In today’s digital world, there’s a lot of discussion out there about the importance of creating and implementing a sound PPC strategy. However, Ad platforms are complex and just because you have a strategy, data, or other assets, doesn’t mean you’ll automatically execute on that strategy. If the technical aspects of a paid search campaign aren’t well executed you’re almost guaranteed to fall short of achieving your strategy’s expected objectives. Let’s be honest, You could have all the raw materials and tools you need to construct a building, but without a structural engineer you’re essentially building a house of cards.

Defining a strategy for any new media campaign starts with reaching your targeted audience. Many of the mistakes we see marketers making stem from the account structure and campaign settings. For example, a brick & mortar business’ location target setting in a search campaign should be set to target: “people in your targeted locations” not “People in, or who show interest in, your targeted locations.”

In addition, the location targeting should be by zip code (not radius). Zip code targeting gives you insight into where your conversions/traffic are coming from and allows you to make informed optimization decisions. I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s simple and straightforward, but believe it or not, this is where a lot of paid search marketers fail to execute.

Now I know what you’re thinking. Does this mean I need to micromanage the paid search specialists who are running ads for my company? No, of course not. You just need to make sure you’re partnered with an industry leading marketing agency that can become an extension of your team.

At PCG Digital, our mission statement is to turn potential consumers into qualified shoppers. Our goal is to put out the right message at the right time and we are able to achieve this by ensuring PCG’s industry leading PPC strategies are executed properly.

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