Pay-Per-Click (PPC) marketing is undoubtedly one of the best digital marketing tools every business owner should have in their marketing arsenal, just like what 88% of respondents in a previous SEOMoz industry survey are doing. Although natural search traffic through SEO still tops the traffic generation pack, PPC can generate as much as 64.6% clicks, making it the second most effective lead generation tool according to 91% of experts in the digital marketing arena.

No wonder why as much as 72% of marketers increased their PPC budgets last year and will continue to do so this year, with small business owners averaging at least $1200 spent on PPC campaigns. However, many of these businesses generate negative results from at least a fourth of that budget (in worst cases – ALL of their budgets) due to poorly managed PPC campaigns.

Many commit the very same mistakes they should have avoided when they decided on launching their PPC campaigns. Here’s an overview of these top PPC marketing mistakes so business owners and marketers planning to embark on a PPC route won’t commit the same.

1.Too Broad Keyword Targeting – If done correctly, PPC marketing can generate immediate, highly-targeted results the moment you roll your ads. PPC ads are known to get as much as 64% of the share of clicks on high commercial intent keywords so it is important that your keyword targeting is precise and properly focused.

2. Not Using Specific Campaign Type – One of the most effective display advertising channels online is from the Google Display Network as it can give you the opportunity to reach out as much as 92% of all online traffic in America

3. Running Untested ADs – In their Webmaster Central Blog, experts from Google actually encourages the testing of websites and ads through A/B, multivariate, or other effective test methods to confirm the efficacy of a certain campaign.

4. Using Poorly Created Landing Pages – One of the main benefits of PPC advertising is on generating leads, giving digital marketers up to 54% more leads using this channel.

5. Using Poor Call-To-Action Terms –  Speaking of landing page effectiveness, one attribute that spells success or failure hugely is the effectiveness on your Call To Action (CTA). Many PPC advertisers fall into the mistake of downplaying their call to actions.

6. Putting Too Much Focus on the Number One Position – Aside from landing in front pages, there are other vital PPC metrics that digital marketers should focus on. Conversion rate is one metric 85% of PPC professionals are focusing on – and so should you.

7. Targeting the Wrong Audience – Audience targeting is very important and there are many ways to do this. Demographics like age and location are very important attributes. For example, as much as 59% of consumers use location as part of their search queries.

8. Overlooking the Power of Remarketing – Lastly, many PPC marketers believe that they could simply set-and-go campaigns and get the results they want – and end up getting only a mere 2% click-through-rates from all their traffic. They tend to overlook the power of remarketing which, if harnessed properly, can generate increases in conversion rates by as much as 70%.

Want more? See the infographic below:

Embedded from CJG Digital Marketing.