Most people think you need access to a PPC account’s log-in credentials to perform a PPC audit. It’s true that performing an audit from inside an account allows one to see the real performance and gain a better understanding of campaign positives and negatives. However, if you can’t wait long enough to get log-in information, here’s what to look for – from the outside – to determine how well a PPC campaign is performing.
#1 Check Branding, Ad Extensions and Ad Variations
For a PPC campaign audit without account access, check if the advertiser is bidding on its own brand name or website and find out if competitors are following the same practice. Check if ad extensions such as site links, location extensions and social extensions are being used for ads.
Find out if the same ad is being served all the time or are different ad variations being used (for branded and non-branded searches). Also, see whether ads are displaying distinct branding or registered trademarks.
#2 Inspect Ad Relevance and Value Propositions
White label PPC management experts examine whether the advertiser is showing for different keyword matches and long-tail keywords. Try using associate search terms to see if advertiser’s ads are showing up – this could mean that negative keywords are not being utilized effectively, leading to wastage of ad dollars. When you see the ads, inspect if they have unambiguous value propositions, USPs, an incentive or strong call-to-action.
#3 Examine Landing Page Effectiveness
PPC audit services providers check whether an ad is being directed to a dedicated landing page, home page or some other internal page on the website. A landing page should be relevant to the ad, provide USPs and a call-to-action. Observe if it has a persuasive call-to-action and an incentive a user will receive upon clicking it.
Is there a form that’s short and has only absolutely necessary fields in order to attract high-quality leads? Also, check for the presence of testimonials and trust indicators as this help establish credibility.
#4 Scrutinizing Shopping Ads
For e-commerce businesses, PPC campaign audit service providers check to see if the retailer or its competitors are using product listing ads and product extensions. They verify whether ads are being directed to appropriate product pages. They also factor in ad features such as Google seller reviews/ratings that help establish credibility and differentiate an ad from others.
#5 Compare with Competition
White label PPC audit professionals know it’s important to examine what competitors are doing to ensure their clients are not falling behind. For this purpose, they use competitive tools to determine how a client’s campaign compares to the top competition. Some key areas of analysis include ad quality, implementation of ad extensions, incentives or selling points and use of call-to-action on both ad and landing page.
The above is a checklist for reviewing a PPC account without logging in. For a more comprehensive PPC audit, get in touch with a professional PPC agency!
