EP254 - PPC Pitfalls

0:00 Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of the PPC chat Roundup in today's episode. We have the amazing Julie bikini leading us on a very fun topic. I find this to be a fun topic, more some take it very seriously, but you always have to learn from your mistakes and you can get to a stage where you can look back at it and laugh and thankfully, my mistakes. Well, the ones I recall though the big ones I've made long ago that I can now sit and laugh of them. Anyway we are talking about PPC, pitfalls and He's talking about, yeah, the common mistakes that we've made how to tackle them how to comes about them, how to communicate about them internally and externally, and, you know, things we make sure that we put in place to ensure that we are not repeating on this takes. I feel like these are the kind of things that we should think about not just in the PC World, but in our general life anyway. So hope you enjoy us going through some of our previous work.

0:56 Trauma. So, sit back and enjoy. Hello and a warm. Welcome to this week's episode of the PPC chat. Round up a podcast way. I round up the Twitter discussion that happens on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. GMT. I'm your host, a new and I'm recording from my studio here in London UK. And I use this platform to share, not just expert but also my ideas and considered best practices above paid media and the direction, the the industry is going in. So if you want to keep up to date with my tips and tricks in the industry, and get the latest on the podcast, that has been called your go to even if you don't make it to the PPC chat live discussions.

1:41 And even if you do then like polish and retweets on, that's right. Twitter with my handle the marketing, a new or join us on our LinkedIn Group, which is bpc chat, Roundup podcast. And if you're on Instagram, why don't you check us out at PPC, chat on the school. Round Up to get courts and Snippets from previous episodes, so yeah. Today we go through the front reminiscing, back onto a lot of us more earlier in our career, maybe some of us maybe not so far. Back in our career talking about our PBC pitfalls and things that we have regretted doing and hope to claw back out and learn from. But yeah, we've got quite a bit of a community head during this today. You know, you'd being very transparent being, very open to talking about.

2:26 Yeah, honest mistakes that they've made and how they get over it. We got The likes of Julie advice Boris Becker's. Well, joins us Melissa McKee as well. Joins us. Yeah, I think I'm Fraser Andrews and actor joins us as well. Go guy called box hoping that's a new name on the community to have but yeah, quite a few of us joining here to share our early career pitfalls. But before we get into the questions, as usual, we have Julie saying that this chat is intended for PPC, Professionals of all levels. And if you have something you want to share, please, do we are Length supportive Community, please don't be afraid to participate. Lurkers are of course always welcome to. So yeah let's get right into the front questions. Julie asks question one saying what are some examples of pitfalls?

3:14 You have encountered over the years if so what happened and what did you do? Missile response saying site, migrations and tagging they never go as well as you hope. Even if you prepare, I have a check sheet, a kind migrated on a Thursday, it double tracked it then. Didn't track at all and cpc's went through the roof due to bit strategies. I learned a lot and you lie response to that. Say my favorite is when they Deploy on a Friday. Never do this ever. It's a no-good terrible awful idea. It just ruins the weekend because you just know something is going to go off and then yeah just like well wasn't around to check it or chili. Stop anything down Patterson response to that saying. Yeah, I have a general rule to never roll things out on a Friday.

3:55 I learnt that quickly as well. Melissa is wealth goes rules to live by. Launching a Friday responding to question one. Travis girls, the top pitfalls of frustrations of encountered are one URL changes, without comms, very common to a poor plug-in installs that effectively, break standard tracking degraded data passed back to Google ads, and three debating over attribution namely between Google ads GA and third party platforms. And then Alex packs response, question once a also, oh, geez, remember, accidentally booking audience, Has as observation and targeting and that was the default. Why and wondering why nothing is serving happened to me in my first two weeks on a big, big, big client to the wording of.

4:41 That was so bad and confusing. He continues our also, once had Annie calm client, whose Magento implementation was. So messed up, when I tried to pull a product feed the entire website, went down lord. And then finally, they say website team or implementing stuff on Market. Teams landing pages without notifying and tracking breaking. It's always acting tracking breaking and that sales not using Salesforce correctly, putting wrong lead status and never updating. So yeah, a cacophony of Errors there Melissa Markey has wealth goes in accurate tracking is a big one. You get B strategies going and then find out tracking was broken or not measuring the right thing. And she continued saying this can be tough to diagnose, have to get it right it around.

