When deciding how to generate website traffic a well constructed Pay per Click campaign can be an excellent choice but if badly put together it can be a simple way to burn cash at an alarming rate. Some common PPC mistakes to avoid are:

Don’t be lazy:

It takes time to put together a campaign and even more time to monitor the results and take appropriate action. If you are unable to put in the required time then don’t start the process.

Earlier this year a business owner told me how to save time he entrusted a member of his staff with a PPC campaign. Apparently his staff member had little experience and failed to properly set up the campaign and (worse still) monitor results. Ten weeks later the business owner was £2,300 poorer for zero return.

Poor Keyword Choice:

Keyword choice is the most important factor. It is vital to spend the time to research the most appropriate keywords. Wordtracker is one of the best keyword research tools around (although it does come at a cost) but if you are unable to find relevant, low competition keywords which match the product or audience you are trying to reach then money will be wasted.

Avoid broad match terms:

Broad match terms have a high rate of competition and a high cost, plus any click through against these terms are most likely to come from general traffic not ready to buy. Instead look for specific keywords (long tail) with lower competition, lower cost and higher conversion.

Don’t ignore the competition:

Watch what they are up to and watch their keywords. How are you differentiated from your competition?

Track every keyword to ensure it performs well:

It can be a time consuming task but you must establish return on investment. Do not simply rely on measuring traffic or you may mistakenly delete highly relevant keywords, which actually convert well.

Bid price:

Unless experienced and know in advance your campaign is going to earn money then start with a conservative bid. However, a balance is required as it appears Google displays ads based on a number of factors including daily budget if the daily budget is set too low then ads will not be displayed.

Running a successful PPC campaign to build website traffic can be a daunting task for those new to the process. It is best to start cautiously making sure the common PPC mistakes listed above are avoided. However, once a successful campaign has been constructed it is likely to give ongoing, predictable, results with a positive return on investment.