When managing PPC campaigns, it can be easy to get bogged down in the day to day management of the accounts and overlook critical areas that impact the overall performance. Too often, we see complacency settle in as PPC accounts seem to run along smoothly – meeting the goals that were originally set at the beginning of the project. But, if you were to step back and take a subjective look at the data – you will most likely discover certain issues that are being masked by the so-called success of the account as a whole.

This is why it is important to conduct an audit of PPC accounts quarterly or bi-annually. While these can be time consuming, the insights learned from a correctly run audit will have an impact on the performance of the account that will ulitmately, surpass the resources that are put into it.

An audit needs to first take a step back and review the initial goals and success metrics that were established. Have these changed since the PPC account was created? Are there additional goals or metrics that have been created that need to be taken into account?

Confirming or reestablishing the goals and success metrics will provide the basis for the completion of the audit and to answer these questions.

Now, if you have determined that there are additional goals or success metrics that need to be factored in, it is time to evaluate how the PPC account has been performing. This is a four-step process that analyzes the keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and account structure.

Keywords: In evaluating the keyword performance, you should ideally base your analysis on the previous 3-4 months worth of data – taking into account any seasonality that typically occurs. The report you pull should include impressions, clicks, cost, conversions, average position, and bid amount. 

Calculations for click-through rate, cost-per-click, conversion rate, and cost-per-conversion must also be considered. When appropriate, it should include the conversion value and return on advertising spend.

You can then evaluate each keyword based on the goals and success metrics that have been established. (Hint: It will make your life much easier, if you’ve created a pivot table based on the raw data … before you begin your analysis).  This will tell you which keywords are working well and which are not, but that is just the beginning. Just because a keyword isn’t performing well, does not mean that it’s a bad keyword.

To fully understand, you need to look at the big picture and take into account all the factors at play. Some areas to look at include:

• the average position
• the ad copy
• the landing page that each keyword is using
• your Web analytics data to evaluate the behavior of visitors that are coming in on those keywords

Ad Copy: The ad copy is the next step in the audit. In order to do this, you’ll need a report that details the impressions, clicks, conversions, CTR, and conversion rate for each ad. Based on your analysis, you should be able to determine what ads are underperforming and determine if they are not working because of poor copy.  Poor ad group structure that combine keywords which need to be separated out into their own ad groups can also deter your performance.

Landing Pages: The next step is to analyze the landing pages that are being utilized. In order to do this properly, you’ll need to pull reports for each landing page that is being used from your Web analytics package.

Doing so, will allow you to understand what visitors are interested in when they get to the landing page or if uninterested are bouncing immediately after getting to the page. Understanding the links they click on and the content they are consuming, will allow you to rework the landing pages and begin testing variations.

When analyzing landing pages, it’s important to take into account the keywords that are driving visitors to the page and the ad copy that is being used. These all play into how a landing page will perform in case your ad copy may not be promising something that may be delivered on the landing page.  Or, there may be keywords that drive traffic but are not relevant enough for the current landing page copy.

By doing this analysis, you may find that your ad copy needs to be reworked, that you need to rework your landing pages, or that you need additional landing pages that speak more directly to certain keyword groups.

Account Structure: Once you’ve completed the previous three tasks, you’re now ready to evaluate the overall account structure. Using your findings, you’ll be able to determine if new campaigns need to be created.  If additional ad groups need to be created within existing campaigns … what are the areas to expand your keyword list and what are the areas to enhance ad copy changes that need to be made?

Implementing these changes will improve the performance of the account by creating more targeted campaigns and ad groups that speak directly to the needs of the searchers who will be exposed to your ads and your site.

Conducting a full PPC audit every quarter or biannually will eliminate the tendency to become complacent.  You’ll find the hidden problems that – when corrected – will allow the PPC account to not just meet your goals but to exceed the goals that have been created.

Related posts:

1. What’s in a Search Audit?
2. The Digital Marketing Audit
3. The Analytics Audit: Is Your Data Accurate?
4. Steps to Create a Successful Campaign
5. Lessons from Google’s Landing Page

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