Introduction
PPC auditing is the process of examining a PPC campaign to find and fix any errors that may be costing you money. It’s an important part of any successful PPC campaign and should be done regularly to ensure that your campaigns are running as smoothly as possible. By identifying and fixing errors, you can optimize your campaigns for better performance, and avoid wasting money on unnecessary clicks.
In this article, we’ll give you a complete guide to the PPC auditing process. We’ll cover everything from finding and fixing errors, to optimizing your campaigns for better results.
What Is PPC Auditing?
PPC auditing is the process of examining a PPC campaign to find and fix any errors that may be costing you money. It’s an important part of any successful PPC campaign and should be done regularly to ensure that your campaigns are running as smoothly as possible. By identifying and fixing errors, you can optimize your campaigns for better performance, and avoid wasting money on unnecessary clicks.
Why Is PPC Auditing Important?
PPC auditing is important for two main reasons:
1. To ensure that your campaigns are running smoothly and efficiently. By regularly auditing your campaigns, you can catch any errors that may be costing you money.
2. To identify growth opportunities. By identifying areas where your campaigns could be improved, you can make changes that will lead to better results.
And if you’re not regularly auditing your PPC campaigns, you’re likely missing out on both of these things.
Types of PPC Auditing
While there are many different types of PPC auditing, the two most common are campaign audits and ad group audits.
Campaign Audits
A campaign audit is a review of a single PPC campaign. It’s designed to identify any errors or issues that may be costing you money.
The campaign audit process typically includes:
- Review the campaign settings.
- Examining the campaign’s performance data.
- Identifying any areas of waste.
- Recommending changes to improve the campaign’s performance.
Ad Group Audits
An ad group audit is a review of a single ad group within a PPC campaign. It’s designed to identify any errors or issues that may be costing you money.
The ad group audit process typically includes:
- Reviewing the ad group’s settings
- Checking for keyword cannibalization
- Examining the ad group’s performance data
- Identifying opportunities for improvement
- Making recommendations for changes to improve the ad group’s performance.
Usually, when you’re doing an audit, you’ll want to start with a campaign audit. This will give you an overview of the campaign, and identify any major issues that need to be fixed. Once you’ve fixed any major issues, you can then move on to auditing individual ad groups.
How to Perform a PPC Auditing
Now that we’ve covered the basics of what PPC auditing is, and why it’s important, let’s take a look at how to perform one.
There are two ways to approach PPC auditing: manually or with an automated tool.
We recommend using an automated tool, like PPC Bee, as it will save you a lot of time and effort. However, if you don’t have access to a tool like PPC Bee, you can still perform a manual audit.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to performing a manual PPC auditing:
1. Start by reviewing the campaign settings. Check to see if there are any errors, or if anything looks out of place.
2. Next, take a look at the campaign’s performance data. Examine the click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), and conversion rate. Identify any areas where the campaign could be improved.
3. Once you’ve reviewed the performance data, it’s time to look for areas of waste. Check to see if any keywords are being wasted, or if any ads are being shown to people who are not likely to convert.
4. After you’ve identified areas of waste, it’s time to make recommendations for improvement. Based on the issues you’ve found, make recommendations for changes to the campaign settings, ad copy, keywords, etc.
5. Finally, implement the changes you’ve recommended and monitor the results. Be sure to keep an eye on the campaign’s performance data to see if the changes you’ve made are having the desired effect.
Tools to help with your PPC Auditing
While it is possible to perform a manual PPC auditing, we highly recommend using an automated tool. Automated tools like PPC Bee will save you a lot of time and effort, and they can help you find issues that you might otherwise miss.
If you’re looking for a tool to help with your PPC auditing, we recommend PPC Bee. PPC Bee is a powerful tool that can help you find errors, optimize your campaigns, and grow your business. Other than PPC Bee there are several other tools where you can perform the audit, including Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Woopra, StatCounter, GoSquared, or Chartbeat.
Whichever tool you choose, make sure it’s one that you’re comfortable using and that will give you the data you need to make informed decisions about your campaigns.
