Many websites use pay per click, or PPC, as their primary way of making money. However, PPC needs to be branded properly just like everything else. If your PPC marketing seems to be ineffective, it might be because of one or more of the reasons detailed below.
 

1: Wrong Keywords

You might be using a set of keywords on your site that is not a popular search term. This is especially true if you use terms that are region-specific (such as “pop” in place of “soda”) or if your site uses a lot of slang. Google AdWords offers a keyword tool that can help you identify the best keywords for your particular specialty.
 

2: A Poor Landing Page

Your landing page is the first page that your potential customers will see. This is where they go when they click on an ad, and it is the most likely place they will land when they find your site through a search. Your landing page should clearly spell out the purpose of your site and answer any immediate questions they might have. It should also be the best-looking page on your site, devoid of clutter and easy to read.

Here are some sites that can help you with your landing pages:

• http://www.leadpages.net/
• https://instapage.com/
• http://www.getresponse.com/features/landing-page-creator.html
• http://www.hubspot.com/products/landing-pages
• http://landerapp.com/

3: Lack of Branding

Branding is important not only as a means of advertising, but also as a means of reassuring the customer that they are where they want to be. Your logo and any other branding that you want tied to your company should be plain to see on every page on your site. If customers don’t see your branding, they are not likely to stay on your site even if you offer services they might be interested in.
 

4: Poorly Written Ads

If you want customers to click on your ads, you need to make sure that they are well-written. This means proofreading carefully to avoid all typos and grammar mistakes. It also means making your slogan clear and your call to action immediately apparent. An ad needs to draw the eye and give the customer a reason to click on it.
 

5: Obfuscated Purpose

If a customer clicks on an ad, it is because the ad offers something of interest to that individual. Very few people click on ads blindly, so you need to make it immediately apparent what customers will get when they click on your ad. If the purpose is not clear, you customer will go elsewhere.
 

6: Low Advertising Budget

Sometimes, you can offer good quality in your PPC marketing but just not a high enough budget. A low ad budget means that your ads will rarely be shown and that when they are shown it will be in areas that do not have a good reach. If you can move any money in your budget, you should try to keep a healthy fund for ads. In advertising, you do indeed get what you pay for.

Even if your PPC marketing campaign seems to be struggling, you might just not be reaching out in the right way. By following the advice above, you will help your ad campaign to thrive.

PPC campaigns can be a costly game when they aren’t well-planned and wisely implemented. So, don’t waste your time and money on ads or landing pages that don’t do what they were designed to do. To help ensure that your next PPC campaign brings you the results you’re hoping for, consider implementing the following best practices for effective PPC campaigns:

Create Quality Ads

Your PPC ads are the heart of your PPC campaign. They are the front line in your battle to win conversions. If they aren’t effective, your entire campaign will fail. So, it pays to focus on the factors that make strong PPC ads that bring results:
 

Ad Title

Your ad title tells searchers what your ad is about and how closely it matches what they are looking for. Five effective strategies for PPC ad titles follow:

1. Grab searchers’ attention. You won’t have many characters to hook them, so make every word count.

2. Use keywords in your ad titles. Use one keyword for each ad group.

3. Use action verbs (aka, calls to action). Make them brief, catchy, and immediate.

4. Feature specials and limited-time offers. Few people can resist checking out a good deal on an item they want.

5. Combine the above elements whenever you can. For example: Save on overseas travel in July.

Ad Copy

Your PPC ad copy expands on your ad title, but not by much. So, again, make every word count. Try these five strategies to create ads with “pull”:

1. Know your target audience and what motivates them. Then use that knowledge in writing your ad copy.

2. Get your message across as concisely as possible. You have no room here for long, drawn-out phrases. Get right to the point, without extra verbiage.

3. Focus on your product’s primary benefit(s). What intangibles will visitors receive in return for taking advantage of your offer? Tell them.

4. Sell the sizzle and not the steak. Elicit a desire for one or more of the benefits of your product or service.

5. Paint a picture in searchers’ minds. Help them visualize your product’s value in a way that entices them to click through.

Design Effective Landing Pages

Effective landing pages deliver exactly what your ad promises, and they do it in a powerful, compelling way. Here are five strategies for creating PPC landing pages that invite conversions:
 

Landing Page Title

Try these five techniques for using your landing page title to entice prospects to read on:

1. Make it stand out. Bold, eye-catching titles let visitors quickly see what you have to offer.

2. Keep it relevant. Let visitors know they came to the right place.

3. Include the related keyword. Use the keyword featured in the related ad or ad group.

4. Be positive. Focus on results and solutions and not on the problems they solve.

5. Avoid negative trigger words. Stay away from words with negative emotional connotations to help reduce your bounce rate.

Landing Page Copy

For landing page copy that hooks prospects and search spiders, try these five strategies:

1. Make it relevant. Remind people why they clicked through, and show them that you have the answer they are seeking.

2. Keep it simple. Use short sentences and simple, direct language. Simple language is more likely to be read.

3. Don’t confuse your prospect. Clearly express your product’s benefits, and use one main call to action.

4. Make it keyword-rich. Your first paragraph is a great place to use the keyword featured in your ad and landing page title. Your call to action is another. Also use it elsewhere your copy, but be careful not to keyword-stuff.

5. Include keyword variations. Variations on your keywords show search spiders that your keywords are relevant to their surrounding copy, which is good for your page’s SEO.

Landing Page Organization

Try these five landing page layout techniques to increase conversions:

1. Put all your most important text “above the fold.” – The part of the Web page that’s visible without scrolling is your most important sales page “real estate.” Use it to highlight the content you want to catch your prospect’s eye. The first mention of your call to action must absolutely be visible on this part of the page.

2. Minimize distractions. Make your landing page as simple as possible. Use plenty of white space to prevent everything from running together.

3. Make your copy scannable. Use headings to organize the page, so visitors can find the information they’re looking for.

4. Make sure your desired action is clear. Make your call to action highly visible so visitors know exactly what you want them to do.

5. Make it easy for your prospects to act. Repeat your call to action in several strategic places on the page.

Try the above strategies and watch your PPC campaigns yield better results than ever before!

Author Bio:

Guest post contributed by Charles Dearing, for WhoIsHostingThis.com. Charles is a freelance tech writer and webhost expert. He keeps tabs on all the latest hosting news and follows all the popular webhosts.