So you agree that PPC (pay-per-click) is a valuable part of your marketing strategy. When it’s done right, PPC delivers measurable data you can use to improve marketing campaigns now and later. “When it’s done right” means, “when it’s well-managed.” Do you have your organization’s PPC bid management under control?
What Exactly is PPC Bid Management?
The truth is that bidding is just another piece of the puzzle. Even the best bid strategy or most powerful bid algorithm can’t overcome poor keyword selection, sloppy organization, or uninviting ad copy.
Think of it this way: there are pre-requisites for bidding. Until a keyword is ready, anything more than a simple target-position bid strategy is most likely a waste of time and perhaps money. – Craig Danuloff
PPC bid management is basically trying to figure out the least amount of money you can spend to get new customers and information about potential customers. You want visitors to click, click-through, and based on your marketing content (two words which are becoming synonymous), convert to customers.
If they don’t see you, they can’t click.
For greater customer conversion, you have to be in the top 20% of the SERP, (search Engine Results Page) page. And we all know internet shoppers have ADD. They want information fast and they want it near the top of the SERP page.
Looking at Amazon’s PPC bid management, Amazon says it’s all about keywords and the auction, at which advertisers “bid” for placement. The advertiser with the highest bid will appear first in search results. Second-highest; second place, etc.
It’s gambling, but since you only pay for results, it seems like a pretty good gamble.
How PPC Bid Management Works: Your Strategy
PPC bid management is one of the more complicated areas of PPC marketing, so many advertisers choose to automate using either the automated bidding option in Google AdWords or (choose) a third-party bid management solution. Both approaches have their upsides and downsides – Google’s automated bidding feature is free, but requires you to give up complete control, and it’s less than transparent. Third-party bid management software is generally more robust, but…it comes with a price tag, so it may not be feasible for smaller, budget-strapped advertisers. –Elisa Gabbert, Content Marketing Manager
Your bid strategy depends on what you want. What’s your main goal?
- Get more site traffic by getting the most clicks while staying under your target CPC (cost per click) and/or CPL (cost per lead)
- Increase ROI (return on investment) with more conversions
- Strengthen branding; you want impressions (visitors viewing) while staying under your target CPC and/or CPL
Each goal requires a different bid strategy.
Meanwhile, Google AdWords continues to up their (and your) game. In July 2018 they changed “AdWords” to “Google Ads.” One of their goals was to (apologies offered) dumb-down the platform so more users could use their automated service. Google calls it “a new experience.” As with anything new, some advertisers love it and some are struggling; they want to return to their familiar, comfortable AdWords.
Google’s Bid Management Changes for 2019
Our friends at Search Engine Journal say Google’s new experience have some noteworthy features that you shouldn’t discount or overlook:
- Bid adjustments for phone calls – Increasing bid adjustments on ads with call extensions can drive more action. Maybe. You have to monitor this and gauge your own results.
- Outstream video campaigns – Mobile-only video ads (outside of Google and YouTube) can only appear on partners’ sites.
- Promotion extensions – You can showcase products with a dollar or percentage discount; great for advertisers who have been using sitelinks or ad copy for promos. Your ad will have a “coupon” appearance.
Yes, PPC Bid Management is Complicated
Your PPC bid strategies should be filtered into three categories. You should know your conversion percentage based on:
- Top-of-page bids
- First-page +50%
- First-page
Additional strategies for PPC bid management include:
- Manual bidding
- Automated bidding
- Choosing lookback windows for bid management
- Managing bids with data (keyword results, conversion rates)
- Portfolio bidding
- Rule-based bidding
What’s your title? Even if it’s “rocket scientist,” if your job is to grow your organization’s business, you need help. PPC bid management is becoming increasingly complex and time-consuming.
As a Google Partner, we can keep your PPC bid management under control. And you won’t lose control. Call 714.904.4453 or contact Atkins Marketing Solutions. We’ll help you manage PPC so you can manage your business.
Stuart Atkins
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