When Should You Conduct PPC Auditing?
Conducting PPC auditing is an important part of any successful PPC campaign. However, you don’t need to perform an audit every day. We recommend conducting an audit every month, or whenever you make significant changes to your campaigns.
Performing a regular audit will help you catch any errors that may be costing you money, optimize your campaigns for better performance, and identify growth opportunities.
PPC Auditing Checklist
You now know the basics to conduct PPC auditing, but there are a few things you should look for when auditing your PPC campaigns. Here’s a checklist of things to look for when conducting your audit:
1. Check your account settings
When auditing your PPC account, the first thing you should do is check your account settings. Make sure that your account is set up correctly and that all of your campaigns are aligned with your business goals.
2. Review your keywords
After you’ve checked your account settings, it’s time to review your keywords. Take a look at your keyword list and make sure that all of your keywords are relevant to your products or services. If you find any irrelevant keywords, remove them from your campaigns.
3. Analyze your ad copy
Once you’ve reviewed your keywords, it’s time to analyze your ad copy. Take a close look at your ads and make sure that they are relevant to your keywords and contain a call to action. If you find any ads that are not performing well, make changes to your ad copy and test again.
4. Examine your landing pages
Your landing pages play a vital role in the success of your PPC campaigns. Make sure that your landing pages are relevant to your ads and keywords and that they contain a clear call to action. If you find any landing pages that are not performing well, make changes and test again.
5. Review your bid prices
After you’ve examined your landing pages, it’s time to review your bid prices. Make sure that you’re bidding on the right keywords and that your bids are high enough to compete with other advertisers. If you find that your bid prices are too low, increase your bids and test again.
6. Analyze your conversion rates
The final step in conducting a PPC audit is to analyze your conversion rates. Take a look at your overall conversion rate and make sure that you’re getting the desired results. If you find that your conversion rates are low, make changes to your campaigns and test again.
7. Search Query Report
When conducting a PPC audit, it’s important to review your Search Query Report. This report will show you the keywords that people are using to find your ads. If you find any irrelevant keywords, add them to your negative keyword list.
8. Competitor Analysis
In addition to reviewing your campaigns, it’s also important to analyze your competitor’s campaigns. Take a look at their ads and landing pages and see what they’re doing differently from you. If you find any areas where they are outperforming you, make changes to your campaigns and test again.
By following these steps, you can ensure that your PPC campaigns are optimized for success. Regularly auditing your campaigns will help you catch any errors that may be costing you money and identify growth opportunities.
Tips to Get The Most Out Of Your PPC Auditing
Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your PPC auditing:
1. Don’t try to do everything at once. When you’re first starting, it’s important to focus on one thing at a time. Otherwise, you’ll quickly become overwhelmed and won’t be able to make any real progress.
2. Be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a successful PPC campaign. It takes time to learn what works and what doesn’t. Don’t expect to see results overnight, but be patient and keep working at it.
3. Be prepared to make changes. A successful PPC campaign is always evolving. As you learn more about what works and what doesn’t, be prepared to make changes to your campaigns.
4. Keep track of your progress. As you make changes to your campaigns, be sure to keep track of your progress. This will help you see what’s working and what isn’t, and it will also help you avoid making the same mistakes twice.
5. Get help if you need it. If you’re having trouble with your PPC campaigns, don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are a lot of resources available to help you, including books, online forums, and paid services.
By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to conducting a successful PPC audit. But remember, asking for help is always an option and it can even save you a lot of time.
Conclusion
PPC auditing is an important part of any successful PPC campaign. By regularly auditing your campaigns, you can catch any errors that may be costing you money, optimize your campaigns for better performance, and identify growth opportunities.
If you’re not already conducting regular PPC audits, now is the time to start. Use the tips in this article to help you get the most out of your PPC audit and improve your chances of success. Also, hiring an agency that specializes in PPC can save you a lot of time and energy. At 12 Channels we specialize in PPC and our team of experts would be happy to help you with your campaign. Contact us today to learn more!
