Running a successful business is a multi-layered operation that requires entrepreneurs to possess a number of skills that are both related –– and unrelated –– to their industry of choice. By that, we mean that it takes more than an effective product or service to create a thriving company. Modern business owners need to understand not only how to create a compelling product, but also how to market, advertise, and sell that product. Otherwise, no matter how excellent your service, you’ll likely struggle to gain any traction in your field. With that in mind, today we’re going to focus on Pay-per-click advertising –– one of the most popular, but least understood –– methods of modern marketing. Indeed, if you’ve been running PPC campaigns for years but aren’t seeing the results you want, chances are you could benefit from outsourced PPC management services. Here are four signs it’s time to bring in a professional.
Low Click-Through Rates
This metric should be fairly obvious to even the greenest business owners. Plain and simple, if your PPC ads aren’t generating clicks or your click-through rate isn’t improving over time, they’re not doing you any good. You need compelling ads that catch your leads’ attention. If your ads fail to generate clicks, you’ll never see significant ROI from your PPC efforts.
Poor Quality Score
If you choose to use PPC advertising through Google AdWords, then note that your AdWords quality score has a big impact on the effectiveness of your ads. (Don’t know your quality score? Check it here.) It may come as a surprise to some, but Google will grade your ads based on how well it thinks you’re answering consumers' queries. (To go a little more in-depth: Google uses five factors to calculate your quality score: click-through rate, keyword relevance, landing page quality, ad text relevance, and previous account performance.) Why does your quality score matter? In brief, your quality score –– along with the size of your bid and several other factors –– determines how high your ads appear on Google searches. So even if you’re cranking out lots of capital investing in PPC ads, mismanagement can lead to a low quality score –– and diminished returns as a result.
Low Conversion Rates
Much like your click-through rates, it’s obvious to most business owners that you want to strive for the highest possible conversion rate from your PPC ads. Still, low conversion rates are potentially even more damaging than low click-through rates. That’s because disappointing conversion rates inevitably lead to a high cost-per-conversion. (In other words: if you’re getting people to click on your ads, but aren’t closing sales with many of them, then you’re paying more per sale then a competitor who has lower click-through rates, but enjoys higher ratios of success with leads that do visit their website.) Bad conversion rates indicate that you’re not getting a solid return on your advertising investment. Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that could contribute to this, from unclear ad text to an unoptimized landing page.
Lack of Time
While it may be ambitious for small businesses to bring their marketing efforts in-house, it often creates problems for the employees charged with the task. PPC optimization takes a great deal of time and effort –– and it’s nearly impossible to manage a PPC account in addition to regular full-time responsibilities. In fact, it’s not fair, nor wise, to saddle an already maxed-out employee with extra PPC work. In the end it could end up costing your business big time.
Final Thoughts
Trustworthy PPC management services can be hard to find. However at Leap Clixx, we love taking over PPC accounts for clients because we’ve got the skills and experience to transform the way you advertise online. Contact us today and let us show you what we can do for your business. Plus, to learn more about how Google AdWords fits into a well-balanced marketing strategy download our free eBook here:
Topics: PPC
