At first glance, using PPC advertising seems like a good way to boost your profits. It helps by driving more traffic to your website and it works pretty fast too. The problem is not that it’s an ineffective method-it actually is-but that many webmasters are not doing it right. If you have your own business and you think you can launch PPC campaigns on your own, then at the very least you should make sure that you heed these important tips:

1. Use Google Analytics to track your ROI. With PPC professionals you may have access to more detailed analytic tools, but as a PPC DIY-er you should at least make use of Google Analytics to check how you’re doing. Afterall it’s free. With this you can find out exactly which ads are leading visitors to your website and which visits are actually resulting in sales. Without access to this data, you won’t know which of the ads and keywords you should eliminate and you can’t adjust your keyword bids.
2. Always test your PPC ad copy. You have to do these tests to make sure that you’re using the best version of your ads. Your PPC platform should have a way to let you do split tests, so you can rotate the ads for each of your keywords.
3. Make sure that your landing pages match your ads. It really messes up the sales process when your PPC ad sends a visitor to a landing page that’s totally irrelevant to what they’re really looking for. You may just end up with the assessment of lower quality ad scores. So it’ll just result in you paying more for clicks, while you get less exposure compared to advertisers with higher ad scores.
4. Be precise in targeting your campaigns. Most PPC accounts let you specify the type of people who gets to see your ads, so don’t waste this opportunity. Limit the ads to the areas you plan to advertise. If you’re focusing on really specific locations, you can just choose the specific zip codes in which your ads will appear. This works very well for restaurants that deliver and service companies that only work in certain parts of a city.
5. Don’t forget to use negative keywords. These negative keywords let you pick where your ads won’t So let’s say your company installs shower heads and shower heaters in the bathroom. You may want to designate the words “bridal” and “baby” as negative keywords, so that your ad doesn’t appear when people are looking for gift ideas for a bridal shower or a baby shower.
6. Don’t be too fond of “broad match” keywords. When you set your keywords for a “broad match,” then your ad may appear for search terms that are similar to your various keywords. The problem is that just because they’re similar doesn’t always mean they’re relevant. That’s the same problem we’ve already noted with the bridal and baby shower, when you’re selling shower heads and heaters.

You should instead try to focus on exact match phrases and keywords. This makes a match more likely for relevant clicks, and you don’t waste your money on irrelevant clicks. You’re paying for all those irrelevant bridal shower clicks, remember?

Of course, one really simply way to improve your PPC campaign is to just let the pros handle it for you. They have the experience to know which methods work, and they also have the resources and time to ensure the job gets done.