{"id":31030,"date":"2017-03-16T17:28:31","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T17:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandignitybeta.com\/demo\/brandlatest\/2017\/03\/16\/residential-contractors-ppc-adwords\/"},"modified":"2017-03-16T17:28:31","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T17:28:31","slug":"residential-contractors-ppc-adwords","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/brandignitybeta.com\/demo\/brandlatest\/residential-contractors-ppc-adwords\/","title":{"rendered":"Residential Contractors: Don\u2019t Let These Common PPC Goofs Kill Your Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Residential<\/p>\n

Pay-per-click advertising<\/a> can change the game for small businesses when a campaign is set up and optimized correctly. This is especially true for residential contractors specializing in any trade. That\u2019s why I\u2019m always surprised when I hear any business owner claim that PPC just doesn\u2019t fit their business model.<\/p>\n

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The truth is, PPC can work for almost any contracting business<\/a>, as long as you dedicate the right amount of time it takes to diagnose weaknesses and continuously optimize your account. If you\u2019re new to the PPC game and want to get off on the right foot, it\u2019s important to avoid a few of the most common and money-wasting mistakes.<\/p>\n

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At the agency I work for, we deal primarily with Google Adwords, but many of these pointers will make sense for Bing search advertising users as well.<\/p>\n

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1st<\/sup> Mistake: You\u2019re Running Ads to Your Home Page (or Other Existing Pages)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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If you aren\u2019t creating dedicated landing pages for your PPC<\/a> campaigns, you\u2019re missing out on some serious conversions. Even if the pages you are using rank organically and have a decent organic click-through rate \u2013 that doesn\u2019t by any means indicate that those pages will convert paid traffic.<\/p>\n

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You need to create dedicated landing pages at the campaign level and if you have the time or resources, at the ad group level as well. This will ensure every one of your ads directs traffic to a highly relevant landing page.<\/p>\n

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That means if you own a home remodeling company, you create separate pages for kitchen remodeling, bathrooms and exterior remodeling. When it comes to driving paid traffic, you want to deliver the information people are searching for on the FIRST click.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve seen the addition of dedicated PPC landing pages double conversions in a matter of weeks, but you need to get those pages right \u2013 which leads into the second mistake.<\/p>\n

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2nd<\/sup> Mistake: Your Landing Pages Aren\u2019t Optimized for Conversions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Creating the dedicated landers is only the first step. The key to driving in more leads is making sure the pages are streamlined and optimized for conversions<\/a>. If you don\u2019t have an in-house developer and designer, I highly recommend shopping around for one. The investment will surely yield dividends.<\/p>\n

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Ok, so let\u2019s get into a few key aspects that make up an optimized landing page.<\/p>\n

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Content:<\/strong> Use your main headline to let visitors know exactly what you want them to do. It can be as simple as \u201cCall Now to Schedule a Free Kitchen Remodeling Consultation.\u201d<\/strong> Unlike your main website pages, you want to keep the content short. Just a couple paragraphs with bullet points.<\/p>\n

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Highlight specials, guarantees and make it easy for visitors to take action and contact your business.<\/p>\n

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Contact Form:<\/strong> I\u2019m personally a big fan of the top right contact form. I recommend putting a contact form in the header, on the right side. Don\u2019t include too many fields, especially required ones. Keep it to name, email, phone number and a comment section \u2013 that way the user can provide helpful details about the service they are looking for.<\/p>\n

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Example:<\/p>\n

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\"Construction<\/p>\n

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Design:<\/strong> When it comes to designing a paid landing page, make sure your phone number and the contact form are prominent. Other important design elements include trust icons, such as you\u2019re A+ rating with the BBB, or any other awards and affiliations.<\/p>\n

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Designing specials to look like coupons is also effective. Our minds are trained to think \u201cdiscount\u201d when we see those cutout lines, even when they appear on a computer screen.<\/p>\n

