps for Including Ads Extensions 

Add sitelink extensions, callout extensions, and call extensions to all your ad copy.

By adding all 3 ad extensions, you will observe higher quality clicks and increased number of enquiries from customers.

Pay Per Click Tip #5 – Landing Page Optimization 

This is the final component for a profitable search network pay per click campaign – Getting visitors to convert on your landing page.

A landing page is a URL you send visitors to when they click on your ad.

The landing page can be your own website OR a page you develop specifically for the purpose of getting leads using software like Kyvio or Clickfunnels.

Both will work well if you follow these tips:

#1 – Keyword Relevancy

Make sure the keyword in your ads match the landing page headline and content.

For example, let’s say we are advertising for “digital marketing course” in our ads:

On the landing page, we would include the keyword “digital marketing course” as well for ad relevancy:

Click here to view an example of our landing page.

By having the relevant keywords matching on your landing page, your ad will convert better.

#2 – Include Call to Action (“CTA”)

Don’t leave your visitors hanging and guessing on what to do next when they land on your landing page.

Always include a CTA, whether it is to collect their email address, sign up for an event, or purchase your product.

Back to our landing page example, here’s our CTA:

You will be able to see the glaring red button of “Sign Up” as our CTA.

Depending on what you are offering, your CTA could be “Download Now” or “Buy Now”. Just make sure you have at least one CTA on your landing page.

#3 – Explain Benefits of Taking Action

Why should your visitors take action?

Give them a reason to do so by showcasing the benefits of your product or services.

For our example, on our landing page we will explain the 3 benefits of learning digital marketing:

Besides listing the benefits, include the special offer (e.g. 20% off) in your landing page as well if you have one.

#4 – Mobile friendly Landing Page

With Google placing more emphasis on mobile, your landing page has to be mobile friendly.

Use Google’s mobile-friendly test and enter your URL to assess if your landing page is mobile friendly.

#5 – Social Proof

This is the final magic ingredient you can add to your landing page.

Social Proof!

When people are finding it hard to make a decision, we often will look at what others are doing.

In this case, a testimonial from your happy customers can be the push factor to convince people that they can trust you.

Or if you are featured in a magazine or newspaper, add those credibilities to the landing page as well.

If you are just starting out and have no customers, give away your product for free, then ask for testimonials. If your product is good, people are more than happy to give you a great testimonial.

Action Steps for Landing Page Optimization 

Match the keywords in your ads to the landing page, include CTA, showcase benefits and offers, ensure the page is mobile-friendly, and include social proof.

Conclusion

And that’s a wrap for today.

Google Ads pay per click platform is an effective way to bring in leads and sales for businesses.

If you follow the step by step guide above, you will be ahead of your competitors in terms of running Google ads.

Here’s a recap of the 5 tips to craft a successful Google Ads pay per click campaign:

1. Pick the Right Match Type for Your Keywords

2. Add Negative Keywords

3. Craft Engaging Ads to Maximize Clicks

4. Utilize Ads Extensions

5. Landing Page Optimization

If you require personal consultation on your campaign, head over to our Pay Per Click Malaysia service page to learn more and send your enquiry.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this guide, and if you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below or email us at info@axceldigital.com

The post The Ultimate Guide to Google Ads Pay Per Click (A $95 Billion Industry) appeared first on Axcel Digital.