5:29 And and then restart all your bit strategies, Etc. And then I said that, yeah. My favorite to remember in terms of early in my career is when I set a CPC to be 20 pounds on a competitor campaign. So compared to the campaign's, instead of 20 pence because yes, you don't want to be spending 20 pounds on a very ineffective, low quality score already campaign. So that was a big mistake my manager flipped as well, but I was very honest about saying that yes, he was a mistake and it was also at this Me when I'd already given my notice and I was leaving. So he thought I was trying to screw things up and be like. Yeah, I don't, I don't care anymore. I'm leaving. Anyway, so let's put competitor campaigns on 20 pounds. It's seriously was not the case.

6:12 It was an honest mistake. Why wouldn't I was honest about that but it just so happened that we were under spending on that account and so that overspend actually help balance things out and when he noticed, he kind of chilled out straight away and it's like, oh look, yeah, spending is actually now looking good because obviously with a agencies it's always a case of or even like marketing department is always a case of. We have to make sure that we spend. We always trying to spend the budget that we're giving because then you're not spending it with my. Our budget might decrease the next year, when we don't want to do so yes, it's always a weird one where you're spending money. You actually can't spend anyway, like I continue saying that so glad automation has made that kind of mistake close to Impossible now close to Impossible because I likes then response. Saying that I realized that Google will happily set a CPC from $2 to $20, but if I wanted to change it from $2 to 20, pence, I have to verify.

7:10 It's really me with a 2fa occurred. So that's like, yeah, trying to use multiple ways of actually logging back in to confirm. You are the person that wants to make that chain. That's quite ridiculous. Julie also gives her example of a mistake saying, when the client changes, the URLs, for the ad destination Pages without telling you. Is a classic Microsoft ads used to have a very confusing setting for geography that made it super easy to show. Add way outside. Your target areas did that, by accident wants wants to and Boris response to that same. How'd that happen once when I was working on a team handling, a big Airline. You would think corporations have these things sorted, but knew Julia voice response. To question one saying honestly pacing, I run a lot of campaign flights rather than always And just getting it to balance out against plant, spend is a chore and they are in response to question one.

8:06 We have bugs replying, same generic keywords on phrase or broad match resulted in loads of bad leads switch. These two exact match. Much better quality leads. Now still use phrase and Broad for Less. Generic keywords mostly phrase though and yeah we have Boris. Becker can himself responding to question. One saying the usual tracking issues location targeting. One thing that happened to me once was when I did a copy and paste error on a lot of URL parameters and send traffic to a 404 page over the weekend, doing stuff over the weekend and Melissa. Oh my God, I was doing a book upload several years ago and screwed something up when I copy and paste it worked, the whole account had to tear it down and start over. Not find Lord for his country response. Yeah.

8:54 Hard least, I'm not, the only one know. Those kind of things have happened. Yeah, by tracking URL. And the like and Julie gives another answer to question. One saying website, Team new king, all the tagging is a classic to so you're feeling good, that you knew that website changes were happening and it's still all brakes because they just don't put the code and the new pages or put it in the wrong places. Such a headache to sort out and act as well response to question one saying a lot, few of those are data and accuracy learning phase re-initiation after any Change wrong Integrations double tracking wrong landing pages missing Integrations.

9:34 Yeah that's there's those are all a good list what? That is a good list and Julie then take some to question 2 saying that yeah we've already started talking about this but it does. Specific question is have you ever encountered issues with your client or Brand's website that messed up your PPC efforts or strategy? So yeah, in terms of what we have started talking about it and tracking issues when migration happens and Codes is not the same and all that kind of nonsense. Yeah, annoying. And she goes, if so what happened and what did you do? A missile goes. Yeah, if you're tracking is not working used at exclusions on your bed, strategies, for the days, it's not working.

10:15 This needs to be done daily as you can't do future dates, unless it has changed and if they fixed it. Wait until the First full clean day to stop. Exclusions. Travis goes, yeah. Common one is weakness of pdp's. He's shopping plus P, Max relying on their structured data, but they are not typically optimized. For called conversion, making them poor landing pages, that hinder conversion rate, you can't create shoppable landing pages. But this requires dedicated devil work rare for most brands Alex PX as well. Respond saying that already mentioned other teams messing up tracking since I'm corporate. It usually gets asked lated very high very quick and someone gets Can too and then it happens again.

