How to optimize PPC ads during COVID-19

As hundreds of thousands of business owners have seen a change during COVID-19, their marketing strategies have also been shifting. 

On average, pre COVID-19, small to large businesses were spending $10,000 a month on Pay per click (PPC) ads and industries such as retail were spending up to millions of dollars annually on PPC ad campaigns alone! 

However, during COVID-19, the retail, travel, bars, restaurants, conferences, sporting events, gym facilities and other industries are all seeing a very fast downward trend with no indication of when this trend will start to rise again. With so much changing each minute, hour and day, it is even more time consuming to start monitoring and managing a PPC ad campaign than ever before. 

This is why our PPC experts are here to help with optimizing ppc ads during COVID. We compiled a list of our top recommendations on how to improve your overall campaigns and SEM strategies! 

Copy is everything 

The copy of a PPC advertisement is critical, but right now ad optimization during COVID is even more important because consumers and businesses are even more hyper-focused on the services and/or products they need. 

As WordStream said, “if your ad copy sucks, you’re not going to see the return you hoped for.” Ad copy is just like click-bait, and we hate to say it, but it is true. Click-bait is what brings potential consumers into the landing page from search engines. We might have all clicked on an article about celebrities or even a pop-up ad. An old school way of thinking of click-bait is the People or US Weekly magazine where they have the cheesy headlines! 

While you don’t want any misleading or cheesy copy, the moral of that example is that the more likely a person is to click on the content,  the better. 

The most important thing to remember is that no one clicks on a PPC ad because they think the ad is cool. A person clicks on an ad because it helps them to finish their customer buyer journey or answers their search query easily. Whether it is purchasing a product, learning more about X topic, finding an outsourced agency and the list continues from there. 

No matter what kind of ad that is running- the goal in mind is to always bring in the best leads with the budget that the client has set in place. If the client is yourself and you have an internal team working on PPC ads, how is the campaign going? 

The copy should have the discount first and foremost or what brings in your searchers. Here are two great examples of PPC ads when a searcher types “PPC management” into Google. 

Why are these ads good? “Zero BS, 100% results, always.” What are business owners searching for? This right here could be it! The landing pages take them right to case studies that show the previous client’s results and the contact us page. Simple, effective, but it could be better! The short sentence underneath should hit an emotional trigger for a potential client. 

What would really drive them? You are zero BS and 100 percent results, always, but how? 

This is where the second ad really starts to outshine and show the importance of copy. While this ad is further down on the SERP, it is still a decent ad! This is because it gives the price, and the copy provides any needed information. No set up? Reporting? Google analytics? B2B Lead Generation? See how that starts to get even more attention. 

Keyword research 

Our Digital Marketers and SEO Experts are speaking about keyword research again. Do we ever stop? No, never. This is because without keywords, the ad isn’t worth it. This is because keywords and keyword phrases are going to dictate where your PPC ads are going to appear in SERPs. 

If a consumer is searching for “ppc management” and this phrase comes up in “digital marketing” consumers could be confused about why this phrase is showing in digital marketing and not PPC ads.

 A company should have “ppc ads in X” “PPC management X” “PPC experts in X” are some examples of keywords and phrases that should be used.

When a business adds other keywords that aren’t as relevant for the ad itself, that is called negative keywords. 

Pause negative keyword ads 

The thing with proper PPC management is that a negative keyword list should be created. While all ads might use X keywords, not all of them need it. 

It all depends on the product and/or services that are being marketed. A great example is to negate “free PPC management”. If the PPC management is free, do not purchase their products or services. 

Plus, negative keywords can be other keyword phrases in industries that a company did not know. While you would search for “x” keywords when typing in your company’s name, that does not mean those phrases or keywords are relevant to actual search queries. 

With pay per click management, it is important to find a company who understands that sometimes negative keywords get in the way of the ad and to simply shut off the current ad. This is because an ad that is not relevant and is not bringing in leads which is a waste of time and money. It is really that simple. With that, COVID-19 has changed the landscape of Internet usage, so will it continue to change once this is over? 

Understand a change in search behavior 

It is no surprise to anyone that COVID-19 has switched users' search intentions, queries and even the devices they search the Internet on. There has been an increase not only in the usage of the Internet, but also, the different types of content that companies should be optimizing ppc ads during COVID. 

Not only are searchers on their laptops again, but their search phrases are changing as well. Yes, they are searching for products and/or services, but they are also searching for answers.

Source: 

From wondering how to make their own face masks to how to connect with a recruiter during this moment, the types of searches have changed and the devices they are on have changed. How does a business stay on top of that? 

Unless you have an in-house team member who can handle PPC ads- it can almost seem impossible! The  thing with PPC ads is that ad optimization during COVID is not anything new! A PPC ad might launch, even pre-COVID, and have to switch up its keywords within days. 

A company needs a team of experts behind them- call us today to learn more about our services and PPC management process!