A WideSpread Guide to PPC Management and Google Ads

If you want to generate qualified leads and sales for your business through paid search advertising, effective PPC (pay-per-click) management is crucial. In this in-depth guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to master PPC and drive results with Google Ads.

What is PPC Advertising?

PPC stands for “pay-per-click”, meaning you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. PPC ads are displayed on search engines like Google and Bing. When users search for keywords related to your business, your ad may appear above or alongside organic search results.

With PPC, you bid on keyword phrases relevant to your products or services. The higher your bid, the more likely your ad will appear for that keyword. You only incur a cost when someone clicks your ad, so it provides a data-driven way to reach qualified prospects.

Google Ads: The Biggest PPC Platform

Google Ads handles over 90% of global search advertising spend, making it the premier platform for PPC. With Google Ads, you develop text-based ads and target relevant keywords to display your ads to searchers.

Some key aspects of running a successful Google Ads campaign include keyword research, ad optimization, bidding strategies, negative keyword usage, custom audiences, and reporting/analytics. With the right approach, Google Ads can deliver an excellent return on your advertising investment.

WideSpread Guide to PPC Management and Google Ads

PPC Management: The Role of an Agency

While you can self-manage PPC campaigns, working with an experienced agency like ours offers several advantages:

Agencies have specialized tools and analytics to optimize campaigns faster.
They stay on top of constantly evolving Google algorithms and best practices.
Account management is distributed so campaigns receive dedicated attention.
Holistic expertise across SEO, social media, content etc. helps campaigns perform better.

Our PPC managers refine keyword lists, test creative variations, adjust bids/budgets, and ensure quality score standards are met. Campaign oversight from professional analysts maximizes your ROI.

PPC Campaign Structure

When setting up a new PPC campaign, it’s important to have the proper structure and organization in place. Here are some key points:

Campaign – Represents a specific goal or product line.
Ad groups – Narrow ads by theme within a campaign (e.g. by product).
Keywords – The terms people search for that trigger your ads.
Ads – The creative content (text, image, destination URL) for each ad group.

Proper structuring allows for testing, reporting, and optimization at each level of the campaign hierarchy.

Keyword Research is Paramount

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful PPC campaign. You want to bid on commercially-relevant, buyer-oriented keywords close to your services. Our process involves:

Keyword scoping to explore search volumes and competition.
Identifying long-tail, product-specific keywords in addition to broad terms.
Leveraging keyword planner and analytics tools for insights.
Refining lists regularly based on campaign performance data.

Thorough keyword research uncovers the best opportunities to reach customers.

Optimizing for Quality Score

Your quality score is a key ranking signal in Google Ads. It measures ad relevance on a 0-10 scale. Factors like ad copy, landing page experience, and click-through rate affect this score.

We focus on continual A/B testing to improve:

Ad headlines that clearly describe your offer
Descriptions highlighting benefits over features
Highly relevant landing pages that aid conversions

By optimizing for quality score, your ads see more volume for less cost – supercharging your ROI.

I hope you found this comprehensive guide to PPC management informative! Let me know if any part needs more explanation.

WideSpread Guide to PPC Management and Google Ads

What are some common bidding strategies used in Google Ads?

Manual CPC (cost-per-click) bidding: You set the maximum CPC bid for each keyword. Good for precise budgeting but requires more manual work.
Automatic CPC bidding: Google automatically sets bids based on website behavior and other campaign data to maximize conversions. Less hands-on setup.
Target CPA (cost-per-acquisition) bidding: You set a target for how much each conversion type (e.g. purchase, signup) is worth. Bids adjust to reach targets. Good for higher-funnel goals.
Target ROAS (return on ad spend) bidding: Similar to target CPA but sets a revenue goal rather than a specific conversion value. Bids adjust continuously based on actual ROAS.
Maximize Conversions bidding: Google optimizes bids solely to get the most conversions, not considering cost or target values. Best for testing and new campaigns.
Enhanced CPC bidding: Bids factor in predicted click-through rate to show ads more often to people most likely to engage. Can improve performance vs standard CPC.
Search partner bidding: For campaigns using search partners, bids are placed separately vs Google Search network. Gives more control over allocation.

The best strategy depends on specific campaign goals like acquisition costs, conversion volumes, or revenue objectives. Combining approaches is also common.