11:01 And again, he continues our client had a landing page. That was just a JPG with text Lord and a contact form. Google did not recognize any contact on it. So quality score was incredibly bad material response in. I usually ask them to check the performance of all channels combined and we have Melissa Mickey responding to question to sing all the time. See my A1 tracking issues. Moving landing pages without telling us, deleting landing pages without telling us remove Moving tracking codes or cause giant headaches. Jimmy Rice response. I work with a lot of websites that change regularly forms, open and close, microsites open for campaigns and then close.

11:41 Keeping track of all is quite something. So, yes, I have my best advice, annotate your reports reminders, six months from now we'll help you Julie their response to question 2 saying already talked about changing your Ells or domains and nuking tracking. So how about Changing forms and using one that isn't using conversion tracking code. It can take some time to figure out there is something amiss. Do you live? I should suppose. Oh my God, we had the biggest longest fight, robust conversation about tracking, forms starts rather than completions, because it was just so obvious that we wouldn't have enough conversions for the platform media can't solve a process problem media can't solve A process problem.

12:30 That is so true. Ashton clock response to question. One saying inaccurate conversion tracking is a big one, especially when first starting or inheriting a project example, new client will say they're tracking is good when it's not. So we trust but verify what they say saves us from a lot of Hassle and uncomfortable conversations later on and then yeah. Boris Becker's want same prolonged server downtime changing URL structured. Without notice Goodwin is also human factor like sales teams, refusing to pick up the phone when a lead comes from Google ads because these are always bad and Weaver Minkoff response where to begin the.

13:15 She actually did give a begin actor, goes yeah, let's start with a low-hanging ones. I don't know why people don't just put that in. Let's see, we might start somewhere or like, oh, I have so many ideas, I have so many thoughts on this and they don't share. Are any of the thoughts? I'm like, guys, don't just tease, let us know. Anyway, she then goes on to question two, that's Reva. She goes clients changing titles of pages or Pages themselves generating 4 or 4S and therefore, breaking ad campaigns. Key is to have a good process and line of communication with those making the changes. So you hair in advance, and then she continues. Educating clients on tracking has helped us keep it top of mind to ideally, avoid situations. In West something is changed and it breaks the tracking at to respond saying, I was working with an econ brand, that was constantly, testing, new offers and products in the rush phase, I get fewer Communications and the ads keep spending same with the lead Jam.

14:15 The new form that we might be testing. Just disappears the second day and I am like shocked Emoji. Yeah some people just changing things on the site and not letting their paid search advertising. No, it's just Just so annoying bugs, then response to question 2 as well, saying a clients who insist on headlines without keywords, be still gets me that Google wants webp images on site, but that format can be used in ads. But then they want you to use Dynamic image extensions that pull images from your site. And then Julie takes us on to question 3 saying, what do you typically do things go sideways in one of your accounts or campaigns?

14:57 And if it was something that was Fourth, how do you handle it? I think my answer to this was some of the sort of start investigating were also speak to someone. I trust internally to help me stop panicking, first and foremost but also to help me brainstorm because yeah, you never know. So, another pair of eyes can, we'll know exactly what the problem is, what the solution is. And you have to get I've just gotten the state to not to be nervous about having made a mistake especially if somebody else can really quickly you know, the fresh pair of eyes. I see what the error was and it could be something that the client has even need to know about but you've been the case of where there was a bit of overspend. Yeah well you might want to tell the client and you know give exact reasons why it happened and things you've put in place to ensure that it doesn't happen again. As long as you're not repeating your mistakes, things can always be forgiven.

15:49 We're not saving lives here, we're not saving lives clench, monthly response, to question 3. Saying, the main thing I do is ensure the root cause is found it helps. Nobody buy junk. Being too quick to Quick, conclusions credibility gets hurt, Etc. Travis response saying there's always a reason. If there's not a reason showcasing, the doesn't things you've checked. Can go a long way to demonstrate troubleshooting ability and preserve trust above all communication early and often is the best part. I agree with that communicate often and you know, you'll probably expand on if you could have, but it doesn't always mean to the client. But communicate with someone do not just have the The mistaking, your head communicate with the trusted manager. Trusted is the key word, Alex, response, to question, 3 saying we recently said campaigns back to e, CPC because tcpa wasn't bringing in it, and that has improved performance a lot for mistakes Own.

