Setting up a successful pay-per-click (PPC) advertising strategy requires tact.

If you’re sensible and use it well, you’ll be able to save money in the long run. However, if you rush decisions and spend carelessly, you’ll lose funds quite rapidly.

To help you learn which decisions to avoid making, look at the four most common mistakes and craft your own approach.

1. Not having a clear strategy in place

An effective PPC campaign should always be started with a clear goal in mind. You’ll need a specific timeframe or target so that you can identify metrics with which to measure your success.

Since paid search ads increase brand awareness by 80%, it’s crucial to get your goals in place.

In fact, it’s so important to be organised that you can’t even create a search ad campaign through Microsoft Advertising without choosing an appropriate goal first.

2. Picking the wrong keywords

Choosing the most suitable keywords is ultimately a reflection of how well you know your audience.

This will boost the reputation of your business: displaying the tight advertising has proven to increase traffic to websites by 300%.

Keywords need to be relevant to get the best results possible, and this starts with solid keyword research. A performance-focussed strategy is guaranteed to produce the most effective PPC campaign for your business.

For example, it’s sensible to avoid broad keywords and ones that are too niche; finding a middle ground is important.

3. Not tracking anything

You should keep an eye on what your customers are searching for to boost your campaign.

Using analytics, heat mapping and other tools is recommended, and will give you a springboard to understanding your progress. Remember that PPC visitors are 50% more likely than organic visitors to purchase from your page, so this research will be worth the time and effort!

If you have engagement goals or awareness goals, track them! These can be used as key performance indicators (KPIs) and allow you to pinpoint the figures that move your campaign.

4. Poor budgeting

One of the most significant challenges business face after launching a PPC campaign is wasted spend – equally, not spending enough could also land you in some trouble.

You should prioritise looking for ways to cut waste before you increase your budget – focus on targeting, bids, and making sure you can hit your goals.

Maximise your spend carefully for an efficient and successful campaign.