5 PPC Tips for Small Business Owners & Solopreneurs (Guest Post)

Hosting live Atlanta SEO workshops? Super fun! Promoting said workshops? Not so much.

When I was making plans to promote one of my live SEO workshops a few months ago, I inevitably thought that running a few PPC ads could be a great way to spread the word and drive some sign ups. One problem: I had never done PPC before and needed to get up and running quickly. Enter Michael Ensor. I hired Mike as my PPC consultant to guide me through this process. It was an interesting experience, and I’m glad I had him to hold my hand and keep me moving forward (not to mention implement and execute the campaign while I worked on billable projects). 

PPC tips - ad copyI asked Mike to put together a few tips so other solopreneurs and small business owners can understand what’s involved in a PPC campaign. Enjoy!

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Need a PPC Plan? 5 Tips for Getting Started

If you are an entrepreneur with a website, chances are you have heard of, or used, Google Adwords. Adwords are sponsored ads that anyone can pay to display their “pitch.” This is also referred to as Pay-Per-Click (PPC), or Paid Search Engine Marketing. Learning search engine marketing can be a bit confusing, and helping small business owners utilize Adwords takes understanding and patience. As an Adwords consultant, I’d like to share tips from helping  Jenny set up an Adwords campaign along with the challenges and tips that will enrich the experience.

Adwords, and other paid search marketing platforms are powerful in regards to driving traffic, converting leads, and other essential digital business practices.

Below showcase the ads that appear when searching “SEO Help”

SEO Help

 What a lot of users have a hard time understanding, is that Google Adwords uses “Search” and “Display Networks.” In laymen’s terms, the Display Network is a bundle of the most popular sites that display Google Ads outside of search. Below is an example of Google Ads appearing inside of Gmail:

Ads inside Gmail
Try not to get too overwhelmed! This is where the explanation stops, and the tips and tricks begin. There are 5 main components when helping small business owners utilize Adwords:

  1. Budget – The amount of money budgeted for paid advertising
    • Tip: don’t forget to budget money for the ad, as well as a small business PPC consultant if you decide to outsource.   
  2. Ad Content – The verbiage used for the ads
    • Tip: who will write this? The copy for the ads is super important. You can choose to write this yourself, or hire an SEO copywriter. Your PPC consultant can help guide you along here.
  3. Landing Page – The page visitors are sent after clicking an ad.
    • Tip: The copy of this page is very important. It must be relevant to the ads, displaying the ad content somewhere on the page.  An effective contact form with proper CTA (call-to-action) is a must.  NEVER send traffic to your home page.
  4. Conversion Tracking – The ability to see the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.
    • Tip: Establish a true pathway of conversion where an actual transaction takes place.  You want to be notified when a customer purchases or a client signs up, not when someone reaches the signup page.  Utilizing Google Adwords and Analytics is essential for the best forms of ad tracking.  This is where cooperating with your admin or web provider is important, as you must communicate the pathways of conversion in order to properly place tracking code.  Without access to the site, properly implemented tracking code, and enabled tracking tools, it will be difficult to calibrate the effectiveness of your advertising efforts.
  5. Reporting – Painting a picture of what has happened with traffic, conversions, etc
    • Tip:  The outcome of an Adwords campaign is a lot more important than the squiggly line provided on the graph. Cut the fat and get right to the point:  What is working and what isn’t? Get rid of the trash, and optimize the keepers.  Is a keyword causing a lot of impressions and no clicks?  Is an ad generating clicks with no conversions?  These questions are proposed when metrics are received, and your PPC consultant should be able to provide accurate and comprehensible approaches to your Adwords strategy. 

Thanks, Michael! Your Turn:

Have you run a PPC campaign before? If yes, what “lessons learned” would you share with others? If not, what is holding you back? 

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Jenny Munn

Jenny is an independent Digital Marketer and SEO Consultant with more than 10 years of experience helping companies and content creators generate brand awareness, traffic, and conversions with SEO. She is a frequent speaker and is on the faculty for the AMA (American Marketing Association) and has taught SEO to thousands of marketers over the past 10 years.
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2 Comments

  • Great tips. Wonder how many attendees you got from the PPC campaign?

  • Jenny Munn says:

    Thanks, Nica! You know, one of the BIG things about PPC is the ability to track the analytics of the landing page itself, and because our registration page was on my co-instructor’s website I wasn’t able to keep up with the leads that came from PPC. Lesson learned for next time!

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