Clicks But No Conversions – Where You Are Going Wrong

Often as a business we are asked a range of questions as to why PPC isn’t working or what can be done to improve the performance of this essential channel. Below we go over the most commonly asked questions and some practical tips for making an improvement.

Why aren’t my PPC ads working?

PPC or pay-per-click advertising, is a form of digital advertising where advertisers pay each time someone clicks on their ads. If you are running PPC campaigns and not getting any conversions, there could be a few reasons why:

1. Poor ad targeting

If your ads are not targeting the right audience, then you may not be getting clicks from people who are interested in your product or service.

Fix by focusing on relevant keywords: Choose keywords that are highly relevant to your business and align with the intent of your target audience. Use long-tail keywords to reach a highly relevant and specific audience to increase the chances of conversions.

2. Weak ad copy

Your ad copy may not be compelling enough to get people to click through to your website. You may want to test different versions of your ad copy to see which one resonates with your audience.

Fix by creating highly targeted ad copies: Write ad copy that resonate with your target audience and highlight the benefits of your product or service. The more relevant you can make your ad copy, the better chances you have of achieving a click. To expand relevancy and real estate on a SERP, use ad extensions such as sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets to provide additional information to your audience.

3. Landing page issues

If your landing pages are not optimised for conversions, then people may click on your ad but not convert. Make sure your landing pages have a clear call-to-action and are relevant to the ad copy. Look at the user experience. How easy is it to make a purchase on your website? Is your lead form simple enough to complete? Are you asking for too much personal data to begin with? All of these are important factors and must be looked at.

Fix by optimising landing pages: Ensure that the landing pages you are directing the users to have a clear call-to-action (CTA) and are optimised for conversions. Make sure they are mobile-friendly and load quickly. Make the route to purchase or lead form as simple and quick as possible.

4. Budget

Your budget may not be large enough to generate enough clicks to get conversions. You may want to consider increasing your budget or adjusting your bidding strategy.

Fix this by retargeting: Set up retargeting campaigns to target users who have already interacted with your brand but haven’t converted yet. This can be an effective way to increase conversions and ROI

Fix this by using ad scheduling: Use ad scheduling to show your ads only during the times when your target audience is most likely to be online. Or increase bids on the days of the week/time of day that you obtain the most conversions and decrease on days you’re spending a lot but not converting enough. This can help to improve the efficiency of your PPC campaigns and reduce wasted ad spend.

Fix by using location bid adjustments: Expand your location targeting by using granular locations such as counties or postcodes. The deeper you go, the more data can be obtained on which locations perform better and you can adjust bids for specific locations that convert as well as decrease spend in areas that aren’t converting.

5. Competition

Your industry may be highly competitive, making it harder to get conversions. You may want to analyse your competitors’ ads and landing pages to see what they are doing differently.

It’s important to regularly monitor and analyse your PPC campaigns to identify any issues and make adjustments as needed.

Fix by monitoring your competitors: Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing and adjust your PPC strategy accordingly. Identify their strengths and weaknesses and try to capitalise on them.

Fix by using long tail keywords: Run deep keyword research as long tail keywords for highly specific terms related to your products or service can perform better than generic or broad terms. Long tail keywords tend to have lower volume but can convert with less spend.

And finally… test, test, test: Continuously test your ads, landing pages, and targeting to improve the performance of your campaigns. Use A/B testing to compare different variations and identify what works best for your business

Achieving your PPC goals

PPC advertising can be an effective way to drive conversions and attract a targeted audience to your website. Here are some ways in which PPC can help you achieve these goals:

Targeted Advertising: PPC platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads allow you to target your ads to specific audiences based on factors like demographics, interests, and search intent. This means that your ads are more likely to be seen by people who are interested in your product or service, and therefore more likely to convert.

Measurable Results: PPC campaigns provide detailed data on your ad performance, including clicks, conversions, and cost per conversion. This allows you to optimize your campaigns based on real-time data, improving their effectiveness over time.

Control over Ad Spend: With PPC, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, so you have greater control over your advertising budget. You can also set a maximum bid amount for your ads to ensure that you don’t overspend on your campaigns.

Flexibility: PPC campaigns can be adjusted and optimized quickly based on changes in your business goals or market conditions. This means you can make adjustments to your ads or target audience in real-time, maximizing your chances of success.

Overall, PPC advertising can be an effective way to get more conversions and attract a better audience to your website. However, it’s important to remember that PPC campaigns require careful planning, monitoring, and optimization to achieve the best results.

What are some examples of some successful campaigns?

Below are some examples of the many successful PPC campaigns that have been run over the years. Each campaign had a clear message, targeted the right audience, and leveraged the power of digital advertising to drive results.

• Apple’s “Get a Mac” Campaign: This campaign featured a series of ads comparing the Mac to a PC, and was highly successful in driving sales and brand awareness.
• Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” Campaign: This campaign featured a series of humorous ads that went viral on social media, leading to a significant increase in sales and brand awareness.
• Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” Campaign: This campaign featured personalized Coke bottles with people’s names on them, and encouraged consumers to share their Coke with friends and family. The campaign was highly successful in driving sales and social media engagement.
• Airbnb’s “Live There” Campaign: This campaign focused on the unique experiences that travelers could have by staying in an Airbnb, and was highly successful in driving bookings and brand awareness.
• Amazon’s “Prime Day” Campaign: This annual event offers exclusive discounts to Amazon Prime members, and has become one of the biggest online shopping days of the year. The campaign is highly successful in driving sales and promoting the benefits of Amazon Prime.

PPC little known tips

Use negative keywords: Negative keywords are search terms that you don’t want your ads to show up for. By using negative keywords, you can avoid wasting money on irrelevant clicks.

Test ad copy variations: It’s important to test different versions of ad copy to see which ones perform best. You can test different headlines, descriptions, and calls to action to see which ones perform best for your business, and use these variants moving forward, or do more testing as you go!