Home › pay per click › Starting a PPC (AdWords) Campaign? Here’s A Basic Check-List

Starting a PPC (AdWords) Campaign? Here’s A Basic Check-List

AdminPosted on Posted in pay per click

PPC campaigns set up haphazardly or by the inexperienced will waste a lot of cash – it pays to get it right.

AdWords set up check listWhether you’ve used AdWords before or are just setting out for the first time, a handy check-list will help you avoid mistakes and get all of the essential set-up parameters right first time.

Like lots of Google tools, AdWords changes regularly, so even for the very experienced, it can be quite easy to mess up unless you have a template to work to.

Making mistakes when setting up can become extremely costly very quickly, so it really does pay to know what you are doing and check diligently.

Here’s a quick check-list of the main settings for your dental pay-per-click campaign that you must get right….

The overall campaign

  • check you are targeting the correct location
  • if you are advert scheduling, check that you have set the correct timings
  • check your daily budget – don’t accidentally add an extra nought!
  • have you set for the right network(s)? Including the display network too early is a common mistake

Your ads

  • ensure your ad copy is matched to the appropriate keyword in the associated ad group
  • test two different ads against each-other in the ad group and check regularly to see which performs best. Modify as needed and re-test
  • use mobile specific ads where appropriate to do so
  • work your keyword into the display url where you can

Keywords

  • don’t just add loads of keywords into a few ad groups. Ensure they are relevant and targeted correctly. A scatter gun approach degrades relevance, hurts quality score and results in higher click costs.
  • make sure to use a relevant negative keyword list
  • don’t duplicate
  • understand and use the correct keyword match types

Ad groups

  • differentiate you ad groups within your campaigns. Use a granular approach i.e. more ad groups each with relatively few keywords will help with targeting, analysis and optimisation
  • check the relevance of the ad group to the keywords that you placed in it. Keep to tight targeting. If in doubt, use a different ad group even if there only seems to be a small difference in relevance
  • check your default bids

Your landing pages

  • must be relevant to the ad copy
  • must contain the keywords you are using in the associated ad group
  • must be clear and employ a compelling call-to-action
  • must be a good quality in it’s own right i.e. fast-loading, not spammy and preferably leveraging on good domain authority
  • ideally you want prospects to contact you direct from the landing page but if you must direct them elsewhere, check that the navigation is clear and works

Using ad extensions

  • understand and use the relevant ad extensions where it is sensible to do so. Each one can make your ad more prominent and provide additional opportunity for clicks through to your landing pages

Measuring you campaign

  • ensure that you have set up Analytics and that you have relevant conversion goals configured to see how your campaign is performing

Summary

eliminate mistakes signWith all of the above in place and checked, you can set your new PPC campaign live with confidence. However, PPC is not fire-and-forget and must be regularly maintained if you are to drive click costs down and push conversions up.

If you are unsure about Google AdWords, it is advisable to seek expert guidance, at least in the first instance, to make sure you are set up correctly.

If you would like assistance with dental PPC, please contact the Dental Media marketing team on 01332 672548 for expert guidance.