{"id":84278,"date":"2017-09-12T09:27:32","date_gmt":"2017-09-12T16:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thegood.com\/?post_type=insights&p=84278"},"modified":"2021-04-13T20:58:35","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T03:58:35","slug":"problem-ppc-agency","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/insights\/problem-ppc-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"The Problem with Paid Search Marketing (and How to Fix It)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019ve seen it over and over again: businesses wasting money on PPC ads. That\u2019s right, wasting money \u2013 lots of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some blame online advertising in general, saying paid ads are good at paying Google and Facebook, but not for bringing in clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others wrongfully blame their search engine marketing agency. They reason that finding the right PPC management company is like finding the right stockbroker \u2013 get it right, and you\u2019re in the money. Make the wrong choice, and you can lose everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many times, a prospective client we\u2019re helping with a Stuck Score\u2122<\/a> evaluation will begin blaming much of their dismal ROI on paid search marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We usually have to disagree and get out the mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our job is to help clients face their situations squarely, take full responsibility for the problems identified, and do what needs to be done to enact a solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the bottom line: PPC agency failure is much more likely due to problems on your website and landing pages than to Google\u2019s greed or incompetent search marketing agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the real scoop on why ecommerce managers and PPC management service account executives sometimes end up hating one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We won\u2019t stop there, though. We\u2019ll also unveil how to get that relationship straightened out.<\/p>\n\n\nHere\u2019s how SEM and ecommerce managers can get back to high fives and good vibes. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n

SEM Without CRO is Like a Pitcher Without a Catcher<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEM Without CRO is Like a Pitcher Without a Catcher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to look far for a good (bad) example. The next time you click on a paid search marketing ad, see how you feel afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, the ad will have drawn you in with a promise to deliver something of personal value. That could be a discount on an item you\u2019ve been wanting to buy, information you can use, or something else you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens next is crucial. If the landing page you\u2019re taken to maintains the desire generated by the ad and delivers on the promise made, you\u2019ve just experienced the way pay-per-click advertising should work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your click on the ad was the first \u2018conversion.\u2019 Chances are high you\u2019ll click again and proceed further along the path set out by the advertiser. You feel great. The ad money was well-spent, and the search engine marketing (SEM) team did their work well.<\/p>\n\n\nHere\u2019s the PPC ad formula that can make your pockets jingle. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, how many times have you clicked on an ad and ended up on the home page of a business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to start looking for the information you wanted (or whatever was promised in the ad), and you\u2019re instantly confused. The home page has everything, including the kitchen sink, all gathered on one hectic page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chances are high, you\u2019ll click away quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spend on that ad was wasted, you feel frustrated, and the paid search marketing team drew a goose egg. Nobody is happy \u2013 not even Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how the PPC process works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SEM side of the equation is getting you to click on the ad. That means you\u2019ll need to see a relevant offer (promise) for something of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why keyword selection is so important to ad management. The ad manager bids on the keywords most relevant to your offer and rejects (negative keywords) those that aren\u2019t relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CRO side of the equation greets the traffic generated by the ad campaign, delivers on the promise made in the ad, and helps the visitor move from being an interested visitor to becoming a paying customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t miss this point:<\/strong> Generating PPC traffic without making sufficient conversions on the landing page is a horrible way to spend a ton of money. It\u2019s the reason why so many businesses we work with are sour on paid ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But don\u2019t miss this point either:<\/strong> Applying conversion rate optimization principles to make sure genuine prospects will convert at a high percentage is also a fruitless pursuit UNLESS you get sufficient traffic to the page to make the CRO work worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the pitcher\u2019s out of balls to throw, the catcher has nothing to do, and the batter has zero chance of hitting a home run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEM needs CRO in order to effectively generate returns for ecommerce websites.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Period.<\/p>\n\n\nSEM and Ecommerce. Here\u2019s the missing link. <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n

