If you want to start your own Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign, all you need to do is follow these steps. However, keep in mind that there are many subtle arts and technical know-how you might not have yet. This is why having a professional PPC expert by your side is still recommended. This guide is meant to be a primer to at least get you started with getting targeted website visitors from PPC ads.

What is PPC

Simple put, a Pay Per Click campaign is creating digital ads usually in search engines such as Google and Bing that will help your website get hits from people who will actually buy or "convert" from your site. The biggest difference with this kind of ad is that the advertiser will only pay every time someone clicks on the ad. Therefore, what is important is knowing how much budget is best, placing the most optimum bid for the click price, and knowing how to target the correct people (through keyword research).

1. List Down Your Main Goals

List all your goals down. What's important? Do you just want more traffic? Or do you want targeted traffic for people who will convert?  Or do you just want general exposure for your brand? Whether your objective is to sell, or to get people to subscribe to your email, you need to pin your goals before you start. You should list them in order of importance, if there is more than one. The kind of campaign will rely heavily on your main goals.

2. Draft Your Media Budget

Aside from your available financial resources,  it is actually your goal that will determine your budget. Those who have a product that is sure to sell through PPC will do well to fatten up their budget. But don't be too headstrong, you can always start with a reasonable amount then optimize later on once you see results. Of course, if your budget is too small for your keywords, that also be detrimental. Therefore, the next step should be...

3. Draft Your Keyword List

If you are looking to bid on keywords that a lot of competitors are also bidding on, then it will cost you. If you do your keyword research right, you may find the sweet spot: keywords that are not too competitive but are used by your target audience. Keep in mind that some keywords are typed in by people who are just interested in learning more, not by people who are looking to buy. You have to know the difference. Here is where professional help will be invaluable. A PPC expert or a digital marketing agency will be using tools such as Google Keywords tool but they may also use special paid tools. Make sure that your keywords are specific. Remember that bidding on the right keyword is vital to the success of your campaign's return of investment.

4. Draft Your Ad Copy

This comes in two parts, your headline and your ad body. If your headline is boring, it won't be clicked. This is why a top notch headline that immediately pulls attention to itself is key. As for the rest of the copy, it should pull your audience further in by telling them something very interesting or by promising realistic value.

5. Design Your Landing Page

If you are able to pull in traffic but then they immediately loose interest, get confused, or feel suspicious of your website, then all that traffic was wasted. Convert your audience with a good website that is simple to understand and easy to use. User experience and customer flow are the key things. Is your page easy to navigate and understand? Does it make your audience want to sign up or buy something?

6. Study the Data Results and Optimize Your Campaign

Are you getting as much traffic as you need? Are they converting and staying in your landing page? Answer these types of questions to better improve your campaign. You can also try AB testing to see which copy works best. Then also look at the consistently top performing keywords and put more money on those while take away budget from the under performing ones.

‍