How to Effectively Launch and Manage a PPC Campaign

Paid search is a powerful tool for promoting your business, but many find the initial steps to be overwhelming and complex.

Although a variety of tools are available to assist advertisers, achieving success in PPC doesn’t depend exclusively on having expert knowledge. Instead, the key lies in understanding what to focus on first and which tools can be explored at a later stage.

This article delves into the essential components of a PPC campaign, breaking down its core structure and highlighting the vital elements that can lead to success. Additionally, it provides a detailed step-by-step guide for implementing a new campaign in Google Ads, making it accessible even for those who may be new to the process. By following this guidance, you can streamline your approach to paid search and effectively drive traffic to your business.

The elements of a PPC campaign

Campaign

At the top level of a PPC setup is the campaign, which encompasses all other elements. Campaigns are structured around major categories based on how users typically search for your products.

For example, if you run a clothing business, you might set up a campaign for socks and another for sweatshirts. It’s also beneficial to have separate campaigns for branded and non-branded searches.

If I owned a business called “Max Trotter Clothing Company,” I would establish:

Branded campaigns for searches like “Max Trotter Clothing Socks.”
Non-branded campaigns targeting users searching for my products without knowing the brand name.

Ad Group

Ad groups are subdivisions within campaigns. While having only one ad group is sufficient, you will usually create multiple ad groups to categorise your campaign effectively.

The objective is to craft ads that are highly relevant to user searches. Therefore, your ad groups should represent the various ways users might search.

Using the clothing example again, a campaign for socks could include a single ad group titled “socks.” However, given the variety of sock types, it makes sense to create multiple ad groups for specific categories like:

“Running Socks”
“Crew Socks”
“Ankle Socks”

Keywords

Keywords form the foundation of your targeting strategy. The keywords you choose to bid on will determine the search queries that trigger your ads.

This makes keyword research essential for developing a list of high-quality keywords relevant to each ad group.

Ad Copy

Ad copy refers to what users see when your ad appears in search results.

With Google Ads responsive search ads, you can input up to 15 headlines and four descriptions. It’s advisable to utilise as many of these as possible to enhance performance.

When crafting your ad copy, draw inspiration from your keywords. For instance, in the “Ankle Socks” ad group, ensure “ankle socks” is prominently featured to align with user searches.

Ad Assets

Ad assets, previously known as extensions, are supplementary elements that enhance your ads beyond the main headlines and descriptions.

While not mandatory, they can significantly improve ad quality by providing additional useful information to users. Examples of ad assets include:

Callout Assets: Short phrases that highlight unique features of your product or service, such as “Free Shipping” or “50+ Years of Experience.”
Structured Snippets: These showcase various categories or catalogs of your offerings, like different types of clothing you sell.
Location Assets: For physical stores, these indicate store locations for potential customers.

Targeting

While keywords help your ads appear in specific searches, targeting refines your audience to users in particular locations.

Without location targeting, your ads might be displayed to anyone worldwide who searches for your keywords. This can lead to irrelevant traffic and higher expenses.

You can implement location targeting in two ways:

By selecting a specific location (e.g., country, state, city, or ZIP code).
By defining a radius around a specific location (e.g., a 30-mile radius around your store).

PPC campaign implementation

Accessing Campaign Setup

Log into Google Ads.
Start a New Campaign:
From the Campaigns tab in the left menu, click the blue “+” button and select “New Campaign.”
Choose Your Campaign Goal:
Google will present various campaign goals based on your objectives. Common goals include:
- Sales
- Leads
- Website traffic
- Product and brand consideration
- Brand awareness and reach
- App promotion
  Most campaigns will typically aim for “sales” or “leads,” but there are scenarios for all campaign goals.
Select a Campaign Type:
Depending on your chosen goal, Google will recommend a specific campaign type. Options include:
- Search: Text ads displayed in Google Search results.
- Display: Visual ads on Google’s partner sites.
- Shopping: Ads for e-commerce products.
- Video: Video ads on YouTube.
- App: Ads for mobile app promotion.
- Performance Max: An all-in-one campaign across various Google properties.
  For this example, we’ll select the search campaign option, as it is the oldest and most widely used type.
Choose Your Campaign Settings:
Review the campaign settings and adjust them according to your needs. Every campaign has unique requirements, but here’s a general overview with some recommendations:
- Campaign Name: Choose a relevant name for easy identification. For instance, a branded socks campaign could be titled “Branded – Socks.”
- Networks: Decide whether to display ads only on Google Search or to include Google Search Partners and the Display Network. It may be wise to exclude these options as they often yield lower-quality traffic and fewer conversions.
- Locations: Specify the geographic areas where you want your ads to show.
- Languages: Select the languages of your target audience. Stick to one language per campaign to create relevant ads for users.
- Bidding: Determine your bidding strategy based on your campaign goal. Options include:
  - Maximize Conversions: Aim to achieve the most conversions within your budget.
  - Maximize Clicks: Focus on driving the most traffic for your set budget.
  - Manual CPC: Set bids for each click, allowing for the most control but requiring manual adjustments.
- Budget: Establish your daily budget, which defines how much you are willing to spend each day on the campaign.

Create Your Ad Group

Create Ad Groups:
Now it’s time to establish those sub-categories we discussed earlier.
- Ad Group Name: Each ad group will contain a set of ads and targeting criteria. Name it descriptively to reflect what you’re targeting. For my socks campaign, I might have ad groups named “Running Socks” or “Crew Socks.”
- Keywords: Add relevant keywords that your customers are likely to search for.

Create Your Ads

Develop Your Ads:
Finally, you’ll create your ads and ad assets. Take your time to ensure you craft compelling ads. Here are some tips:
- Make full use of character limits. Headlines can be up to 30 characters long, and descriptions can be 90 characters.
- Include keywords in your headlines. Users searching for “Men’s Crew Socks” are more likely to click on an ad that includes that exact phrase.
- Select the most relevant landing page possible. The goal of your ads is to direct users to the purchase point quickly, so minimise the number of clicks needed.

Launch and Monitor

Launch Your Campaign:
Review everything one last time to ensure accuracy, and when you’re ready, click “Publish” to launch your campaign.
Ongoing Monitoring:
This process doesn’t end after launch. Regularly review performance and make adjustments to optimise results. Continuous iteration and testing are key to achieving success with Google Ads.

From setup to success: Implementing a PPC campaign

Setting up an effective PPC campaign can appear complicated at the beginning, but it becomes easier with a solid structure and clear objectives.

Familiarising yourself with the key components—such as campaigns, ad groups, keywords, and targeting—will set you on the right path to achieving significant results.

Keep in mind that success in PPC relies on ongoing testing and optimisation, so be prepared to make adjustments as needed. It’s time to apply what you’ve learned and start building your campaign.