Consider These Examples of Paid Search Marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, a brief look at the mechanics of ads from a non-techy perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google knows the value of CRO. Google Ads considers landing page experience to determine how well the page you direct ad traffic to provides exactly what that user is looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just to make sure we\u2019re clear on terminology, the \u2018landing page\u2019 is where the visitor ends up after clicking on your ad. Many companies simply send the prospect to their website\u2019s home page. That\u2019s almost always a huge mistake. Others trick the user into clicking with a huge promise, then send them to a page with a relentless sales pitch that really doesn\u2019t deliver on the promise. That\u2019s ALWAYS a huge mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Done right, the ad makes an attractive promise to a select (ideal customers) audience, and the landing page delivers the promise, then guides the visitor further along the sales journey. Yes, we alluded to that earlier, but it bears repeating again and again. It is the essence of effective PPC advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is so important to a good consumer experience that Google doesn\u2019t just recommend the value of landing page experience to their advertisers, they reward or penalize you according to how well your ad and landing page work together. They do that by basing Ad Rank partly on the quality of your SEM\/CRO efforts. Ad Rank affects the amount you\u2019ll pay per click and your positioning on the search engine results page (SERP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, consider the following examples and judge for yourself whether or not the money was well invested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTE: We don\u2019t believe on clicking ads for the fun of it. The following examples are from real-life, serious searches our staff writer recently made in pursuit of solutions to an actual situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ppc<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hey, you\u2019re in town for your wife\u2019s high school reunion, and the warm Gulf of Mexico waters are calling. Why not rent a jet ski and go have some serious fun?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out the top-ranking ad (above), though, is sponsored by the tourist board. The landing page says nothing about jet ski rentals (that can be found in a quick scan), and dampened our guy\u2019s enthusiasm for renting a jet ski in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how that page looked above the fold:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ppc<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSurely,\u201d you say, scroll down a little and you\u2019ll find out exactly where to rent that jet ski.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No dice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below the fold, you\u2019ll find general content about water sports on Siesta Key. You\u2019ll also find a real estate ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check it out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ppc<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s your vote?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will that ad and that landing page combination EVER help someone rent a jet ski? If you\u2019re patient enough and keep scrolling, you\u2019ll find a link to the Siesta Key Watersports home page. And somewhere amidst the parasailing, fishing, dolphin tours, sunset cruises, and fishing charters\u2026 you\u2019ll be able to get the info on jet skis you were looking for in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at another example. With jet ski fun on his mind, our writer made hotel arrangements for a soon-coming conference trip to San Diego. He then performed the search shown below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ppc<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We like this ad (above) better right off. The headline matches the search, and everybody loves a business that\u2019s \u201cFamily Owned and Operated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEM has done its job for sure. Our guy was hooked. He didn\u2019t even need the \u201cCertificate of Excellence-Photos-Showers-HOO-YAH\u201d line to seal the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Search enthusiasm dampened a bit, though, when he saw how slowly the landing page loaded. Per usual, the click took directed him to the home page of the website, not to a special page focused on jet ski rentals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slow page load time, by the way, is a major let down. It can be enough to drive clickers away before they become visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s online shopper wants to see a fully loaded page within a few seconds of the click. According to Pingdom, this page takes almost six seconds to load. With a typical hotel-room connection, it\u2019s more like ten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the slow-down? The San Diego Bay Adventures site incorporates a zoom-in photo slider that is colorful and attractive, but exacts a heavy toll on page loading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s that landing page (home page) above the fold:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ppc<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Here again, best practice would be to take the prospect directly to a jet ski rental page \u2013 one that loads quickly and provides the info the search seeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This one does give a reservation link (in the menu bar) and a jet ski tours link\u2026 but once again, it\u2019s disappointing. How hard can it be to rent a jet ski in San Diego?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes some scrolling down to find a jet ski rentals button. It\u2019s alongside jet ski tours, paddle boards, and military info.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the party was over in Sarasota, our guy headed to Disney World in Orlando. He finally hit PPC ad pay dirt\u2026 but it wasn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how the SERP looked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ppc<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The highest-ranking ad is from Expedia. The second appears to be from another tourist bureau. The third caught our writer\u2019s attention most. Not only does it appear to lead directly to a company that actually rents jet skis, but he liked the idea of that $99 all day special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ppc<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This page loaded in under a second. It\u2019s dedicated to jet ski rental, and it provides everything the visitor needs to make a reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the three ads discussed, we\u2019re willing to wager this one converts (for the search term given) much better than the others and delivers a substantial return on investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve just seen the ugly, the bad, and the good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One question remains: why would any advertiser bid on keywords and pay for ads, then fail to send the traffic generated by those ads to a conversion optimized landing page? A page that has been optimized to turn that traffic into sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re back to the blame game. Advertisers blame the PPC agency for wasting their money, and the PPC management company blames the ecommerce website manager for not providing a suitable landing page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember:<\/p>\n\n\n\n