16:45 It Implement processes, to make sure it doesn't happen again. He continues if something's going wrong with the campaign, check that the setup is solid or no accidental. Exclusions ad preview tool is great for this, except when it's Not we don't know why your ad isn't being shown. Don't forget to check tracking or test leads and then River response to question three saying, one acknowledged to investigate three own up for correct five, figure out a plan moving forward. So it doesn't happen again. Some really good steps. They're showing it in, he's always more important to look forward than Look Backwards and blame never solves anything. Sorry for shouting that allowed but yeah. Yeah, think about that.

17:30 Guy's blame. Never solves anything verse 10 response to question. 3 saying, I start with the most obvious things tracking, recent change history, try to isolate when things went South. If it's my fault, I openly communicate that usually if you're open about it and Implement a process. So it doesn't happen again. Clients are fine with it. Absolutely Julia voice response and I find communication is the most important. Step, finding out what happened and coming up with a solution. Is so important. I really like media onboarding for the client group, everything we do is self-service acute, a timing, all of it matters. So yeah, as I said start investigating and then tell someone and internal person, someone who will calm you down lives, an issue that the client will definitely notice let them know alongside the steps you're going to take. So yeah, basically what I want my answer was action or Clark response saying for sure, but luckily not too often. Most recently a client.

18:27 Didn't renew their security. Difficuit ads became disapproved for Destination not working so we pause dad service waited for them to fix and then submit it appeals to get everything running. Again, Dan Patterson response to question 3. Seen own up to it, explain what happened, and what I'm doing a to fix it, or what? I'm researching to figure out how to fix it. Julie respond saying, first figure out, what the heck happened or is happening, is it something I did or didn't do something the client ID, or a From issue always be proactive in communicating and take responsibility when it's my fault. Keep them updated. As you go, Boggs response saying, got to own it.

19:10 If it's your fault, honesty is key to a long-lasting relationship. If you see metrics deteriorating dig into it correlation, does not equal causation. But correlating metrics can often help you find the cause Melissa respond saying honesty and open Timely communication is key. In any case, if it's our fault, we own up to it immediately. The truth is always the best policy, Glenn, as well as respond saying, the main thing I do is ensure the root causes found. It helps Nobody by jumping to Quick. Conclusions credibility gets hurt Etc. Then Julie dead takes us. To question for saying, is there a particular aspect of PPC that tends to Vex you or be difficult or something? That is your Perpetual blind spot? I think especially at the beginning of my What used to be my Perpetual bind Sports?

20:01 Whether default settings when you're creating campaigns like the things like campaigns, default settings that were targeted to both search and display because I always found that those kind of campaigns never worked. And so sometimes I'll just forget to really fine tooth go through the through with a fine-tooth comb. Those settings. And those default settings used to catch me up. Travis then response to question forcing given that Google ads exists in an auction-based. Oh, system sometimes the cost to participate as much higher than we can forecast or survive. This puts Brandon up predicament, do we a continue searching for lower cost traffic or be allocated budget elsewhere, Alex respond saying, nothing really difficult but at the giant penis of the UI and the cluttered nest of the editor often make me miss really basic things and then we have Julie responding to question forcing.

20:55 I always triple check the budgets. I think you only have to have Had a typo in there. Wants to make that something you extra check. Yeah, I always check the budget. Always check the beds, especially with new campaigns what I'm setting them to but then bit strategies. Yeah, saves me from that birds for goes. I know people keep saying to test as ads Microsoft ads because apparently it's easy to drive incremental performance little additional work with the import straight from Google Etc, to be honest. Microsoft almost never does anything for my clients. Don't know. If it's me or the platform river goes, I really liked being have seen great results on our ads there especially on branded that were cheaper than Google.

