In the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing, it's crucial to stay one step ahead. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising are two critical components of any successful online marketing strategy. While they may seem like two separate worlds, they are more interconnected than you might think. Leveraging your SEO knowledge to enhance your PPC efforts can lead to better results and a more effective overall marketing strategy. In this blog, we'll explore how you can improve your PPC performance by building on your SEO expertise.
Active vs. Passive Targeting in Keyword Strategy
Keyword research, management, and strategy play essential roles in both SEO and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns. Nevertheless, it's crucial to recognize that the tasks and criteria involved in selecting keywords differ somewhat between these two marketing approaches.
One significant distinction lies in how PPC campaigns need to consider close variants rather than rigid syntax. Close variants encompass slight variations in keywords as well as implied terms, which can significantly impact the effectiveness of your PPC efforts. Let's explore this concept with an example:
Suppose you're running a PPC campaign for a travel agency, and you bid on the keyword "luxury beach resorts in Bali." In this scenario, your ad might be eligible to show up for various related search terms across different match types, such as:
"5-star beachfront hotels Bali"
"[specific location] Bali resorts"
"luxurious beach accommodations Bali"
In the realm of PPC advertising, advertisers are primarily concerned with several key factors:
1. Auction Price: Is this keyword the most cost-effective option, and does the potential return justify the costs incurred?
2. Competitiveness: How many other advertisers are competing for the same keyword variant?
3. Inclusivity: Does this keyword variant capture the various ways users might search for my product or service?
4. Structure: Does the selected keyword fit seamlessly into my overall ad campaign structure, or does it necessitate significant adjustments?
Considering these questions during keyword research is pivotal to ensuring that your efforts effectively translate into successful PPC campaigns.
The decision between actively targeting specific keywords and passively targeting them through close variants ultimately hinges on factors like cost, competitiveness, and search volume.
Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) represent a valuable tool in the PPC arsenal. These campaigns rely on Google or Microsoft's automated crawling of your website to generate ad headlines and select the best landing page based on the user's search query. The efficiency of this process serves as an indicator of your site's SEO performance. If DSAs struggle to generate relevant categories, it may be necessary to refine your tagging and site structure.
Leveraging DSAs can be advantageous for several reasons:
1. DSA campaigns provide insights into how potential customers search for your products or services.
2. You can cover a broader spectrum of your business with a single budget.
3. SEO investments can yield additional returns through DSA campaign performance.
You can set up DSA campaigns either as stand-alone efforts or as additions to existing campaigns. It's worth noting that Google Ads allows for mixed campaigns, whereas Microsoft does not. If you import Google campaigns into Microsoft, remember to separate DSA campaigns from the rest.
Conversion Tracking: Gaining ROI Insights from a Singular Source of Accuracy
Conversion tracking plays a vital role in understanding the return on investment (ROI) of your campaigns. Google Analytics is a valuable tool for tracking conversions across various marketing disciplines. As an SEO expert, you may already be familiar with using Analytics goals and events. Advertisers have a choice between using ad platform-specific conversion tracking code or importing data from Google Analytics.
Opting for Google Analytics is generally preferable for the following reasons:
1. Ensures consistency in reporting and valuation of conversion events.
2. Eliminates the need for additional tracking code on your website.
3. Offers flexibility for tracking more advanced conversion events.
4. Aligns with advanced attribution models, moving away from last-click attribution.
By leveraging analytics attribution models, you can maintain a consistent source of truth for all reporting and incorporate conversion modelling into your overall analytics strategy.
Optimizing Landing Pages: Navigating Users Toward Conversion Success Without Compromising SEO
When it comes to landing pages, there's a significant shift in strategic thinking between SEO and PPC. In SEO, content richness and navigation bars are critical for technical SEO gains. In contrast, PPC demands focused content that directs users toward the desired conversion action with minimal distractions.
One effective approach is to direct PPC traffic to a subdomain. This allows you to adhere to the stringent engagement rules of PPC while safeguarding your SEO efforts. Additionally, be mindful of Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), which can affect the quality score in PPC. It's essential to ensure that on-page CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) elements do not trigger too quickly, ideally waiting at least five seconds (or ideally eight or more) before initiating any shifts.
In conclusion, it's essential to recognize that SEO strategies can complement PPC efforts, and there's no need to start from scratch. However, it's crucial to separate landing page experiences and maintain a single source of truth for conversions and reporting across both SEO and PPC campaigns. This strategic approach ensures a cohesive and data-driven marketing strategy for optimal results.
