Google Adwords can help you generate large amounts of traffic and increase sales exponentially. On the other hand, it can be a black hole that swallows your advertising money without showing positive results. It all depends on how Adwords is being used and the amount of research you do before bidding on PPC space. Following are five helpful Google Adwords tips for 2013 that will make a positive difference in your bounce rate and PPC return on investment.
Choose Keywords with Minimal Competition
The cost of putting up an ad for a particular keyword depends on how many other businesses also want to put up advertisements for the same keyword. If the competition is high, then you will probably not be able to afford the spot for long or even at all.
The key to success is to find keywords that get a lot of traffic but do not have a lot of competition. Make sure the keywords are likely to be used by an interested customer (not just someone looking for information) and then focus on them.
Google Analytics provides a helpful Keyword analysis tool that will provide you with the information you need. The tool can be found in your Adwords account, under the "Tools and Analysis" section. Be sure to select the category that is most relevant to your site, as it will help to streamline the information that is displayed and make it more accurate.
Consider Bid per Time of Day
Once you have purchased a spot for a particular keyword, there are various settings that you can apply to your advertisement. One of these settings is a time setting that allows you to turn off your ad at certain times of the day or night.
As your PPC campaign progresses, you will probably find "down times" when your ad generates little or no paying traffic. Take down your ads at times when potential customers are not likely to be looking for you and you will save a lot of money.
It is also important to note that the bid price varies depending on the time of day the ad is displayed. It may very well cost more to display your advertisement in the morning than in the afternoon and vice versa. Be aware of the changes in bidding costs to make sure you are not overspending on your advertising campaign.
Bid per location
Small companies that only want to target a particular area do not need to have their ads displayed to a worldwide audience. Adjusting the Google Adwords settings so that only people in a particular city or metropolitan area will see your ads can help to increase your return on investment. Bid per location settings can be found under the settings tab in your Adwords account.
Regularly Check the Conversion Rate
It is important to check your ad conversion rate on a regular basis. Click to conversion rate depends on many factors. Your campaign may be bringing in a lot of traffic but this does not necessarily mean that you will be making a lot of sales.
If your campaign is not doing as well as you had hoped, then there are several things you should look into. Try changing the wording of the ad or offering a special deal. Check your landing page to make sure it is loading quickly and is appealing and easy to use. You should also check out competitors’ websites and compare prices, as overly high prices will also drive potential customers away.
Mobile Bidding Options
A growing number of people are using an iPhone or smart phone to shop online. If many of your buyers fall under this category of people, then you should adjust your bid settings to automatically increase your bid for mobile phone search engine results. You can even narrow this down to only bid more for mobile traffic from a particular city or country.
Making money via PPC advertising is not easy, but it can be a successful way to increase site traffic and customers. Use the five tips outlined above and you will not only be able to reach your target audience but do so at minimal cost.
