Building a campaign on Google, Bing, and Yahoo, finding the best performing keywords, and managing your campaign can be very expensive and time consuming. If you already have a SEM campaign or are thinking of launching one, here are some things you should avoid!

Entering phone numbers in ad text

• When building your ads, do not enter a phone number into the ad text, as it can cause the ad to get disapproved. Instead of placing the phone number in the ad text, use the call extension feature. This feature displays a clickable call button with your ad that entices people to call your business as they are searching.

Using broad and unrelated keywords

• Don’t use very broad keywords to attract any kind of traffic type to your website. Instead, keep it specific by using product or business-related keywords so that the traffic going to your website is relevant. Driving relevant traffic to your website increases your chance of conversion.

Having unrealistic expectations

• You must have realistic expectations with your campaign results. If you are spending $100 per month, think of how many customers that campaign will need to generate to get back your investment. If you sell a product for $50, and your campaign brings in 150 new visitors and 4 new customers, then it is considered a successful campaign because you have a higher return.

Not using the analytic campaign reports

• Check the analytic campaign reports to see how your campaign is performing once a week. SEM is not something that can be launched and never looked at again. By constantly looking at the campaign reports, you will be able to see what is working vs not working. You can then make changes to your campaign, like varying ad text to test new messaging, removing poor performing keywords and set a different landing page that is more engaging to visitors.

These tips can help you run an effective search marketing campaign that delivers excellent results. As a small business, you probably have a very busy schedule and you may not have enough time to put into your SEM campaign. There are solutions that can help you build and manage them for you, saving you time and money. If you would like a tool that builds, manages, and optimizes your campaign for you, look no further!

Our powerful tool will help you build your campaign in just a few easy steps, and will manage it all for you with our optimization engine. We manage your campaign on a daily basis to make sure that it delivers the best results by surfacing your best keywords and spreading your budget effectively. Your marketing will be put on autopilot while you focus on running your business! To get started, click here