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PPC advertising services can be a game-changer for any business, but targeting the wrong audience can be expensive and wasteful in ad spend. Many businesses rely on PPC advertising services to drive traffic and conversions, but even the best PPC advertising firm can fall into common keyword traps that lead to ineffective targeting. If your engagement is low, or you have a very high bounce rate or an extremely low ROI, it’s probably time to re-evaluate your keyword strategy. Let’s talk about the most common Google Ads keyword mistakes and how you can alter them to make them work for you.
Mistake 1: Broad Match Keywords
It looks like a good practice to use broad-match keywords, but they often pull in irrelevant traffic. Using a broad match for the term “marketing solutions” might bring in search queries such as “free marketing solutions” or “DIY marketing tips,” which are not aligned with your service offering.
How to Correct It:
Use exact match and phrase match keywords instead of broad match. Exact match keywords are very effective in zeroing in on users actively searching for the services you provide, such as “PPC ads services” or “best PPC firm.” This way, your ad appears only to those searching for specific terms, improving the relevance of your audience and maximising your ad spend.
Mistake 2: Ignoring Negative Keywords
Most businesses forget about negative keywords, which are significant in eliminating unwanted searches. If negative keywords are not considered, ads end up showing up in searches they should not show up in, and clicking through doesn’t convert.
How to Correct It:
Check the report of your search terms from time to time. It will help you detect nonsensical searches for irrelevant terms. The list of negative keywords can also include words that don’t suit your service offering such as “cheap,” “free,” or “internship.” If you’re a PPC company providing high-quality service, you wouldn’t like clicking with people who want some inexpensive or free solutions. Use negative keywords so your ad is shown to more quality prospects.
Mistake 3: Not Making Effective Use of Long Tail Keywords
It may seem strategic to be using just short, super competitive keywords because they drive cost without having the right crowd. More specific phrases attract very high-intent users who will be coming to look for your service.
How to correct it.
Use long-tail keywords that better match the intent of users. For instance, instead of targeting “PPC advertising,” consider “reliable PPC advertising services for small businesses.” Long-tail keywords tend to be cheaper and drive in more conversion-ready users because they are often further down the buying cycle. This works especially well if you’re a niche advertising agency that targets a niche market.
Mistake 4: Not doing Competitor Keyword Research
Unless you analyze the keywords your competition focuses on, you may find yourself missing some high-value search terms or insights related to the demand for your industry. With no consideration of competitors, you’d then focus on some low-performing terms and might miss focusing on some that give you a competitive advantage.
How to correct it.
Determine what the competitor is bidding on with the use of Google’s Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs. This would allow you to determine whether it is a term that your competitors are bidding on that creates holes in your strategy. For instance, someone may rank highly for the keyword “top PPC advertising firm,” but you target variations such as “leading PPC firm” or “expert PPC ads services” where you can capture all of the traffic your competition could be missing.
Mistake 5: Keyword Only on High Volume
This is one temptation most individuals face. A large number of keywords, that attract a lot of traffic are often sought as a focus point; but volume in keywords doesn’t equal good quality leads. Mostly the competitive ones are in that niche and tend to draw away your budget in terms of money without high return on investment.
How to correct it:
Strike the balance in your keyword by using high-volume and some low-volume keywords that describe your services. The niche may not be as popular compared to others, but the lead quality is better. Take, for instance, the PPC advertising firm that will use Google Ads for the e-commerce niche. For example, a firm will benefit greatly if they target “PPC advertising services for e-commerce” compared to the generalised keyword, “PPC advertising”.
Mistake 6: Keywords are not used in line with Audience Insights
Audience behaviour and preferences change, and so must your keywords. You’ll miss the opportunity to attract a new segment of the audience or get out of touch with their needs if you just set your keywords and forget.
How to correct it:
An important analysis of Google Ads should be done frequently according to metrics such as click-through rate, conversion rate, and search intent to adjust keywords accordingly. Your PPC firm may find some terms are not performing as well as others; hence, fine-tune your list with an emphasis on those keywords that have good performance segments. In this way, you would remain relevant and competitive in any industry.
Mistake 7: One keyword strategy applied to all campaigns
Every campaign varies, and a one-size-fits-all approach to keyword usage limits your potential. Creating multiple campaigns with the same set of keywords weakens that keyword effectiveness and may cap your ad’s relevance.
How to Correct It
Divide your campaigns by type of product, demographics of the audience, or locations, and tailor your keywords for that segment. For example, if your ad agency runs both search and display ads, separate the campaigns, and target specific keywords unique to each ad type. That not only increases relevance but also means you are spending your budget on the most impactful keywords for that unique audience segment.
Mistake 8: Location-Specific Keywords Not Being Used
For all businesses trying to target specific regional areas, location-specific keywords should be used. Generic words without any location context can attract audiences who are way out of your range, therefore causing irrelevant clicks.
How to correct it:
If your PPC advertising services are location-specific, use geographic modifiers in your keywords, such as “PPC advertising firm in dubai ” or “local PPC ads services.” This way, your ad will reach users who are searching for services in your area and not waste ad spending on users outside your target market.
Final Thoughts: Optimizing Your Google Ads for Effective Audience Targeting
PPC ad services go to waste if the right targeted audience is not selected. There will be loss of resources, loss opportunities, and not-so-good performance. The proper keywording strategy is what differentiates reaching the right audience by the types of keywords that should be refined, negative keywords used, and accepting long-tail options where performance is continuously monitored that make sure every campaign targets the right audience.
PPC advertising firms specialised in handling this matter can also be hired to control and adjust campaigns against these common pitfalls. Hence, with expert inputs and continuous optimization, ad campaigns will better target driving more qualified traffic towards higher ROI. With a strategy in keywords and your PPC ads services, they will work their magic in capturing the correct audience.
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