21:39 It was conversion rates. Better was converging was the conversion volume actually there. Jamie Response Team. Think it depends on the industry for me in certain industries. I see great conversion, rates and others. It's dead. Nate Lewis goes Bing has been crushing it. Alex PX girls being performance varies greatly for me from week to week sometimes. It's super great of the times. It's like there was no such volume at home. What do you guys think? Bang, yay. Or nay Aston clock response. Question 3 saying position initiatives as a test or something that will build on makes it much easier to set expectations and discuss poor performance dig into specific campaigns or ad groups etc for root causes. I always like to come with a solution or plan, not just at the problem as the, incog then continues. Saying review, conversion tracking and discuss what the client is seen on their end.

22:34 Example, if leads are still coming through, we know it's a tracking issue, just be honest is point for. This didn't go as planned so we can revert to the previous way while we figure out the next move. This didn't go as planned. So I'm going to undo what the mistake that I did try to undo the mistake I did and this is how we make sure that we put safeguards in place for it to not happen again. Actors, like response question, 3 saying, first confronting that this is a mistake and not feeling over guilty about it. Being over judgmental is inversely proportional to what you learn from a failure, take the lesson I move. Here is what I'm doing recently.

23:14 I'm training multiple Freelancers from scratch. Giving them the eyes on how I look at an account and asking them to monitor it. On my behalf. Second automation, I automate a lot of what I think the automation also double checks, every action. So it up, Avoids mistakes. So, yeah, that's what I was saying in like, that's what I also said from my first answer, saying automation, at least also allows us to avoid those kind of, especially bids mistakes. Chili advice response to question forcing. I mean, budgets and showing negative keywords list are applied and not just sitting in the account. And honestly, also insights I find are getting harder, I get asked, what can we learn? And I'm like, most of your Search terms are other and it's summer now. So yeah, trying to get those insights Jill. Is an advanced question for saying here is one that is Sneak here.

24:03 If you're creating a new campaign and using another as the basis, either in UI or editor, double check, that all the parts are as you want them. Sometimes they are not. I used to kind of assume it all came across. But now I do not, I think that's someone similar when the default setting is on search and display for the same campaign and you definitely don't want that real men cough response question for saying confirm the budgets. Confirm them again. Checkmate Month that they haven't changed and then actor response to question for saying negative keywords find the winning angles for an impatient client while duplicating. The campaigns you can miss the changes of dating tracking templates for custom tracking, utm's removing any automation rules or scripts while duplicating the campaign.

24:49 And then Aston clock response to question, forcing tracking has been a pain more recently GA for Google tab changes. Attribution model updates privacy. Shins excetera have created a perfect storm that can be tough to navigate on top of all the other platforms or industry changes. And then our final question question, 5 Julie asked what do you think is the biggest potential Pitfall in PPC? These days a lot of the answers had to do with automation as was mine, but I'll get to that Travis response and in-demand captures in search. Many brands are price takers in demand gen through brute force of creative offers and lat Adding pages.

25:30 Some can engineer lower-cost traffic few appreciate this and Google ads. Get a rep for being too expensive can't compare apples to oranges and then Alice respond. Same product managers wanting to implement their plan of 100 percent growth at minus 50 percent cost per lead and - 70 percent budget every single year trust us when we say we can't deliver that many leads for that price. It's not that we don't want to get you. Those It's just impossible, Marcus wanting difficulty in setting up a proper tracking. We're still having issues with tracking way into this career. Well anyway, our way into doing digital marketing, no even integrate to Career just way into like digital marketing, I guess. Yeah, the whole ga4 is not necessarily helping Julia voice response to question five saying, it's all self-serve automation, that can't be turned off or controlled and the usual flood or drought campaigns.

26:27 Please run everything right now. 48. Weeks then, turn it all off. And explain the results. And yeah, and then explain why things didn't pick up as quickly as you'd like them to actor. Goes out. I hate giving explanations but that is what we do GTA Vice goes, I mean, insights are part of the remit even in very wonky campaigns flight. I just wish the platform's would make it easier, and I don't know about on off campaign, though. I never liked on of campaigns Boris. Becker sponsoring people, taking Google's word as gospel, applied recommendations, having display mixed. In this search campaigns Etc. And then yes, Derek Mullins replies saying meat and Tony, Hickman hobby of his is to bitch about this. You too will become fast.

