If you are a business with an online presence, then you might be familiar with the term “pay per click.” It is basically the guiding principle of the internet. Whether you are involved in advertising, marketing, or sales, it is a common phrase that you will definitely hear a lot.
Computing for the effectiveness of your PPC methods can be hard, and you can’t be expected to ring up the numbers ever so often. This is why PPC metrics are useful guidelines to have at your arsenal that will calculate the numbers for you.
Everything you need to know will be reflected in your detailed reports. Your interpretation of them, however, will be entirely up to how you perceive them based on the metrics. Here is a detailed breakdown of some of the key PPC metrics, and what you can do to improve them.
1. PPC Metric #1: Impressions
Impressions are the perfect starting metric for beginners in the PPC world. Impressions are counted once someone views any of your collaterals and ads. Even if they don’t click on it, and simply stray on the page for longer than average, it is considered an impression.
One way you won’t get an impression is if your ad falls way below the SERP that audiences will have to scroll all the way down to see it. While impressions are free, they provide valuable insight into what attracts the audience to your copy.
At its core, having an impression is dipping your toe into the water of ad copy. If you receive an impression, it means, at the very least, audiences are interested in what you have to say, and can be coerced into learning more.
How to Improve Impressions:
Be Lenient with the Budget
If you are lenient with your budget, you will have more money to tinker with new ideas for copy. It will also give you leverage to bid in Google Ad auctions. The bigger chances for you to secure the top SERP spot, the better it is for your impressions.
Use Broad Match Keywords
If you are running a search campaign, it will also help to loosen up your keyword matches to cater to a wider range of searches. Search patterns indicate that people tend to search for things in a broader manner, indicating that you will likely get featured in more keyword matches.
Widen Your Targeting Range
Like broadening your keyword matches, it will also help to widen your target audience. This includes the audience themselves and even their location. This will help you get a wider reach to view your impressions.
2. PPC Metric #2: Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate or CTR is just a bit more complicated than impressions. They are divided into impressions, calculating the ratio of clicks you’ve pulled to the impressions you’ve made over time. It will typically be displayed as a percentage.
This is important in determining the value of your ad copy. It is one thing to attract an audience, it is another to actually induce action from it. It is one of the three contributing factors to your overall Quality Score.
Although it doesn’t exactly give you money-making conversions, it still provides valuable insight about what you can do to improve your copy and make the audience want to learn more about your company.
How to Improve Click-Through Rate:
Schedule Ads
High internet traffic often comes at predictable intervals. By scheduling your ads to appear in choice time periods, you can maximize the viewing potential of your ad copy. It will also give you a better workaround for higher CTRs because you are limiting your ads to specific times of the day.
Create Better Ad Copy
If you have a bad CTR, it is all the more reason for you to improve your Ad copy. Do extensive research on what you are doing right and wrong on your headlines, descriptions, or even images if possible. Figure out what elements are working, and cut out elements that don’t.
Use Ad Extensions
Another way to improve your CTR is through the use of ad extensions. Give users more reasons to click on your ad by including site links, call or image extensions, and more clickable material that can entice users to click on you.
Adjust Bids
If all else fails, you can always adjust your bids. By raising your bid mark higher to show up on the SERP, you should be able to catch the viewer’s attention much quicker. Whether you are using manual bidding or not, this will help you in the long run.
3. PPC Metric #3: Conversion Rate (CVR)
Another key PPC metric is the conversion rate or the CVR. Very similar to the CTR, the CVR determines how often you pull in conversion in relation to your clicks. It analyzes the ratio of clicks to conversions, also displaying it in a percentage format like the CTR.
Although they are similar, your CVR is typically held at higher regard than a CTR because it is important in building your ROI. It is more efficient in telling you exactly how likely someone is going to click on your landing page or be called to do something while they are at it.
If you don’t have a good conversion rate, then this means that your PPC strategies aren’t working, or aren’t translating correctly into clicks. This will not only help you pinpoint what is wrong but also how you can improve.
How to Improve Conversion Rate:
Don’t Forget the CTA
Always include your CTA in your ad copy. Whether it is “schedule an appointment with us,” “consult with us,” “sign up now,” or “view our catalogue,” your CTA is important. It signals to your viewers that there is something they can do even after arriving at your landing page.
This will definitely boost your conversion rates in no time at all.
Improve Bidding Strategy
Just as with any PPC metric, changing up your bidding strategy will help you boost your conversion rates. You can try using the Max Conversion automatic bid strategy if you are suffering from poor conversion rates. It will help you optimize your bidding strategy to get the best possible conversions.
Track More Conversions
If you find that there are other methods in which to calculate conversions aside from purchases made on your website, then it is also a useful thing to track. This can be through any CTA on your site that you feel is still valuable despite having no monetary compensation.
Tracking more conversions is a great way to boost your conversion rates.
Improve Landing Page
And finally, improve your landing page. If you have a good ad copy, it will help your customers want to click on your site and arrive on your page. However, keeping them interested is another story. If your landing page is poorly designed, then they may not want to complete any actions.
This means bad business for your conversion rates. When you improve your landing page by making it more user-friendly and mobile-friendly, as well as putting your CTA front and center, you will improve your conversion rates in no time.
Conclusion
PPC metrics are important guidelines for building ad copy and landing pages that cater to your audience. If you want to maximize your pay-per-click potential, it will do you good to follow these metrics.
Looking for a Google Ads Agency in Toronto to help you improve your PPC potential? Partner up with New Digital Marketing Age. We are a data-driven marketing agency that aims to provide digital solutions to your needs. Get in touch with us today and supercharge your digital campaigns!
