PPC Strategies to Try This Year

The big question is: What’s trending for pay-per-click (PPC) marketing in 2021?

Buzzwords abound – a mixed bag of digital marketing predictions like “better responsive search ads,” “more automation,” “search engine diversification” and “mobile focus” dot the internet.

With consumers increasingly shifting spending online amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, now is the time to tweak your business’s PPC approach.

Fine-tuning your PPC strategy demands constant adjustment to changing market conditions, consumer trends, and Google directives. Surely you want top recognition amongst the 3.5 billion daily Google search queries. In an increasingly competitive world, squeezing the most out of your ad budget is a no-brainer. But with new PPC strategies emerging all the time, it can be difficult to know which are worth paying attention to.

Here are 10 PPC strategies you can try in 2021:

Tip #1: Bolster Content

Compelling content means understanding your audience: not just their wants and needs, but also where they spend money and time.

Consumers are becoming increasingly cognizant of originality, as more and more businesses turn to online advertising. Custom-tailoring content to be more in sync with specific consumer preferences, geographic areas, and niches will help distinguish your place in the market. Call it hyper-specific targeting or getting to know your exact demographic even more precisely with niche messaging – but it can help separate you from the pack as the number of competitors increases. Either way, pausing in 2021 to research your audience can only help your content.

A wide variety of opportunities exist for content-boosting:

• Landing pages
• Ad creative
• Link building
• Other search engines/platform PPC ads

If you’re having difficulty generating original content, consider outsourcing to a contractor with a vested interest in the particular field you’re working with or the demographic you’re targeting.

Tip #2: Automate to Save Time & Money

While human input will still be required, automation of PPC functions for intelligence-gathering will likely gain a foothold in 2021.

Evidence suggests that one of the biggest trends for PPC advertising in 2021 will be automation and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to streamline search engine marketing efforts.

What this means for businesses is that digital marketing experts will have more time for building PPC strategies instead of sorting through heaps of data. Be sure to ask just how much automation could save your budget as well as free up time to check off the other important things on your to-do list.

Tip #3: Keep Customers and Community First

As communities rebuild from the pandemic, businesses are finding creative marketing efforts that dovetail into community-wide recovery. Putting customers and community first can be a shot in the arm for public relations, and you just might gain clients and the support of your fellow business community while doing so.

Tip #4: Sharpen Your Marketing Precision

Precision target marketing is likely to remain an effective persuasion technique, and it’s important to constantly be examining your customers’ needs. As times change, consumer demands can shift.

Part of the beauty in PPC campaigns is the ability to target specific audiences with messages that hit home. Try adapting your messaging to do more than just sell a product – sell an idea that’s uniquely in tune with the changing times and customer needs.

Tip #5: Refine Keywords

Wordsmithing isn’t easy – but your business will thank you for it. Try refining your keyword list using the following suggestions:

• Add to long-tail keywords
• Edit/shorten short-tail keywords
• Locate keywords with poor performance – and fix them
• Modify bidding strategy on keywords
• Expand your negative keyword list

Tip #6: Be Flexible

Flexibility is at the core of survival in the evolving digital marketing-sphere.

As Google is predicted to limit search query data, restrict cookie-tracking and shift toward machine learning and data in 2021, it’s important to maintain flexibility.

Flexibility embodies taking your hands off the reigns and letting the technology shine.

Your marketing rep may be guiding automated bidding in place of direct control, as well as shifting his or her emphasis toward search query patterns, not search terms. This could mean more quality time spent on big-picture marketing planning efforts and less minutia.

The take-home is to engage new technology while remaining aware that your PPC marketing approach will likely change in 2021 – and beyond.

Tip #7: Be a Smart Bidder

As manual bidding becomes a thing of the past, smart bidding is taking over as a new norm. This machine-controlled automated bidding system utilizes machines to optimize conversions, saving marketers time and money.

Consider taking advantage of this new technology so your digital marketing efforts can focus more on strategies like analytics and SEO. While it’s always nice to have your hands on the wheel in manual bidding, automated bidding is something to look forward to in 2021 as a potential time and resource-saver.

Tip #8: Stay Social

Social media isn’t going away anytime soon.

In fact, today around 7 in 10 Americans use social media to connect with one another, get their news, share information and entertain themselves, according to a Pew Research Institute study.

Look for the standard paid advertising fare of Facebook and Google to expand in 2021 to include cross-platform advertising across other main channels like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

Keep a keen eye open for emerging social media platforms like TikTok, whose more than 700 million active users are only expected to skyrocket to 1.2 billion in 2021, according to Datarateportal.

Expanding your horizons to include a wider range of social media marketing channels can help focus energy on mapping consumer spending locations.

Tip #9: Plan for the Future

Digital marketing is constantly evolving, and it’s important to stay up-to-date. Set aside time to consult with your marketing experts or compile a list of to-do considerations heading into the new year.

Research efforts might include:

• Building brand awareness
• Video ad creation
• Bumper video ad creation
• Paid voice search advertising
• Visual searching
• Remarketing

Tip #10: Choose a Google Premier Partner

Google Premier Partners are best equipped to manage your online advertising and PPC campaigns. With a demonstrated knowledge in Google Ad accounts, premier partners have a proven, legitimate track record of meeting ad spend requirements, delivering agency and client revenue growth, and sustained client base growth.

Whether you’re a small business startup, nonprofit, entrepreneur or e-commerce retailer, leveraging the latest PPC strategies to your advantage could help save you time and money. SeoTuners can help. Call SeoTuners today for an affordable, personalized, and hands-on solution to your PPC strategies.