How To Optimize Paid Search Campaigns in 5 Steps

A well-executed PPC campaign is an essential part of an advertiser’s overall marketing strategy. It impacts both the number of conversions and a business’ revenue. Having poorly managed ad campaigns can do more damage than not having one at all, as sometimes it costs more than what it brings in.

There are many layers that need to be adjusted to maximize the outcome of your campaigns. Of course, one of the most critical layers is optimization, which is a requirement for any PPC advertising campaign.

There might be no silver bullet, or one size fits all; however, there are several basic tactics that help optimize PPC campaigns consistently, no matter what industry you’re in.

Here are some of the most important ones to keep in mind.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

By: Caglar Bozkurt
Last modified: July 23, 2020

1. Research Your Keywords

Keywords come in many shapes and sizes. They can be either short-tail, long-tail, or negative. Once you choose your keywords, search queries can be targeted based on a broad match, a phrase match, or an exact match.

First step in how to optimize paid search campaigns is selecting the right keywords for your products or services.

They heavily influence how your ad will end up displaying or not in front of a particular audience. Keywords are at the very core of keyword bid management, the heart of PPC bidding.

Keywords act as your digital magnets, leading you towards users that are more likely to engage with your ads, and ultimately, become your customers.

2. Know Your Audience

Let’s say you and your business partners are going out for lunch. You know they all enjoy Italian food, but choose to bring them to a restaurant that serves Mexican dishes instead.

But wait! You wouldn’t do that, because you are well aware that they wouldn’t feel too comfortable about it.

The same goes for your audience. To make people engage with your ads, you have to consider your buyer personas carefully and offer them personalized experiences.

This might seem basic, but lots of research needs to be done to better understand your buyer personas. It’s essential that you do it right, or else you won’t be able to target your ads properly.

3. Writing High-Quality Copy

Digital advertising is a game of small changes, and wording is one of those elements that require plenty of adjustments. It has been shown before that changing one single word can increase the CTR by 161%.

There are several tactics you can use to write compelling ad copy that will attract prospects:

Show people how you can solve their problems
Ultimately, your ad has to mirror your visitors’ end goals. Ask yourself: how can your service or product fulfill their needs?
Consider inserting emotional triggers
People often act based on their emotions, not logic. Your ad might describe your product properly, but it would be even better to describe how it would make people feel. This approach will appeal to their emotions and make engagement more likely to happen.
Showcase the benefits
Tell your audience how your product or service will improve their lifestyle. Will they save money? Is it faster? Is it healthier? Put everything in the spotlight. It’s always better to highlight benefits than features.
Add a deadline
Loss aversion is a proven way to drive conversions because it acts as a motivational force. The idea of losing out on gaining something is known to move shoppers out of their comfort zones. The easiest way to implement this is by adding a countdown timer to your ad.

4. Run Remarketing Campaigns

Only 2% of the people who visit your website will make a purchase. When you are looking on ways how to optimize paid search campaigns, think about the rest 98%.

You either let them go or drive them back to you by implementing a strong retargeting campaign. No matter if you’re running Google, eBay, Microsoft, or Amazon Ads, all of these services include the possibility to run retargeting campaigns.

These are specially tailored for people who’ve engaged with your brand before but were not comfortable enough to make a purchase the first time around.

Displaying an ad multiple times to the same users allows you to raise awareness about your brand, and offer new promotions to your prospects. The more familiar people get with your products or services, the more likely they become your customers.

PPC Analysis - Run Remarketing Campaigns

5. Work With Advertising Automation

Automation has definitely changed advertising in many ways, and we’ve covered some of them before. This ever-evolving technology allows you to increase the number of leads, drive more conversions, and generate more revenue. Everything with less effort, of course.

Less time, more money, and the best of all? No more mistakes. Advertising automation changes the game by reshaping the advertiser’s role: say goodbye to tedious, repetitive tasks. Your mind will be free to focus on more creative tasks!

But automation goes even beyond improved workloads. These systems analyze millions of data points to make the best decision, considering your goals and budget. After all, optimization and automation go hand in hand.