According to recent reports, Google is looking to increase its efforts for paid advertising in 2021 and invest in new online ad features.
And if you’re not advertising on Google or any form of social media, then you might be missing out on a large number of potential customers!
In this article, we outline some of the best ways to create a winning PPC strategy for 2021.
We’re not going to tell you how to structure your ad accounts or even how to optimise negative keywords, instead, we’re going to guide you through the essential factors you should consider, to help deliver a successful campaign throughout the year.
Lay The Foundations
Listing out your goals for the year ahead can help keep you focused on achieving them.
It’s almost creating a mini business plan, but it can be extremely useful.
You can then share this with your digital marketing partner who can then outline a strategy on how they can help you reach those goals.
Do you know what your most profitable advertising channels are? Have you tested them? Or will you be testing them to find this out?
In what condition is your website? Is there a natural user flow, or do you need to rethink your sales funnel?
Consider that Google is a search engine. People are actively searching for something, whether that’s goods, services or information. The intent is much higher than a social media platform such as Facebook.
On Facebook, people are there to watch funny videos, to chat with their friends and to play games, the intent is extremely low compared to Google, and they’re not necessarily there to buy.
But if you have a product that is an impulse buy type of product, such as a gaming chair or a product that is a problem solver, then you might want to consider advertising on Facebook.
These are just some of the questions you should be asking yourself, your client, or your digital marketing account manager to help form the PPC strategy and reach the goals for the year ahead.
Quality Score Is Everything
I’ll repeat it. When advertising on Google, Quality Score is everything!
Your ad copy, your landing page, your offering, your bid, and everything else that determines your Quality Score, you want to keep a constant check of this and look for ways to improve the number.
Why? Because it pays to do so!
Why should you be charged more for a click, when your competitor is paying less?
And what I’m about to say is going to divide the PPC community in half, but from tests and clients I’ve managed, where possible and relevant, the SKAG approach is still a great way to increase quality score and beat your competition.
If you’re unfamiliar with SKAGs vs STAGs, take a look at this fantastic article to get a good understanding of each.
And read Adzooma’s article on STAGs (Single Theme Ad Groups) while you’re at it.
But to keep it simple, a Single Keyword Ad Group (SKAG) can help you write ad copy that is exclusive to your keyword which, in turn, helps increase your quality score.
And you shouldn’t rush through your ad copy or even your keyword research. You shouldn’t rush PPC at all.
Take your time to find the most relevant keywords, create an account structure you understand, and take your time setting up your campaigns, ad groups, and ads.
But at the core of all your advertising efforts, should be your quality score and how to improve it.
Remarketing Pays Off
If you’ve never run a remarketing campaign, then this is something that could bring you a lot of success.
Sometimes people will see your ad, click-through to your website and leave. That’s not to say they didn’t like your service or product, or even your website.
There must have been something that made them click-through from your ad to your website.
And whilst they are interested in your offering, they may not be interested right now.
This is where remarketing comes in.
It’s a powerful tool to help bring those non-converters back and give them a second look or third look at your website, but this time offering them a potential discount or freebie to help them convert.
You should also look at the different audiences available, especially in the Google Ads platform.
Affinity and in-market audiences can help you target the people who are actively seeking or are in the market for your product or services.
For low budget campaigns, remarketing search lists for ads (RSLAs) are one of the most effective ways of creating a successful PPC campaign.
RSLAs are great in so many ways; the traffic you’re targeting are already somewhat qualified.
If someone has visited your mobile phone accessory website and has visited the iPhone page but didn’t make a purchase, what you can do is create a remarketing campaign for iPhone page users and bid on the search term “iPhone”.
Typically, this would be a very competitive and expensive click! Not to mention, there is little to no guarantee that the user is looking to purchase anything.
But because the user already knows your brand and your website, you can bid on more generic keywords without having to pay for expensive clicks.
Then, when they search again, this keyword will only trigger for users who have already visited your website. Reducing costs and increasing the chance of them buying from you.
To put it simply, you only target people who have previously visited your website and already have some knowledge of your brand.
And when they do click on your ad again through to your website, there’s a higher chance they will convert the second or third time around. Especially if you… and to quote The Godfather, “make them an offer they can’t refuse”.
Invest In Your Website
Perhaps the most essential point on this list is to invest in your website.
I can’t tell you how many websites I’ve seen lose customers and conversions because the client is simply not bothered by how the website looks!
Why spend thousands of pounds, dollars, or euros on paid advertising, when you have a website that looks like a throwback to the early 2000s?
Consider the overall design, the user flow, the usability – how easy is it for your website traffic to buy from you, request your service or get in touch with you?
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that society can continue living somewhat, through online stores and services.
And whilst you can still get some conversions through any type of website, that’s not the point.
You could be missing out on a large number of potential customers, who may buy from your competitor because their website is easier to navigate and appears more trustworthy.
Spend Every Penny Wisely
When running digital advertising, you want to make sure you’re spending every penny wisely.
That means either you or your account manager keeping a close eye on all the reports in your account. From search terms and negative keywords to device usability and location targeting.
But more importantly, you need to look at your business margins.
What is your average order value? (AOV) What is your desired return on ad spend (ROAS)? And what is your average conversion rate? Just to name a few.
By calculating these metrics, we can find a profitable bid so that you’re always, at the very least, breaking even on every click you receive.
The scary thing is, most PPC account managers don’t even consider this!
They go in and change bids, increase them, decrease them without even considering your business costs. And this can be detrimental to your advertising success.
So be careful when choosing an agency or freelancer to look after your account. See if they ask these questions before they start working with you!
Need Help Creating A Winning PPC Strategy For 2021?
Here at Accelerate Ads, we offer fully bespoke PPC strategies and can help create a fully customised, paid advertising campaign that can deliver results for your business.
We use the latest industry trends, data-driven decisions, and everything we’ve mentioned in this article (and more!) to help you reach your business goals!
Sounds good? Great! Get your free digital marketing proposal today or book a call with us to discuss your business goals for 2021, and we’ll show you how we can help you achieve them.
