When you are starting out with PPC for your business, there is so much advice out there to consider. Type ‘help with PPC’ into Google, and you get nearly 75 million results! However, some advice can do more harm to your campaign than good.

Here are five of the ‘best practices’ that we think are best left where they are.

1. Using broad matches

Broad matches are sometimes seen as the easiest way to get started on PPC, especially if you are short on time. You enter a keyword and get matches when people type that keyword or ones that relate to it.

However, the issue with broad match is that you can waste money on search queries that don’t relate to your business.

Broad match does have its uses, especially if you are looking for potential new keywords. However, you should watch your keywords closely and exclude any irrelevant ones as negative keywords.

2. Using automated bidding

PPC companies are currently pushing automated bidding on customers. While automated bidding has its uses, it can be harmful as you lose control over the process.

If you want to use automated bidding, make sure conversion tracking is set up on your website or app, and you know the goals you want your campaign to achieve.

3. Accepting recommendations

Sometimes Google and other PPC companies will make suggestions as to how you can improve your account. This can be anything from introducing new keywords, expanding your campaign to new audiences and increasing your overall budget.

However, bear in mind that the PPC companies have one ultimate goal in mind… they want you to spend more money!

Our advice is to always thoroughly review what is being suggested, don’t be afraid to say no and turn automatic recommendations off.

4. Using search and display together

When you set up your search campaign, you may be asked if you want to use display ads for your campaign too. If you say yes, your PPC system of choice will set up one campaign that utilizes both search ads and display ads in one.

If you want to use both search and display in your campaign, we’d recommend running separate campaigns for both. As both networks are so different, but are using the same options, you won’t be getting the best return on investment.

5. Spreading yourself too thin

When you have a new product or service to sell, it’s only natural that you will want to go all out on promoting it.

You might want to spend some money on Google Ads, a little money on Microsoft Advertising, a few dollars on Facebook… oh, and you’ve heard exciting things about TikTok…

With PPC, it’s best to think about your target audience and what you want the campaign to achieve. For example, if your target audience is the over-fifties, TikTok might not be your best bet after all!

Try one PPC channel first. If it’s successful and you’re getting a solid ROI, then you can consider another one.