Today’s Money Radio digital pro-palooza features pay-per-click ads. Eric and Graham took a break from telling you what to do in order to tell you what not to do. Hey, it’s for your own good. Grab your spoonful of sugar and read on, because we’re Mary Poppins, y’all.

PPC Ads Dominate Online Conversions

We like to drop statistics on you, so you know we’re not just making this stuff up. If you’re not on board with PPC services like Google AdWords yet, here are some reasons you should be:

• Depending on who you ask, 40-50% of search engine users can’t tell the difference between paid ads and organic search results. Yet paid ads appear at the top of the page, not only above the fold but above organic results. That’s why 41% of clicks go to the top three ads on SERPs.
• PPC visitors are 50% more likely to buy than organic visitors. Even those who don’t buy immediately will keep you in mind: search engine ads increase brand awareness by 80%.
• Businesses earn $3 for every $1.60 spent on AdWords, on average.

As we all know, it takes a whole range of numbers to come up with an average. Your business could earn far more or far less than that $3. If you want to be an outlier on the high end, you’ve got to avoid these mistakes.

PPC Ads Not Working? Troubleshoot Your PPC Strategy

We talked about a few no-nos, which can be summed up like this:

• Your AdWords account collects dust and cobwebs instead of revenue. Low-maintenance settings on AdWords = a low-risk strategy. If you’re risk-averse, you have your reasons, but the old adage that low risks can only bring low returns rings true with this form of advertising. Don’t be afraid to invest in a winning strategy.
• Your landing page’s air traffic control guys are giving unclear instructions. We love landing pages. They’re quick, they’re clear, they drive conversions. If your landing page tries to drive too many conversions, suddenly it goes from helpful to “help, I’m being yelled at, what do I do? Get me off this page.” Have separate pages for different CTAs.
• Your ad doesn’t take advantage of sitelinks. If you like getting bang for your buck, you need sitelinks. You should take advantage of any opportunity to strategically target a custom market.
• Not trusting the experts: It’s our job to keep up with digital marketing trends. It’s your job to keep up with your industry’s trends. Putting our heads together results in customized strategies tailored to your goals, and of course, your win is our win, too. You might be pretty savvy in the digital ad world yourself, and as such you might take the lead. That’s great! However, please don’t ignore our input entirely. We’re here to help.

To hear more about PPC ad dos and don’ts, listen to the Money Radio podcast. Feel free to leave a comment or get in touch with us. You can also listen on air Mondays at noon on 1510 AM or 105.3FM.