Mobile PPC is a lucrative traffic source for both affiliates and merchants, but only if done properly. It’s also a rapidly growing market – by 2015 mobile search is expected to surpass desktop search.
As a mobile lead generation consultant, every day I see companies wasting money on poor mobile PPC campaigns. These 5 mobile PPC tips can help you avoid the pitfalls and learn how to profit from this increasingly important traffic source:
1. If you’re running PPC ads on mobile search without a mobile website, don’t!
This point seems to come from the Ministry of the Bleedin’ Obvious, so why do so many brands spend so much money paying for clicks to a website that will never convert for them on a mobile device?
To save thousands a day would take them 10 seconds: Adwords > Campaign > Settings > Devices > Let me choose > Untick mobile devices with full browsers. Once you have a mobile optimized website, simply switch it back on.
2. Create a separate campaign for mobile within Adwords
Google actually recommends this. It allows you to:
Bid differently for mobile
Define a separate budget for mobile
Test different keywords
Use different, mobile-specific ads, for instance “Apply today on your mobile”
3. Keep your landing pages simple
Focus on what your end goal is and direct your visitors straight to that goal. Keep landing pages simple and ‘to the point’ with no clutter which could distract users. Be ruthless with this.
4. Lose the images
Keep images to a bare minimum as they affect load times, especially where a user is not using wifi.
5. Bid higher
Don’t be afraid to bid higher than traditional PPC, especially if you’re a lead gen affiliate – click to lead conversion can be 2 or 3 times greater with a mobile campaign. We have achieved 40 - 50% conversion from click to lead for nearly all of our clients.
Another reason to bid higher on mobile search is that fewer ads are seen ‘above the fold’. If your ad is hidden away at the bottom of a mobile search query it can take 3-4 thumb swipes to get to. Many people will never see it, but your ad has still generated impressions regardless. This has a negative effect on your CTR and hence your quality score.
source: affiliates4u.com
