6 Common PPC Mistakes All Businesses Make In 2021

While PPC advertising is a critical strategy for businesses to increase traffic to their site in 2021, if a PPC strategy is not carefully considered from the beginning to the end, a company will find itself wasting money. From ad fraud to inaccurate targeting, a potential slew of issues could impact the effectiveness of PPC ads.

Done correctly, PPC makes it easy to reach target buyers; however, PPC campaigns need to be carefully planned and managed to yield results. Today, our team of PPC experts at Embryo dive into what are the most common mistakes that companies make when planning their PPC strategy, and how can they be resolved? 

1. Being Too Creative With Ad Messaging

PPC campaigns can go downhill when advertisers try to get too creative with their messaging. When crafting ad copy, make sure the text closely matches the content on the landing page you are sending users to. Confusing messaging will most likely lead to abandoned page visits. Try to be clear and concise with your message by directly speaking about what your company is offering.

2.  Ignoring The Broader Consumer Journey

One huge mistake is not looking at PPC ads in the context of the broader customer journey. The immediate ROAS may not come from the click itself, but it may reveal an intent to engage later on down the line. So think long-term and do not be shortsighted with the ROI from PPC

3. Skipping The Projection And Goal-Setting Stage

A common mistake many businesses make is skipping a projection and goal-setting process. There is a wealth of information available in Google’s keyword planning tools. By supplementing those with third-party tools, you can create media projections that you can use to set expectations on what PPC can drive in terms of results. Then, you need to create result benchmarks to understand and know if your campaign is working when you start spending more money.

4.  Focusing On The Bottom Of The Funnel

Linked closely with mistake number 2, PPC campaigns are often solely focused on the bottom of the funnel conversions. This can be an extremely expensive approach and will result in a lot of leakage. Instead, consider how to use different tactics for the various parts of your funnel, such as display campaigns for awareness, social for product interest and desire, and search campaigns for action.

5. Casting The Net Too Wide

The rush to quickly gain new clients via PPC is very tempting. To find people searching for problems related to a solution your business offers, often at a late stage in the buyer’s journey, the last thing you want to do is cast your net too wide and target the whole country. Not only is this expensive, but it is also impractical. Learn the regions your customers typically reside in and target those locations effectively. You will spend less and see the quality of your leads shoot up.

6. A Lack Of Message Continuity

A very common mistake most accounts we audit is the lack of message continuity. In other words, the ad copy includes a promotion, but when people click through to the landing page, there is no information about the offer. This often leads to confusion and, thus, site abandonment instead of a conversion taking place. Be mindful of the customer journey and create ads that make it easier for your potential customers to learn, buy, etc.