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Setting up PPC Campaigns 101, Part 1

By Ron Jones, Search Engine Watch, Mar 16, 2009

Are you starting your own PPC campaign and want to know how to get everything set up for optimal efficiency? Or have you started a campaign and realized that you're in a little over your head and need to make some adjustment to get things on track? In this two-part article, we'll go through a step-by-step process for setting up PPC campaigns.

If PPC advertising is of interest, you should also check out SEW Expert David Szetela's Profitable PPC column. It's a great resource on paid search advertising.

Google AdWords

I recommend working with Google AdWords first. Once you get your campaign set up correctly and performing strongly in AdWords, then you can duplicate and apply to other PPC networks.

AdWords provides some great tools for optimal setup. The new AdWords Editor program significantly helps the setup process.

Also, we'll bypass the use of the AdWords Starter Edition, as it isn't the best approach to setting up your campaigns. Follow the steps below and you'll have what you need for an optimal setup.

Content Structuring

It's always a good idea to make sure you have a good understanding of your goals and objectives before you begin. What's the desired result? How will success be measured? What works for one company may not work for you, so revisit your goals to ensure a custom fit throughout this process.

Let's begin with a process to compartmentalize content into distinct themes.

One approach is to start with core keyword phrases and then branch out into phrases that offer more detail. For instance, if you sell bicycles you should start with "road bikes" and "mountain bikes," then branch out into more descriptive subsets or features, like "inexpensive road bikes" or "pro mountain bikes." Kind of like a flow chart or a tree structure. You'll be creating an ad group for each of these sub-themes.

Another approach is to develop your themes around a persona. This approach is designed to "convince the searcher that the site linked to the ad probably leads to the satisfaction of that need/desire." One tool that you might find useful is the Permutator.

Be careful not to fall into the trap of dumping all your keywords into one or two broad campaigns. This will dilute the value of each of the keywords in the campaign, blur the relevance, and get poor quality scores. It will take more work to create more campaigns, but I can say from experience it's worth it.

Finding the Right Keywords

Now that your campaigns and ad groups are organized into themes, it's time to identify the right keywords for each ad group. Use one or more keyword tools of your choice to identify these keywords. Don't forget to develop a list of negative keywords as well.

Campaign Setup Mechanics

Now it's time to set up your PPC account. For purposes of this article, let's assume you're setting up your campaign in Google. Refer to their instructions for basic setup. No need to go into great detail here. However, there are a couple of notable points.

As you begin your setup, uncheck the content network. This can be useful, but not in the beginning stages of your campaign.

Next, make sure you set up the optimizer so that your ads will be tested against each other, which will help you find out which performs best. For more specific details on proper settings, check out "Creating PPC Campaigns: the 'Live or Die' Settings."

In Part 2, we'll continue this process by learning about negative keywords, setting up ads and ad groups, and finally launching your campaign, measuring and tweaking.

Join us for Search Engine Strategies New York March 23-27 at the Hilton New York. The only major search marketing conference and expo on the East Coast, SES New York will be packed with more than 70 sessions, including a ClickZ track, plus more than 150 exhibitors, networking events, parties, and training days.

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Biography

Ron Jones

Ron is President/CEO of Symetri Internet Marketing, which provides strategic SEM consulting and training. Ron is actively involved in the SEM community and speaks at conferences and seminars, as well as hosting regional SEM events where he provides participants SEM training and education best practices. Ron also serves on the Board of Directors for SEMPO and is also one of the authors for the SEMPO Institute Fundamentals and Advanced courses.