Important PPC Trends You Should Know
If your business is using a Pay Per Click (PPC) internet advertising model, there are a lot of changes already here, and more coming, that you’ll want to incorporate into your promotional process. Things like multiple-device users, new platforms, additional social media sites and other technological and communications innovations all factor into making your advertising dollars go as far as they can. Some forms of free listings are being phased out, so it’s even more urgent to know each penny is as effective as it can be.
In spite of the prevalence of smartphones in society, there is still a tendency among web businesses to underestimate the effect of mobile traffic, in part because the conversion rate still tends to be lower with mobile traffic. For example, Google AdWords has been enhanced to enable tracking across devices, which should help settle some of the disputes and provide better data. It still won’t be a perfect model, as it only works for users signed into their Google account on each device they’re using. Nonetheless, it will still provide more insight into the big picture of how mobile devices are contributing to internet marketing. Of course, even the most perfect cross-device tracking would not provide the complete picture. It’s very difficult to determine or track how many website visitors, who don’t purchase online during a click, do then go to the store and purchase as in-store foot traffic. The easiest way to track those is the classic “tell us you’ve been to our site for a discount” message that confirms who visited your site before coming to your store or office.
Another change to be aware of is the need to focus on marketing and advertising campaigns. Addressing the specific needs of your clientele instead of obsessing only on keywords, placements, ad images, and so on. If you focus more on what your clients, or what your potential clients, want and need, it doesn’t matter so much what device those clients are using. You’ll pay more on cost per click (CPC) because you’ll get more clicks, but it’s worth it to get more good, solid clicks that eventually translate to sales. For existing clients, let past purchases be a guide to their needs and interests; for not-yet-customer browsers, you can target by demographic group, interests, browsing history or whatever other category works best for your industry, based on browsing history.
You should also consider measuring other things besides just conversions of clicks to sales, such as “secondary conversions”, like registering on your site, signing up for an email list, printing a coupon or other non-sale forms of engagement. This will help you get the most from those site visitors that don’t convert to a sale right away but who exhibit behaviors that indicate a strong likelihood that they will purchase in the future. A savable shopping cart or a wish list not only encourages future purchase, but they can also give you a better idea of the kinds of products and services that have your customers’ interest. It also helps you determine the total-bounce lost clicks from the bounce-now-buy-later visitors.
www.infintechdesigns.com specializes in making sure your website meets every requirement for keeping the major search engines and advertising programs happy. We’ll work with you on every aspect of marketing, search engine optimization, e-commerce and local focus, and even design a new website for you if you need one! Contact us today at 504-777-3296 or through the “contact us” form on our website. We’ll give you a free quote and get you started on the path to a more effective use of your internet advertising budget.
