Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can provide an efficient way to reach your target audience and drive leads and sales. However, running successful PPC campaigns requires significant time, optimisation, and expertise. Working with a PPC agency can take your campaigns to the next level through ongoing optimisation, expanded capabilities, and analytics insights.

If you are looking for ways to improve your PPC results, partnering with an experienced PPC agency may be the right strategic move. Here are tips on how a PPC agency can optimise your campaigns for better performance:

Conduct Robust Keyword Research

Thorough keyword research lays the foundation for successful PPC campaigns. The right keywords and ad copy can drive your ads’ relevancy score and decrease cost per click (CPC). An agency will research not just high-volume keywords but also longer, more specific phrases with higher conversion potential.

For example, a legal services advertiser bidding on the single keyword “lawyer” will fight for relevancy against countless competitors. However, bidding on a phrase like “criminal defense lawyer in Arizona” will reach users closer to converting.

An agency will use keyword research tools to find these optimised keywords and build out expansive yet targeted campaigns. They will also refine keywords over time based on performance data.

Implement Effective Match Types

The match type you use for keywords impacts which searches can trigger your ads. While broad match casts a wide net, it risks poor relevancy. Exact and phrase matches hone in on more specific intents but miss close variations.

A PPC agency will use a strategic mix of match types to maximise visibility and relevancy. Broad and modified broad match keywords enable discovery of new, relevant search queries to add as exact or phrase matches. The agency will also actively monitor search query reports to find valuable new keywords and adjust match types.

Create Hyper-Relevant Ad Copy

Even with optimised keywords, your ads must resonate with users to drive clicks and conversions. Savvy agencies will meticulously tailor ad copy and landing pages to keyword intent. If you target a search like “comfortable work shoes for women,” ads should specifically mention comfortable women’s shoes.

Agencies also A/B test ad content to determine what copy, offers, and designs perform best. You don’t have to guess what resonates most with your audience.

Divide Ad Groups Strategically

Organising keywords into tightly-themed ad groups boosts relevancy. For example, a shoe retailer would benefit from an ad group around running shoes, another for heels, one for slippers, etc. Highly specific ad groups allow you to customise ad copy for those exact searches.

Agencies will continually optimise your ad group structure based on search query data. If some keywords receive lots of searches for a related but slightly different intent, they may warrant a new ad group. Keeping ad groups focused improves your quality score.

Adjust Bids Strategically

Setting the optimal bids for each keyword is crucial for controlling costs. Bidding too low fails to capture impressions and clicks, while overbidding drives up costs needlessly.

PPC agencies leverage automation and algorithms to set bids based on your targets, but also fine-tune manually. For example, they may raise bids on branded keywords that drive conversions confidently, while lowering bids on new keywords until performance data justifies a higher bid.

Ongoing bid adjustments ensure you pay the lowest cost per click necessary to meet campaign goals. Agencies also use enhanced bidding tactics like target return on ad spend (ROAS) to maximise conversion value.

Refine Targeting Parameters

Basic targeting settings like language, location, and operating system are just the tip of the iceberg. PPC experts also utilise more advanced tactics like:

• Demographic targeting: Target users by age, gender, parental status, and more

• Remarketing: Target visitors from your website, previous converters, or those who abandoned carts

• Placement targeting: Show ads on specific sites or pages, like industry publications

• Dayparting: Adjust bids and budgets based on day of week or time of day

• Location options: Target by city, metro, zip code, or radius around landmarks

• Agencies stay on top of the latest developments with targeting capabilities on platforms like Google Ads and leverage them for greater relevancy.

Set Up Conversion Tracking

To optimise for performance, you need to track which keywords, ads, and placements drive the most conversions. Conversion tracking lets you see the true ROI of your campaigns beyond just clicks and impressions.

A PPC agency will implement robust conversion tracking and analytics. They will track not just sales but also calls, form fills, downloads, purchases, and other goals. By connecting PPC data to goals, they can optimise for the highest converting keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and more.

Conduct Competitor Analysis

Agencies research the PPC activity of competitors in your space. By examining their ads, landing pages, and keywords, you can gain insights into industry trends and opportunities. Competitive intelligence informs decisions about potential untapped keywords and helps write ads that stand out from competitors.

Onboard New Platforms And Features

Major PPC platforms frequently add new options like ad formats and placements. Agencies stay ahead of the curve on emerging PPC developments so they can test and optimise new features right away. For example, they may onboard you to Google Discovery, Amazon DSP, or new ad placements. With more reach, you gain more impressions and conversions.

Provide Ongoing optimisations

The work doesn’t stop once initial campaigns are live. PPC requires constant monitoring, tweaking, expansion, and refinement. Agencies dedicate staff hours to ensure accounts never sit idle.

Some key ongoing optimisations include:

1. Adding new keywords with potential

2. Pausing or removing underperforming keywords

3. Split testing ad creative and landing pages

4. Adjusting bids based on daily budget pacing

5. Refining target audience parameters

6. Keeping campaign elements like ads and landing pages fresh and updated

A set-it-and-forget-it approach to PPC leads to wasted spend and missed opportunities. With an agency’s expertise driving continuous optimisations, you make the most of your budgets.

Access More Analytics

Robust analytics and reporting bring together all the data needed for optimisation. Agencies provide in-depth, customised reporting on all facets of account performance. You gain insights not just into standard metrics, but more advanced analytics like conversion attribution and ROI breakdowns.

With a holistic view of PPC analytics, you can collaborate with your agency to make data-backed optimisation decisions. Detailed reporting provides justification for ongoing budget allocation to convert stakeholders and expansion.

Focus In-House Efforts Elsewhere

Running successful PPC in-house requires substantial dedicated staff hours. Managing these complex and ever-evolving campaigns also necessitates advanced skillsets like data analytics. For most brands, the opportunity cost of handling PPC in-house is too high.

Partnering with an agency allows reallocation of internal resources to core business operations. It also provides access to dedicated PPC experts, advanced technologies, and economies of scale that in-house teams can’t match. The collective expertise of an agency team provides immense strategic and operational value that improves campaign performance.

So if you feel your current PPC efforts have become stagnant, partnering with a PPC agency can reignite growth. With constant optimisations, expanded capabilities, and strategic insight, your campaigns can reach their full potential. The expertise and expanded bandwidth of an agency provides a force multiplier effect on your accounts to move the needle on KPIs.