Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is essential to any digital marketing strategy, offering businesses a cost-effective way to drive traffic, increase brand visibility, and, ultimately, boost sales.
But with so many targeting options available, how do you ensure your ads reach the right audience at the right time? In this post, we’ll delve into the various targeting methods in a local business PPC campaign and discuss the best practices to maximize your ad’s performance.
Target Ads by Search
1. Keyword Targeting
One of the most common and effective ways to target ads in a local business PPC campaign is through keyword targeting. This method involves selecting relevant keywords that your target audience is likely to use when searching for products or services similar to yours.
By bidding on these keywords, your ads will be displayed when users input those search terms. To find the right keywords, use keyword research tools such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
2. Negative Keywords
While keyword targeting is crucial, it’s also important to exclude irrelevant keywords from your campaigns using negative keywords. This helps improve your ad’s relevance and prevents your ads from being displayed in unrelated searches, thus saving you money and ensuring you only pay for clicks from genuinely interested users.
For example, if you sell new smartphones, you might want to add “used” or “second-hand” as negative keywords to avoid showing your ad to people looking for pre-owned devices.
Target Ads by Audience
3. Remarketing
Remarketing allows you to target users who have previously interacted with your website or app by displaying tailored ads to them as they browse other sites. This targeting strategy is particularly effective for encouraging visitors who didn’t make a purchase during their initial visit to return and complete the transaction.
For you to effectively set up a remarketing campaign, you’ll need to install a tracking code on your website or app, which will then enable you to create custom audience lists based on user behaviour.
4. Life Events and In-Market Audiences
Another powerful way to target ads is by focusing on users experiencing specific life events or demonstrating purchase intent for certain products or services. Google Ads offers life event targeting options such as “getting married,” “moving,” or “starting a new job,” allowing you to reach users during crucial decision-making moments.
Similarly, in-market audiences enable you to target users who are actively researching or comparing products within a particular category.
5. Demographics and Location
Narrowing down your audience based on demographic factors such as age, gender, household income, and location can significantly improve your ad’s performance. For instance, if you sell women’s clothing, it makes sense to target ads specifically to female users.
Conversely, if you operate a local business, targeting users within a certain geographic radius ensures you only pay for clicks from potential customers in your area.
Target Ads by Content
6. Placement Targeting
Placement targeting allows you to display your ads on specific websites, apps, or YouTube channels that are part of the Google Display Network.
This method is handy for aligning your ads with relevant content and reaching users with interests closely related to your products or services. If you sell fitness equipment, for example, you might place your ads on health and wellness blogs or YouTube channels dedicated to workout routines.
7. Dynamic Search Ads
As mentioned in the introduction, not all local PPC campaigns rely on keywords. Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) use your website’s content to automatically generate ad headlines and landing pages based on what users are searching for.
This type of method is especially beneficial for businesses with extensive product catalogues or frequently changing inventory, as it saves time and resources spent on manual keyword management.
Conclusion
Effectively targeting ads in your PPC campaign is crucial for maximizing your return on investment. Leverage search, audience, and content targeting and you can reach the right users at the right time, increasing the likelihood of conversions and boosting your campaign’s overall performance. As you plan your next PPC campaign, consider incorporating these targeting strategies to enhance your ad performance and achieve your digital marketing goals.
Achieve a triumphant PPC campaign with the assistance of Analytics Beyond. As the premier digital marketing agency offering PPC solutions in North America, we take immense satisfaction in ensuring that budgets are utilized efficiently, strategies are implemented accurately, and communication is consistently accessible. Schedule a call with us today.