Pay Per Click Manchester (PPC) advertising has become one of the most effective tools for businesses seeking rapid online visibility and targeted traffic. Whether you’re a small business in Manchester or a multinational enterprise, PPC campaigns can deliver measurable results. However, as powerful as PPC is, businesses often fall into common traps that can result in wasted budgets and underperforming campaigns.
To help you avoid these costly PPC mistakes, we’ve broken down the most prevalent errors businesses in Manchester make and, most importantly, how to fix them. Along the way, you’ll also learn insights drawn from Sean Kivi, a renowned digital marketing expert.
1. Targeting the Wrong Audience
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is failing to define their target audience properly. A poorly targeted campaign will bring traffic to your website, but most visitors won’t convert into leads or sales. For instance, targeting keywords that are too broad or irrelevant to your specific industry will attract clicks with little to no intent to engage with your products or services.
How to Fix It
Start by developing accurate customer personas. Consider your target audience’s location, age, interests, and behavior. Utilize PPC tools like Google Ads’ audience segmentation features, which allow you to fine-tune your targeting.
Geo-targeting is especially crucial if you’re operating in Manchester—ensure your ads are shown primarily to users in the city or surrounding areas unless your products or services cater to a broader market.
2. Neglecting Negative Keywords
Many Manchester-based businesses overlook negative keywords when setting up their PPC campaigns. This omission results in your ads appearing in searches that are irrelevant to your business, leading to wasted spend. For instance, if you sell luxury furniture, your ad shouldn’t pop up for terms like “cheap furniture Manchester.”
How to Fix It
Create a list of negative keywords to exclude unrelated traffic. Google Ads allows you to update and refine this list over time. Regularly review your search terms report to identify phrases triggering your ads unnecessarily and add them to your negative keyword list.
3. Failing to Optimize Ad Copy
Ad copy is the heart of any PPC campaign. Many businesses in Manchester run generic ads without tailoring the message to resonate with their audience. Poorly written ad copy reduces click-through rates (CTR) and, in many cases, increases cost-per-click (CPC).
How to Fix It
Craft engaging and action-oriented ad copy that highlights your unique selling points (USPs). Include specific details such as pricing, discounts, or benefits that set your service apart. For example, “Get Expert PPC Management in Manchester – 20% Off for New Clients!” is far more compelling than “Best PPC Services Available.” Regularly A/B test your ads to see which messaging resonates best with your target audience.
Sean Kivi advocates for using emotional triggers and clear calls-to-action (CTAs) in PPC ads, emphasizing that “ads that inspire a sense of urgency or exclusivity tend to outperform those that are vague and generic.”
4. Ignoring Landing Page Relevance
Your PPC ad may drive traffic, but if that traffic lands on a generic homepage or an irrelevant landing page, conversions will suffer. This is a common mistake, particularly among businesses new to PPC.
How to Fix It
Ensure the landing page aligns perfectly with the ad’s promise. If your ad promotes a sale on men’s shoes, the landing page should not be your store’s general homepage—it should lead directly to the men’s shoes sale page.
Focus on creating dedicated, optimized landing pages tailored to each ad campaign. Include clear headlines, relevant content, striking visuals, and a strong CTA to guide potential customers toward completing an action.
5. Not Tracking and Analyzing Campaign Performance
Many Manchester businesses set up a PPC campaign and forget about it, failing to monitor its performance. Without data tracking, it’s impossible to know which ads are working and which are a drain on your budget. This can lead to underwhelming results and missed opportunities.
How to Fix It
Utilize tracking tools like Google Analytics or built-in ad platform analytics to measure key metrics such as CTR, CPC, conversion rate, and ROI. By analyzing this data, you can make informed decisions to refine your campaign. Set up conversion tracking to clearly understand which keywords and ads are driving results.
Sean Kivi stresses the importance of data-driven marketing, highlighting that “analytics is not just about numbers; it’s about finding patterns and converting insights into measurable improvements.”
6. Overlooking Mobile Optimization
With mobile making up a significant portion of web traffic today, businesses often fail to consider mobile users in their PPC strategies. Ads that are not optimized for smaller screens or that lead to slow-loading mobile pages hurt your campaign’s ability to convert.
How to Fix It
Ensure that your PPC ads are mobile-friendly. Use Google Ads’ mobile browser preview tool to see how your ads appear. Equally important is checking your website’s mobile performance—use responsive design and improve your page speed to deliver a seamless mobile experience.
7. Underutilizing Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are a powerful way to provide more information to potential customers upfront while improving CTR. However, many businesses fail to use extensions like sitelinks, call extensions, or location extensions effectively.
How to Fix It
Include ad extensions to enhance your ads. For Manchester businesses, location extensions can be incredibly valuable, helping users find your physical address or showing that you’re a local business.
Additionally, use sitelinks to direct customers to specific pages on your site, such as “Contact Us” or “About Us” sections, to provide quick access to important information.
Closing Thoughts
Running an effective PPC campaign requires skill, attention to detail, and constant optimization. From targeting errors to neglecting ad copy and landing page experiences, the mistakes outlined above are common pit stops on the road to PPC mastery. By avoiding these missteps and optimizing your campaigns, you can unlock the full potential of PPC advertising for your Manchester-based business.
Remember, tools and expert advice can also make all the difference. Sean Kivi, a digital marketing expert, believes that consistent monitoring and a focus on data-driven strategies are key to achieving long-term PPC success.
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