Note: This article is part of the educational series: r.e.energize Your Digital Marketing. To view all the lessons in the series, click here.
Paid search is a valuable tool in the world of digital marketing, but it can also feel like a mysterious or unwieldy one. PPC, or pay-per-click advertising, is an excellent way to boost visibility as well as website visits and conversions—but there are important tips for success to keep in mind before you deploy this weapon in your digital marketing arsenal.
The paid search strategists at Energy Circle—experts in Google Ads as well as other paid search platforms—round up their top four keys to making your paid search campaign a winner.
- Routinely check keyword performance. If a keyword has click spend but hasn’t converted in the last 2 to 3 months, it’s time to shut it down. For additional insights on keyword performance, check out your competitors’ performance using Google Ads’ Auction Insights, or use Google to inspect competitive ads and websites. Take into account factors such as: production guarantee, workmanship guarantee, rebates, financing options, and if they offer any competitive advantage. If the answer is yes, try to incorporate similar elements into your website—and eventually—your ads.
- Allocate budget spend on campaigns that are performing for that given month. Stay nimble! If one campaign has a hot hand one month, and another doesn’t, take funds away from the under-performing campaign and apply them to the campaign that’s driving conversions.
- Routinely check ad copy. See what ads are getting clicks and conversions, and see how you can make similar but different ad copy for those under-performing ads. In our experience, we see that an emphasis on the benefits of solar—like the financial and energy savings offered by switching to solar—tends to compel better click through and conversion rates than messages that emphasize other components like the technology or process, for example. Offer clarity and urgency on the solar tax credit (currently a very trendy topic). Or, incorporate ad text such as, “why 2019 is the best year to go solar.”
- Check your search queries! Look for those search queries that are getting clicks and conversions. If you see a trend occur, add the query—or the main points of the query—as managed keywords. On the flip side, if you see a trend of lots of click spend but no conversions, it is time to add some negative keywords or turn off the keyword triggering the query. Ensure that your ad copy includes clear messaging, and is optimized for its target audience. For example, you can target ‘homeowners’ as an audience for successful residential solar campaigns.
