Search Engine Land
  • SEO
    • > All SEO
    • > What Is SEO?
    • > SEO Periodic Table
    • > Google: SEO
    • > Bing SEO
    • > Google Algorithm Updates
  • PPC
    • > All PPC
    • > What is PPC?
    • > Google Ads
    • > Microsoft Ads
    • > The Periodic Tables of PPC
  • Focuses
    • > Local
    • > Commerce
    • > Shopify SEO Guide
    • > Content
    • > Email Marketing Periodic Table
    • > Social Media Marketing
    • > Analytics
    • > Search Engine Land Awards
    • > All Focuses
  • SMX
  • Webinars
  • Intelligence Reports
  • White Papers
  • About
    • > About Search Engine Land
    • > Newsletter
    • > Third Door Media
    • > Advertise

Processing...Please wait.

Search Engine Land » Google » Google Ads » Start The New Year With A PPC Health Check: Part 1

Start The New Year With A PPC Health Check: Part 1

As Group Head at a fast growing search agency, I’ve carried out hundreds of campaign checks over the years. In my contributions here, I’ll be sharing my top tips on things to look out for when reviewing your own campaigns. Some of these things are obvious, while others might have slipped past you because you’re […]

Rebekah Schelfhout on January 14, 2014 at 9:30 am

As Group Head at a fast growing search agency, I’ve carried out hundreds of campaign checks over the years. In my contributions here, I’ll be sharing my top tips on things to look out for when reviewing your own campaigns. Some of these things are obvious, while others might have slipped past you because you’re not up to date on recent changes or are just too close to the day-to-day running of the campaign.

It can be easy to just leave your campaign(s) running and not delve into the detail of things such as the settings of your campaign, especially if your campaign is performing well. But auditing your account on a regular basis and carrying out health checks are big keys to the success of any campaign. In the fast paced world of Google AdWords, even going on holiday for two weeks might mean you miss a big announcement of an upcoming change or new feature.

In part 1 of my PPC Health Check series, I’ll be covering structure, settings, conversion tracking, and budgets. This is laid out in a way that should be really clear and easy to follow, with step-by-step instructions on what to examine in each category.

PPC-Checkup-600x1280

(Click for larger image.)

These questions should give you the building blocks for performing a health check on your PPC campaigns. It’s really important to try and self-assess (or have a colleague assess) your PPC campaign every few months, as there can be so many changes within the interface and settings that suggestions for improvements can always be made.

One of the main areas worth examining during your audit is your campaign budget. Being limited by your budget isn’t really a good way to start the year. Assess the results of the campaign, and if performance is good, see if you can secure more budget for your PPC campaigns this year. In order to get growth from your PPC campaigns, you’ll often need to increase the budget to remain competitive and to take advantage of new campaign features and types.

Another key subject for analysis this year are your bid multipliers; these are still often underused in many accounts. Schedule yourself some time to carry out analysis and adjust things like time-of-day, location and device.

The mobile landscape has become more competitive than ever; as an agency, we’ve seen CPCs increase since the launch of Enhanced Campaigns. With this in mind, make sure you’re not falling behind the curve and missing out on this traffic. Remember: there are only positions 1 and 2 in the banner for mobile, and if you’re not showing there, you’re unlikely to be seen!

In my next post, I’ll be covering ad copy, keywords and performance so make sure to check back for updates from me!


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


New on Search Engine Land

    GA4 isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. What would it look like to switch?

    What to look for in a technical SEO audit

    What are your secrets to overcoming marketing challenges? Take our survey

    10 reasons to join us at SMX Advanced online this June

    How to ensure influencers help your SEO campaigns

About The Author

Rebekah Schelfhout
Rebekah Schelfhout is Associate Head of PPC at UK based paid media agency Periscopix, a Merkle Company. In her six years at the company, she has acquired specialist knowledge across both the AdWords and Bing/Yahoo platforms. She has managed accounts across a range of sectors with specializations in retail and e-commerce and currently manages a division of search account managers. Rebekah was announced as the 30th most influential person in search in the UK in The Drum Search Top 50 2014, was nominated for Women in Search 2015, and has spoken at SMX London, SMX East & Internet World as well as being a regular contributor to the Search Engine Land blog.

Related Topics

Google AdsPPC

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Learn actionable search marketing tactics that can help you drive more traffic, leads, and revenue.

March 8-9, 2022: Master Classes (virtual)

June 14-15, 2022: SMX Advanced (virtual)

November 15-16, 2022: SMX Next (virtual)

Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover time-saving technologies and actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges.

Start Discovering Now: Spring (virtual)

September 28-29, 2022: Fall (virtual)

Learn More About Our MarTech Events

Webinars

Data-Driven Answers to Achieve Omnichannel Success

Is Your Marketing Stack Ready for Omnichannel CX?

Outrank in Organic Search with These 5 Core Tactics

See More Webinars

Intelligence Reports

Enterprise SEO Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Identity Resolution Platforms

Email Marketing Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Sales Enablement Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Digital Experience Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

Enterprise Call Analytics Platforms: A Marketer’s Guide

See More Intelligence Reports

White Papers

Realising the power of virtual events for demand generation

The Progressive Marketer’s Ultimate Events Strategy 2022 Worksheet

CMO Guide: How to Plan Smart and Pivot Fast

The Retail Renaissance Report, USA Edition: 4 Keys to Predicting Online & In-Store Demand Across Global Markets

Thinking Bigger About Marketing Budgets

See More Whitepapers

Receive daily search news and analysis.

Processing...Please wait.

Topics

  • SEO
  • PPC

Our Events

  • Search Marketing Expo - SMX
  • MarTech

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS
  • Youtube

© 2022 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.