27:09 Friends. Boris goes oh, I'm well aware of his hobby. I am be nice to meet you. So, yeah, that's know someone a guy I follow yet. Maybe Julie Dan response saying, I think the biggest Pitfall these days are in things that are being done for us by the platforms, like Auto creating assets, and how automated bidding can go wonky and get you. You a 75 dollar click that doesn't convert Lord. That is expensive actor response to that or and also to question five saying things that the brands do in the name of marketers needs to fill their pockets, it would be great if we can have more brand Representatives like a genie, Marvin AKA adds a Tad's liaison. If you want to follow her on Twitter, Melissa response to question five saying lack of visibility is a big Pitfall as is lack of control.

27:59 With automation, John Keegan response to question forcing scripts as 18 years deep and the space and Scripts, still evade me Ashton clock response to question. Five cent automation, especially for smaller or more Niche accounts. It should be tested intentionally, don't set and forget, give the machines guardrails like negatives and expect some bumps that you will have to correct along the way. John Kagan response to question, five saying lack of transparency, looking at UGA for and Pima, Max and I'd also respond. Yeah. In the same light on the same kind of area. As Ashton did saying that. Yeah thinking automation or a, I will always get it right as in that a big Pitfall where our biggest potential Pitfall in PPC, right now it will always be the pitfall since automation started being a thing, having full trust and assuming it will never break and it has all the data.

28:52 It needs to make the right decisions. Watch it work like a hawk hasn't tested tested against what, you know, and then Side test and learn test and learn test. The line should, always, always be a thing. And on that exciting note. I've never ended on one of my Tweets. We're, here you go. We come to the end of this chat. I hope you found that useful. I hope you feel a bit relieved that you're not the only one that makes mistakes. We're not saving lives here again, as I've said earlier on, so make the mistake learn from the mistake, but, you know, pick yourself back up, and get back on that horse. And just explain what you're going to do to ensure. Sure that you don't keep falling off the horse. So yeah. If you want to hear some of the sometimes, funny mistakes that we've talked about join us Thursday, where we'll be having the Twitter spaces. Chat led by Julie again at 5 p.m. GMT, 12 p.m. eastern time for any feedback about the podcast or maybe even some correction on anything that has been shed. Good do get in.

29:51 Touch with me on Twitter, my DM's are open on the handle, at the marketing, a new or a LinkedIn. We have the PPC chat group Which is the PPC chat Roundup podcast. It also be great here from for my long-standing, a brand new listings. To give the podcast of review to help the great strategy and just let people know that. Yeah, this is great podcast to follow great motivation for me to keep doing this. It is past midnight my time but yakkin, sometimes I want to take a break in between the end of the workday and starting recording and sometimes that break takes a long while anyway. So please do get on link tree.com forward slash PPC, chat underscore round up. It will give you the links, the links like Spotify Apple.

30:34 It takes seconds to leave a rating. Also, excited for PPC, live UK happening. Next week, we have four amazing speakers Adele side. There's Carlton, who is the MD of optimized? And we have a lady satoko rush to key or Lord. I hope I said that right all the way from Japan. She's going to be talking about click frequency and Jan. I forget his last name. He's going to be talking about As party data dot. The topics will be Microsoft ads. Is it all that? Des will be talking about responsive search ads, pain, to pin or not to pin and testing in there. You know, age of AI. There's going to be loads of interesting talks. There's going to be loads of interesting foods and drinks that.

31:17 I hope you enjoy. Please get your ticket go to PC live UK.com. I am going to be starting a competition tomorrow, giving away three or five free tickets in Aid of If people like yeah giving retweeting or following our page or doing something. Anyway, we'll see how that works out. But yeah, I love as many of you to come. It's not about the money to get only 20 quid, but it's about sharing this knowledge. This chats that we have on Tuesdays, we can week out sharing that knowledge in-person networking, you know, meeting the peoples in your PPC community that you chat with online and sharing your knowledge and realizing that some of these pitfalls that you Make some of the challenges that you're facing other people are facing it as well.

32:04 I know that nerd finally remember for your campaigns and businesses to Glide smoothly. There's a lot of hard work needed beneath the surface so keep your swans kicking by and speak to you next week.