What to Do When Your PPC Ads Aren’t Generating Results

Isn’t it frustrating when you spend your money, time, and effort on your PPC campaigns, only to see them fail?

Instead of seeing a boost in your conversions, you’re not getting any leads and sales at all.

What could be the problem? Why isn’t your pay-per-click advertising generating the results you expect?

Factors such as your ad copy, call to action, landing page quality, and keyword relevance can influence the success of your PPC campaigns.  

If your pay-per-click ad isn’t generating leads, it could be because you’re not using the right keywords, or perhaps your landing page sucks.  

Another possible reason why your PPC campaign isn’t increasing sales for your business is because of click fraud.

According to PPC Protect, 36% of display click ads are fraud or invalid. Smartphone click fraud also increased to 102% from January to April 2017.  And click fraud continues to grow at 50% per year.  

Consider using click fraud detection and prevention tool to protect yourself from click farms and bots. And, to assess if it’s really the cause behind your ineffective PPC campaigns.  

But, if click fraud isn’t the problem, here’s what you should do:

What You Should Do When Your PPC Campaigns Aren’t Generating Leads 

1. Reassess Your Keywords

One of the reasons why your pay-per-click ad isn’t generating results is because the keyword you’re using is a broad match.  

You might think that you’re doing your ads a favor by using general terms that you know a lot of people will use in their search, when in reality, you’re actually not.  

Keep in mind that using general keywords will pair you to all kinds of searches that Google thinks is somewhat related to your keyword. This means that you’ll be showing your ads to a wide range of people, including those who aren’t interested in what you have to offer.  

Remember, you have to pay for every click, even for those who will likely not end up purchasing, which can drive your costs up.  

Here are some PPC keyword tips you can use to drive your conversions up:

• Understand the different match types. Aside from broad matches, there are two other match types you need to know about: Phrase match and exact match. Phrase match triggers your ad for people who use your key phrase or variations of it in their search, while exact match shows your ad in front of people using your exact keyword in their search.  
• Narrow down your keyword focus. Using the right keywords in your PPC ads can set your campaigns to success. Some keywords can get a lot of clicks but don’t generate any quality leads; others tend to get only a few clicks but generate quality leads. So, choose your keywords wisely. As your Florida internet marketing company, we suggest you use long-tail keywords in your pay-per-click ads.  
• Don’t forget about negative keywords. Negative match means your ad will not show up if a search contains particular keyword phrases. This helps eliminate any unwanted clicks and prevent showing your ads to people who aren’t interested in what you have to offer.  

Reassess the keyword you used in your pay-per-click advertising and check if it’s a broad match. If it is, consider changing it into a more targeted keyword that your target audience will most likely use when they’re ready to make a purchase.  

2. Improve Your Ad Copy

A great PPC copy is a crucial factor in increasing your click-through rate and conversions.  

If your pay-per-click ads aren’t generating clicks, it may be because of your ad copy. So, try tweaking it and test your ad copy to see if it makes a difference.  

According to Perry Marshall, author of “The Ultimate Guide to AdWords”, a great ad copy highlights the benefits that a customer will get if they buy your product or service. It’s because people buy to solve their problems.  

An ad copy generally has three main components:

• Unique selling proposition: What your product is and why it’s different from others.  
• Benefits: What your customers can do or achieve with your products or services.
• Call to action: A prompt on your ad that tells users to take a specified action.  

For example, you’re selling makeup. Its feature is that it’s water-resistant, while a benefit of it is by helping people stay fresh and beautiful on a hot summer day, on tear-jerking affairs, and during pool parties.  

Also, a personalized CTA is more compelling. So, instead of using CTAs like “buy now”, you should use lines that aim to appeal to the emotions of your ideal customers, such as “stay fresh and beautiful all day with…”

Here are some ads copy best practices you should follow:

• Understand what your ideal customers want  
• Use their language
• Use emotions to move your target audience

• Make your ad copy feel more personalized by using “you” and “yours”
• Make sure you communicate what makes you different
• Localize your ad copy to create a friendly first impression of your business
• Use Google Ad Variations to test your ad copy

Always test your PPC campaigns frequently and make necessary improvements to get the results you want. The more data you collect, the easier it is to spot trends, which you can then use to improve your ad strategy.  

3. Examine Your Landing Page Closely

A landing page is what brings a visitor closer to becoming a customer. This is where you make a special offer that your target audience cannot resist and make some sort of a trade or deal.  

For example, you provide a piece of information, special discount, or exclusive access in return for their contact information and email.  

A landing page is designed with one goal in mind, and that is to convert a visitor. But, what exactly makes a landing page effective?

Here are some tips:

• Make sure that your landing page is aligned with your ads. If an ad for affordable housing brings visitors to a landing page focused on luxury condos, then it’ll likely drive visitors away. So, make sure that your landing page matches the expectation of your target audience.  
• Keep your headline, USP, and call to action above the fold so they’re visible from the get-go. However, avoid making these elements look crammed on the screen. Design your landing pages wisely.  
• Show your product or service in a real-life context so your potential customers can envision themselves using it.  
• Feature social proof to establish trust and further convince your target audience to convert
• Make sure your landing page loads fast. Slow load times can lead to fewer sales

• Optimize your landing page for mobile.
• A/B test your landing pages to make sure that you’re converting as much as possible. Also, don’t forget to update them regularly.
• Avoid using multi-step forms to ensure a frictionless experience.
• Include a privacy policy to give your visitors peace of mind and assurance that their data is safe with you.
• Always say “thank you” not just to show gratitude, but to also let them know that they’ve successfully signed up for your newsletter or availed of your special offer

Don’t be afraid to tweak your headline, CTA, visuals, messaging, and other elements of your landing page. As long as you test the changes you make, you’ll soon find a landing page that works and converts as much as possible.  

4. Put an End to Your PPC Campaign

If you’ve done everything you can with your current campaign to see if the ROI gets better, but you’re still not getting the results you need, then you have no other choice but to end your PPC campaign.  

Usually, advertisers decide to stop their pay-per-click ads because of the following reasons:

• Seasonal ads need to be stopped  

• Horrible ROI. The returns aren’t worth it
• Some run out of funds to keep their PPC campaigns going

Even with your best efforts, you’re still not getting the results you expect from running a pay-per-click ad. Don’t be afraid to stop your campaign.  

This shouldn’t discourage you from running PPC ads in the future. With the right strategy and professional help from a Florida internet marketing company, PPC ads can do wonders for your business.

Looking for a Florida Internet Marketing Company?

If you still can’t find any luck running a successful pay-per-click ad campaign no matter how hard you try, maybe it’s time to seek professional help.  

Digital Resource is your go-to Florida internet marketing company. We can help you craft highly effective PPC ads within budget, and we can also help you get the leads you need to start growing your business.  

Are you looking for a surefire way to make your business to succeed online? If so, don’t hesitate to contact us.  

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