Dissecting the Objectives of PPC
What you should keep in mind when you are developing a PPC campaign
Whether you are starting out with Pay per Click (PPC) or you can be called an expert on the topic already, it is important that you keep track of the objectives of your PPC campaign. This will ensure that campaign has been carried out efficiently throughout its period and at the same time will provide a way of testing if the campaign has been effective or not. Having objectives before launching a PPC campaign will ensure that the elements that you need are present in the campaign. At the end of the campaign, you must be able to cross check with your objectives if all of them were met. This is also a way of gauging the effectiveness of your PPC campaign. If you have reached all the goals and objectives you have written, then you have a good PPC campaign in your hands.
Prior to launching a PPC campaign, it is advisable that you make a list of what you want to achieve with the campaign.
Think S.M.A.R.T
S.M.A.R.T is a common project management concept that can be applied to defining your PPC campaigns. Good objectives need to be S.M.A.R.T:
- Specific – You must be able to identify the 5W’s and the 1H. What? Where? When? Why? Who? And How? Having specific objectives will also lead to specific outcome. Once you have the specific objectives, planning the whole campaign is going to be a lot easier.
- Measurable – How would you know if your PPC campaign was successful? Typical metrics that are used include conversion rate, cost per lead, page views, or click through rates. Include numbers in your objectives. If you want to have a high conversion rate, you should be able to put into writing how much conversion rate you would want to achieve after the campaign. This will enable you to measure if the campaign is successful or not.
- Achievable – Research the typical keyword volumes, click through rates, and conversion rates before you set your objectives. Are your goals possible? If you want to get ten thousand new leads, but your target market only gets ten searches a month, your goal is not achievable.
- Realistic – Your PPC objectives can be achievable, but not realistic. Do you have the right budget, time, skills, and resources to meet the objective? Good objectives are aggressive, but realistic.
- Time-bound – Set a target schedule for your whole PPC campaign. This will ensure that the project will be finished in a certain time period. It will also help you move quickly, measure your results, and learn from your campaigns.
Where do you start? Focus your sights on the major search engines
If you are just trying your hand out with PPC for the first time, it is recommended that you focus on one of the major search engines first in order to not be overwhelmed. Google Adwords is a good venue to start with. Once you choose the search engine, start hatching the objectives based on how the search engine works.
If you have a budget for the campaign, include it in your objectives
If you are going to allocate a certain amount for your PPC campaign, then you should include it in your objectives. This will enable you to keep track of how much you are spending and will help you to develop your campaign into something that is within your budget.
Setting good objectives prior to your PPC campaign will make you produce a better campaign. It all starts with the planning process. Make sure that the objectives that you have in the beginning are specific and measurable so you will be able to determine if your campaign is a success or not. Setting objectives prior to doing any campaign is also a good practice because it will enable you to see which works and which does not. It keeps things in track for you and puts things in perspective so that next time you will be able to know which tactics are worth using and which should be scrapped altogether.