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3rd<\/sup> Mistake: Your Keywords Are Too Broad<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Google uses several keyword match types to determine which ads will appear when users search for certain keyword phrases. The most common match type is called broad match. Essentially, if you have all your keywords set to broad match, your ads will end up showing for irrelevant searches. If those irrelevant ads garner clicks that are highly unlikely to convert, you\u2019ll end up wasting your precious ad budget.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s an example of how a broad match keyword could hurt a local plumber. Let\u2019s say drain cleaning is a major part of a plumbing business. If you set \u201cdrain cleaner\u201d as a broad match keyword, your ads will start showing to people looking for drain cleaning products such as Liquid Plumber (you\u2019ll also want to add these products as negative keywords, which we will get into a little later on).<\/p>\n

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To avoid this, but still bring in relevant traffic, I like using broad match modify. By putting a plus sign (+) in front of certain words in your keyword phrase, you are making that word required, while still allowing other aspects of your phrase to show for synonyms or related terms. Here\u2019s an example.<\/p>\n

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+plumber drain cleaning contractor<\/strong><\/p>\n

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By making plumber a required keyword, you are telling Google that you want to attract visitors who are looking for a professional plumber, not a drain cleaning product you can buy at the store. Of course, this method alone isn\u2019t going to keep all the irrelevant traffic at bay. You need to use negative keywords to reach that end.<\/p>\n

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4th<\/sup> Mistake: You Aren\u2019t Using Negative Keywords<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Negative keywords<\/a> are exactly what they sound like. In the same way you add keywords that you want your ads to show for, you can input negative keywords. By doing this, you are telling Google that you do not want your ads served when certain phrases are searched.<\/p>\n

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\"negative<\/p>\n

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Not using negative keywords can cost contractors thousands of dollars in irrelevant clicks. Let\u2019s take a look at how not adding one negative keyword can jack up your entire account.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ll use the remodeling example again. Imagine you chose the keyword phrase: +Kitchen +remodeling in Phoenix, AZ\u201d and even added a few required keywords by making it broad match modified.<\/p>\n

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Now, when someone searches \u201cDIY kitchen remodeling\u201d your ad shows up in the top spot. The problem is that the person doing the searching has no intention of hiring a contractor and is looking for information on how to do the job themselves. If this person clicks your ad, you just spent money on a low-quality click.<\/p>\n

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This could have been avoided simply by adding \u201cDIY\u201d as a negative keyword.<\/p>\n

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5th<\/sup> Mistake: You Aren\u2019t Monitoring Your Search Terms<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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It\u2019s important to note that minimizing irrelevant clicks is an ongoing process. It\u2019s something you need to pay close attention to during the first few months your ads are running. Over time, you\u2019ll see irrelevant traffic coming far less frequently. The most effective way to determine how much irrelevant traffic your ads are driving is to regularly monitor the \u201cSearch Terms\u201d report.<\/p>\n

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This will show you which terms people are searching when they click on one of your ads. It will help you determine two crucial factors:<\/p>\n

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1: Whether your keywords are too broad<\/p>\n

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2: What phrases you need to add as negative search terms.<\/p>\n

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Using the search terms report is one of the easiest and most effective ways to phase out the bad traffic. You\u2019ll determine what phrases you need to add as negative keywords, which keywords you should pause and which ones are driving the most conversions.<\/p>\n

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6th<\/sup> Mistake: You Are Not Tracking Conversions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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We\u2019ve talked quite a bit about conversions in this article, and now it\u2019s time to talk about what they are and why you should be tracking them. Otherwise, you are pretty much guessing when it comes to determining your ROI.<\/p>\n

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Conversions<\/a> are basically leads. Your entire PPC campaign is set up drive phone calls or contact form submissions from your website. Once the call or form comes in, it\u2019s up to you to seal the deal. There are two major conversions every residential contractor should track.<\/p>\n

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Website Conversions<\/strong>: Let\u2019s say someone fills out the contact form on your website and is directed to a thank you page. That\u2019s a conversion because your PPC campaign just brought in a lead. To track this type of conversion, you need to create thank you pages and add Google\u2019s tracking pixel to that page.<\/p>\n