Top 5 PPC Strategies to Test in 2020

5 PPC Strategies to Adopt in 2020

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Top 5 PPC Strategies to Test in 2020

Pay-per-click advertising (also known as PPC) is one of the most effective strategies to attract potential customers, drive them to your site, generate brand awareness and increase conversions. PPC is part of every marketing strategy in one way or another, but trends shift all the time. What worked before has fallen flat now. New strategies are arising, and you need to stay on top of your game.

PPC is becoming more and more competitive. Technology keeps evolving. So, how do you make the most of your budget? And more importantly, which strategies and trends should you pay attention to? Fortunately for you, here at edirect, we have compiled the top 5 PPC Strategies to Test in 2020 in order to crush your competition and stay on top of your game.

introducing the top five strategies that work

#1 Automation and artificial intelligence

Definitely, and without a doubt, automation is the biggest PPC hit of this year, and it is occupying every PPC marketer’s mind completely. Along with this new trend, you can also expect major changes to the way PPC is done. Even though there is no actual risk of the role of the PPC manager disappearing, things are going to be switched up a little by Google.

For example, you can start saying your goodbyes to the never-ending hours of tweaking bids. Hoorah! So, what else is going to change?

Well, keywords will still be here, because robots still need us as interpreters to other humans. However, if anything in your working process can be turned into a math problem, you’ve hit the jackpot as this is the preferred lingo of machines. Automation is very promising, and it is gaining strength rapidly. However, it is not at the level where it can take over completely. It still needs time and a lot of testing. That is the stage we are navigating now.

Experts believe that 2020 will be a year of automation refinement. Companies like Google want to set advertisers up for success, so they are still testing and tweaking some features to get everything right. Do you want to benefit from PPC automation?

If that is the case, you will need to make sure that your goals are properly aligned with your business’ strategy. This will ensure that Google learns to tackle the right target audience for you and, in turn, help you achieve your goals. Automation will be a great ally for PPC marketers. It will help us save time and money, and who doesn’t want or need that?

However, do bear in mind that it is not a 100% fail-proof resource yet and that it needs some looking into first. Not every business will fit into this new strategy, and you may be better off without automation if that is the case for your company.

With the rising use of AI devices such as Alexa, Google Home and Siri, there are huge chunks of data that can be used to present customised and relevant ads that are based on a user’s needs and preferences. That is how automation works, and that is exactly what Google plans to do to hit the next level.

What about artificial intelligence?

AI is yet another thing that seems to be making its way into every area of digital marketing nowadays, and much like automation, it is making a huge impact. You may be wondering how artificial intelligence can benefit your PPC strategy.

Well, AI can help you recognise which bids are going to drive the most traffic. It can foresee the success that future ads will have on your campaign, such as the click-through-rate (CTR). And it can predict conversions based on stored data.

2# There is life outside of google

Google dominated the display network to such a degree that it is easy to forget that there is actually life outside of it. There are many platforms, such as Amazon, Quora, Reddit, etc. that you can focus on aside from Google. Including these platforms can benefit your overall marketing strategy since you are expanding your horizons and, therefore, reaching new audiences.

Like old Julius Cesar used to say back in the day, “divide and conquer”. By putting your chips in more than one basket, you’re diversifying and reducing your chances of missing out on potential revenue. Interested? We thought so! So, here’s an example to entice your further:

You typically invest in Google Ads because you know they gather most of the internet audience. However, not everyone you find on Google Ads is ready to make a purchase. It’s the opposite on Amazon. People navigating that site are actually ready to make a purchase. So, if you are looking to convert, tell me why you are not focusing on this segment?

When users come onto Amazon, they are looking to buy something. So, they type the desired item into the search bar. When the request is entered, Amazon shows the related ads at the top of the search results over the organic search results. If you’re not convinced yet, you may be interested to learn that by 2021, nearly one in ten advertising dollars in the U.S. is expected to go to Amazon.

   “Take your PPC campaign to the next level by embracing the latest trends.”

#3 Voice search

Voice searching has been around for some time now. With the appearance of Siri, Google Home, Alexa Dot, and Cortana, voice searching is becoming more and more prominent in households.

What is more, it is estimated that by the end of 2020, 50% of all online searches will be initiated by voice. This trend is expected to hit so hard that it already has its own term when used for online shopping – e-commerce.

Even though voice search has not reached its zenith yet, you definitely want to be prepared for when it does. Technology is evolving rapidly, so it’s to be expected that the changes needed for voice search to take off completely will come sooner than expected. Until then, you can start preparing your strategies.

Some of these strategies include switching the copy on your website to a more conversational tone. Think about it. When you ask for things out loud, you do it in a conversational way. So, whenever users give voice-commands, they do it in this fashion too. Therefore, turning your copy into a conversational style will prepare it for voice search.

Something else that you can do to start preparing for the arrival of voice commands is updating your FAQ page with ‘long-tail’ keywords. Wondering how to adjust your PPC campaign for this upcoming trend? Here’s how:

  • Opt for natural language in your copy. For example, “What is PPC exactly?” or “What are the benefits of PPC?”
  • Go for the long-tail keywords (this should be in addition to your pre-existing keywords).
  • Rewrite your ads to include close by landmarks. For example, “Tea houses near Central Park” – this will make your ads more efficient.
  • Include Google’s local ad extensions too. The call extension is the most important one since it provides a phone number to call you on the spot.

#4 The importance of CRO (conversion rate optimisation)

For those of you who haven’t tapped into conversion rate optimisation yet, you definitely want to make 2020 the year in which you do. The benefits of CRO are endless, but there is something more that we can do. Why pay to gain customers when you might lose them after they first click on your landing page?

Surely you want to convert that initial interest into a sale, right? Which is why we will introduce the concept of “customer optimisation”. As a marketing referent called Leake says, “Conversion optimisation is lauded, but customer optimisation is underrated”, Leake also went onto say, “You’re paying to acquire customers, so make sure you’re paying (investing) to keep them, too!”

Levy added that optimising beyond clicks is essential. “In the next decade, the biggest wins will come from those who optimise beyond the conversion,” he said.

#5 Video ads across multiple channels

Videos are incredibly powerful. They are engaging in a way that written text or even images will never be.

We now know that, on average, users spend 88% more time on a website if it has videos. You are probably wondering why videos are not used more often as part of a marketing strategy if they can pull off such amazing numbers.

This is because video production is costly, which takes it out of the equation for many brands.

Despite this, more and more companies are jumping on the wagon, including videos as part of their marketing strategy whenever they can. Smartphones have cameras that seem almost professional now, and video editing software is becoming more accessible to the common folk. So, this is opening a new window of opportunity that we should all take advantage of.

Like we mentioned before, when you incorporate ads into your videos, the engagement rate spikes. So, this will give you the chance to improve your CRO and connect with a larger segment of your audience.

Parting thoughts

These PPC trends are going to revolutionise the world of digital marketing as we know it. Some of them are already doing it, and others are still yet to gain some strength. However, one thing is certain – they are all here to stay. As a PPC strategist, you need to stay up to date with the latest changes and trends if you want to stay ahead of the game.

It is amazing what some of these trends will do for the world of PPC. Automation will definitely help tremendously to refine campaigns and save us time. The same can be said for artificial intelligence.

What about you? Are you implementing some of these trends yet? Maybe you’d like a helping hand in doing so. The team at edirect are always here to help, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Top 5 PPC Strategies to Test in 2020

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