PPC Campaign Management: What Does a PPC Specialist Do?

Take a moment to think about the rapidly changing, ever-growing machine: the internet. Consider that paid searches and PPC advertising weren’t a thing a few years ago, and now they are already run-of-the-mill. According to Forbes, almost 50% of small businesses are already using Pay Per Click marketing which places a firm focus on PPC campaign management.

Among thousands of competitors launching campaigns, will your ad likely win the bid?

This article will walk you through the elements of successful campaign management and the role PPC specialists play. 

What Is PPC Campaign Management?

You want your PPC campaign to be as effective as possible, that’s obvious, right? If you could create an absolutely perfect Google ad, you would. So, PPC campaign management means constantly working on your campaign to keep it functioning at the best possible level. This will include supervising your ad spend, assessing campaign data, and strategising new ways to improve the performance of your ads. 

At the end of the day, effective campaign management should bring about the maximum ROI for your business.  

What Does PPC Management Include?

So how do you go about optimising your PPC campaigns? It’s been said that you don’t build a skyscraper from the top down. Likewise, you need to lay the proper groundwork for a PPC campaign to be successful. 

PPC management is a process that starts at the blueprints stage of your PPC ads. The research that goes into setting up your ads in the very beginning will inform all the adjustments that happen throughout your campaign. You set a goal in the beginning and you need to keep referring to that goal to keep your campaign on track.   

Additionally, PPC management includes the constant monitoring of campaign progress. This is a daily responsibility. Keeping abreast with performance data is essential for making changes before a PPC campaign loses traction in a highly competitive market. Running frequent tests helps you determine what works and what doesn’t.

What Does a PPC Management Service From an Agency Include?

A PPC management agency will know how to make sure your ads are set up correctly, and they will have the tools needed to follow metric data such as Google Keyword Planner (if you’re running a Google PPC campaign). They will also have the know-how to handle the often-needed adjustments. 

The tasks included in digital marketing can easily become time-consuming for a company that doesn’t specialise in PPC. On the other hand, a PPC agency has everything on hand to delve right into a campaign. They know what they’re looking for, and they know exactly where the tripwires are. 

An agency will help you set effective strategies. A big part of their service is to minimise wasted spend. One of the ways they get this right is by reviewing keywords every few days – or daily if you’re starting a new campaign and really need to stay on top of things. This is a huge (and time-consuming) part of PPC campaign management.

Certain key activities are undertaken in managing a paid search campaign. Some of these essential activities include:

• Adding negative keywords
• Amending keyword match types
• Creating and tracking attribution models
• Running test campaigns
• Setting up shopping campaigns

Additionally, a good agency will understand user intent and strategise accordingly. (More on this topic soon!)

What Are Negative Keywords?

Looking at your keywords regularly will help you list irrelevant searches as negative keywords. This means fewer wasted clicks so your ad is run more efficiently.  For example, if you’re running a campaign promoting new online payment software then you won’t want to spend money on clicks by confused users looking for loosely associated but inaccurate terms such as online banking or software jobs.

Attribution Models 

Interpreting data takes some skill and a professional PPC management agency will understand how to apply attribution models, such as ‘last click’, to the relevant metrics. They will also pay close attention to your digital marketing click-through rates (CTR) and the cost of these clicks which are vital in any campaign, especially Google shopping ads. 

Test Campaigns

A PPC agency will create the test campaigns needed to compare methodologies and determine which campaign produces better results. They can identify if there are any weak links in your digital marketing strategy, and when it’s time for a new type of ad, a change in headlines, or a new campaign altogether. 

Metrics 

A PPC management agency will stay on top of the following essential metrics:

• Impressions
• Conversions
• Traffic
• Leads

Mistakes in digital marketing can come with all sorts of unexpected costs. Hire a PPC specialist to save time, maintain the standard of your brand, and increase your revenue (both immediately and long term). 

How Much Does a PPC Campaign Cost?

It can be a lot of dollars, but when done right is an enormously effective tool. Highly competitive or specialised keywords cost more per click, and if you get a whole host of unqualified clicks… need we say more? 

When determining the cost of a PPC campaign, a lot will depend on the industry you’re targeting plus the keywords you need. On average, clicks cost $1 or $2 for most businesses that use Google PPC campaigns. If you’re worried about busting your budget, which can happen, Google Adwords offers a helpful monthly budget cap.  

Are PPC Ads Available in Social Media Advertising?

PPC = pay per click. Therefore, if you’re running Facebook ads, Bing ads, or LinkedIn ads, the concept remains the same. For the purpose of this article, we are focusing on PPC services for Google ads.

Who Should Hire a PPC Management Company?

Anyone can benefit from expert advice, whether your company is big or small. And whether your company is new to online advertising or not. 

Paid media marketing comes with a cost. Besides the obvious expense for the ads themselves, the PPC software you need to maintain and manage your display ads doesn’t come for free. You also need to know how databases and software systems work. Plus, PPC management adds significantly to the workload of an in-house marketing team. 

PPC management companies are willing to put their vast experience at your disposal. They come connected with all the right advertising platforms and other digital marketing resources already established and practised. Think of it as a skyscraper already built and occupied (so to speak), while your company has only started on the foundation. 

A solid agency will always have an advantage, and any company that employs them will get a leg up to the top of the page. 

Where Do The Specialists Start?

The processes surrounding Google ads management can become very involved. Anyone who has ventured into these choppy waters will know that rabbit holes and pitfalls abound. Nevertheless, there is a specific starting point, and that’s with your keywords. More specifically, finding the right keywords. 

A PPC specialist will begin with these four aspects of campaign management:

1. Customer Demand

This means finding out about the keywords search volume relating to your offering. It includes determining how competitive your keywords are and verifying the amount each keyword will cost. You want to know if the people looking for that particular keyword are likely to buy from you and if you can afford that keyword. 

2. Competitor Research

Learning about your competitors involves historical online advertising information. You can get this information through paid tools that reveal how competitors are implementing their PPC ads and keywords. This critical research will also give you an idea of how you’re likely to rank for your chosen keywords. For example, keywords within the insurance and financial services industries have an eye-watering cost per click and are run by corporate giants with deep pockets and no scruples. Do you really want to take on Goliath with your budget? 

3. Optimising Ad Copy

Good copy employs an attractive call to action and gives potential leads a reason to choose your business over your competitors. You want to attract quality leads and keep those that are unlikely to buy away. Needless to say, if unqualified leads keep clicking through, your ad budget gets flushed – it’s that simple. Optimising your copy translates to an improved ad spend. 

4. Conversion Tracking 

A vital part of PPC campaign management is measuring how many sales your ad campaign generates. Conversion tracking shows which ads and keywords are working to encourage customers to buy. Studying the effectiveness of your campaigns provides the information needed for further optimisations. Google Analytics is an excellent starting point for measuring these metrics, but there are more tools available all the time that will do an excellent job.

Running the Numbers 

They say that Rome wasn’t built in a day. That’s true if your focus is restricted just to search engine optimisation. But as we know, paid ads are instant marketing tools and online digital empires can be built overnight. 

If you start with carefully studied data, who knows what may come of your well-planned campaigns? The thing is to be smart about it and get specialist support where it’s needed.

So, ask yourself this question: Does my business’s PPC account manager have the resources to recognise and respond immediately to changing online opportunities?