When running ppc campaigns, increasing conversions is always on the forefront of our minds. So any new potential idea for increasing conversions is a good one to at least try. Below is a short list of ideas I’ve used in the past and some ideas I think people overlook or don’t think are very important to have in their own ppc accounts. So take a look and if you’re not doing all of these to some extent, please give them a try!
1. Incremental Bid Increases
Up bids by 10, 20, 30% or higher by time of day, day of week, geographic location and/or device. Just use the dimensions tab and the settings tab to see performance by day, geography etc. If there are areas that get higher click through rates or higher conversion rates, go ahead and bump up the bid so you’re in a higher position during those times/days or location/device.
2. High Position
Try to bid in position #1. If you’re in position 3 – 4 and getting decent conversions, try to bid some of your better performing keywords in position as a test. I had an account that didn’t really convert that well but we were in positions 4,5 or 6. Once I took a risk and upped their bids to position 1 or 2, we started converting more and more. Just be careful and know your budget and stick to it.
3. Add more call to action buttons on your landing page
I had an account where we tested adding a big blue call to action button at the bottom of some text before the fold on our landing page, AND the button was also up on the right hand side of the landing page, but just by adding that button again in the text, above and below the fold, we saw huge conversion rate increases. Our client thought it “uglied” up the page, but was happy none the less by the additional leads.
4. SKAGS
Add some single keyword ad groups with super specific ad text. This is a method a lot of agencies use. If you’re seeing low click through rates and low conversion rates, try spending some time and using adwords editor to put a single keyword in one ad group, but for most of your important keywords. Then, it’s important to use that keyword at least twice in your ad text. The thought is that your keyword will be in the headline and will get higher click-throughs, and result in more conversions.
5. Add all match types
I’m always slightly surprised that when adding all match types, that certain types will get more leads over others. I keep them all in all the time unless one match type has a much higher cost per lead, then pause it.
6. Get a landing page audit from a professional
One thing I tell clients all the time is that the page doesn’t have to be pretty to work, and that your idea of a good landing page isn’t always the right way to design a landing page. Get professional help on your landing page – it can literally make all the difference in the world when it comes to lead gen.
7. Add RSLA campaigns as a strategy for remarketing
Or add remarketing in general. It seems like a lot of people forget about these strategies at times. Add in separate remarketing campaigns and RLSA campaigns to help increase conversions.
8. Don’t overlook extensions
Call extensions, product extensions, sitelinks and location extensions can really help make your ad stand out among competitors – so use them!
9. Improve your special offers
One of the biggest things I see that help with increasing conversions is providing a special offer that you can include in your ad. If you’re using a 5 or 10% off promotion, go a little further for a while and see what 20 or 30% will get you. People online are looking for deals so give them a reason to click on your ad. Also try a dollar amount off like $10 off first order! Those always catch my attention and will increase traffic for sure! JC Penny recently tried to present simply low prices and stopped giving out coupons and having sales, and they almost went out of business. So especially if your business is targeted to women, make sure you provide a good coupon or sale or discount. It’s what the customer wants.
There are many more ideas but this list can at least give you a start if you’re fairly new to running ppc campaigns. Furthermore, if you have an agency running your account and they’re not doing one of these, get on them about it!