Pay Per Click (PPC) is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing forms of advertising and will only continue to grow. Why is this? It's because of the transparency that it provides. You are no longer wondering if your advertising efforts are working, when done properly you will know exactly if your campaign is successful.  

But what happens when you start with PPC advertising and you feel as if nothing is working? 

Here are a few ways for you to know whether or not you are wasting on money on PPC advertising.

Don't Focus On Just One Metric

Often times people look at Pay-Per-Click ads and only think about conversions. There are so many different variables that make a campaign successful besides conversions. Conversions are the end goal but overlooking brand awareness through impressions, website traffic clicks, social media page builds are just a few things that should have some of your focus.

The biggest thing most people overlook is the education you gain for your business. Knowing what works for your business and what doesn't provides value and insight to future campaigns. This is when using pay per click marketing companies prove their value. 

Not Using PPC Match Types

If you are running a campaign and you aren't using keyword match types, you are likely wasting your ad spend. Take a review of your account and see if you see the following symbols: ", [ and +

If you don't RED FLAG! These symbols represent match types, which are ways to target your keywords.  Learn more about match types and why Google recommends them here!

Understanding The Basics

Do you understand what CPC means? CTR? Impressions? Conversions? These are all basic metrics used within PPC platforms that if you are running the campaign yourself, you better have a clear understanding of what each of these mean or you could be throwing money out the door. 

If this is something you want to learn yourself, Google offers plenty of certification exams as well as help and FAQ forums to guide you in the right direction.