With generic searches these are going to drive huge volume through pay per click ads but they also have a high percentage of fact finding and information seeking people. Therefore you end up spending loads of money on PPC advertising (for searches which are still relevant for your business) but you don’t make the most of them. Here are my top 5 tips for maximising return from your Pay Per Click spend on such terms.

1.    Brand association against the information. I was searching for ‘property Wirral’ today and did so much fact finding. From the clicks that I have made today, I have taken the information away from the sites to use further down the line in the buying process, but there is little chance that I will go back to these sites that I clicked on to make a purchase. Why? Because by the time I understand what I am looking for I don’t know which site to thank for the information that has helped me get here! Another example, promotional merchandising is another very generic term which people will search to find out what promotional merchandise they are really looking for. Once they have used the information and help from people appearing under generic searches they then refine their search further and further down but very little chance it is with the information site that helped them understand things. Therefore, make sure your brand identity is strongly liked with the information provided on landing pages for generic searches.
2.    Quick enquiry form: With generic searches the searcher has a rough idea of what they are looking for but need guidance. Someone looking for ‘promotional merchandise’ will want merchandising of some sort but there is reason they have searched this instead of ‘promotional mugs’ – the reason is they don’t know what type of merchandising they want. So, put a quick enquiry form so that the company does the leg work in finding the searcher the best solution.
3.    Big telephone number: same as point 2 above but if someone comes through a PPC link and doesn’t want to enquire through the quick enquiry form they may well just want to pick up the phone. A generic search is a plea for professional help – “I know what I want but I need advice!” PPC landing pages for these searches need to be better to drive return, especially as you are paying per click. Get a bigger phone number on the site at the top and let the phone do the work.
4.    Give the searcher the information they are looking for – concisely! Generic searches are a plea for advice. Someone searching for ‘promotional merchandise’ could want anything from baseball caps to mugs and pens. They may also have a price range in mind, a number of units in mind, timelines for getting the goods etc. All of these need to be concisely displayed on the PPC landing page to gain maximum benefit in return. Keep it simple and give the user the info they are most likely seeking.
5.    Negative Research: continually running Search Query Reports on a weekly basis will always improve the targeted nature of the ad appearance. With this done the CPA will continually improve and you get better value for money.

These are the major points that have been brought up when managing PPC recently in the office, but is there anything else missing?

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