The Complete PPC Management Checklist

How to manage a pay-per-click advertising account from keywords to networks to everything in between.

I’ve been personally managing PPC/SEM/paid search campaigns continuously for almost 7 years now. There’s a lot that’s changed since 2008, but some things have not. A few months ago, I put together a checklist to help manage my PPC clients.

Hopefully, it can be helpful to you guys as well.

Structure & Setup

Account setup

• Verify account is tied to email address for notifications.
• Tie Google Analytics to Google AdWords.
• Tie Google AdWords to Google Analytics.
• Tie Google AdWords to Google Webmasters.
• Verify billing is tied to appropriate credit card(s).
• Verify AdWords autotagging is on.

Account structure

• Create clear, understandable campaign structure.
• Create clear, understandable group structure within campaigns.
• Establish clear naming conventions in campaigns and ad groups.
• Create a branded campaign with branded keywords and targeted ads.
• Set budgets to meet account spend goals.
• Set ad group default bid to ensure minimum exposure.
• Complete custom keyword research based on AdWords Keyword Planner & SpyFu competitive research.
• Verify all keywords have the default ad group bids to ensure minimum exposure.
• Weigh budget towards search, then remarketing, then display campaigns.
• Use maximum of 20 keywords per group.
• Build new campaigns if some groups/keywords need more exposure.
• Build new groups if some keywords need more exposure.
• Pause campaigns with high CPAs over a long time. Relaunch new streamlined campaigns.
• Start with broad match modified keywords. ex. +pet +boarding + austin (NOT pet boarding austin)

Networks

• Verify network-specified campaigns. ex. Search-only, Display-only
• Create remarketing lists in Google Analytics.
• Create a remarketing campaign for each account when it makes sense.
• Create a Shopping campaign / merchant center for ecommerce sites.
• Display campaigns focused on category-only, topic-only, managed, automatic, etc.
• Verify no managed placements in the automatic campaigns.
• Verify no keywords in managed placement campaigns.
• Review to see if display campaigns have new targeting options.

Network expansion                                                                   

• Expand to Bing Ads when there’s budget opportunity and acceptable CPAs.
• Expand to Facebook and Facebook remarketing when there’s budget opportunity and when it makes sense.

Campaign settings

• Geolocation: target the right location for client.
• Exclude geos that client does not want to target.
• Increase/decrease bids based on well-converting geolocations.
• Check advanced geo settings.
• Default to People in, searching for, or viewing pages about your targeted location
• If there’s an issue with non-targeted traffic, change to: People in your targeted location.
• Ad scheduling: verify ads are running at the target times.
• Set bidding to manual bidding.
• Mobile bids: Bids should be high enough to target mobile devices in positions 1-2.
• Ad rotation: Rotate indefinitely to test ad copy for 90+ days (unless there are no A/B split tests).
• Language: Target more than English, if it makes sense.
• Day/Hour Parting: Review conversions.
• Remove or bid down on least optimal times.

Tracking

• Ensure the correct tracking parameters are added to non-AdWords final URLs.
• Verify call tracking is installed and working.
• Verify the best goals are being tracking in Google Analytics.
• Test conversions if goal tracking has stopped tracking conversions.
• Verify Google AdWords is pulling in GA conversions.
• Verify conversions are not being double-counted.
• Verify other search engines are showing conversions.
• Install GA ecommerce tracking for ecommerce websites.

Monitoring & Optimization

Budgets

• Budget checks 3-5 times per month.
• Verify budgets will not overspend or underspend monthly client goals.
• Balance budgets between campaigns to improve total conversion volume / lower CPA.
• Reduce budgets on active keywords if campaigns budget caps are at limit.
• Increase budgets on low impression share but good average CPAs.
• Decrease budgets (or pause) high CPA / no conversion campaigns.
• Shift campaign budgets to best CPA campaigns.
• Advise client on budget impression share opportunities if campaigns are converting.

Keyword review & bidding

• Review keywords with low CTRs, low QS, and no conversions to move to more appropriate groups.
• Make sure all the keywords are housed in the correct ad group.
• Remove duplicate keywords using duplicate keyword checker in AdWords Editor.
• Review quality scores. Export active keywords and record average of all quality scores.
• Pause or lower bids on keywords with very low CTR.
• Pause or lower bids on keywords without conversions.
• Pause or lower bids on keywords with low QS (1-3).
• Pause low search volume keywords unless they have clicks.
• Raise bids on well-converting keywords.
• Adjust bids on mobile at campaign & ad group level to keep mobile in position 1-2.
• Verify ad position is high enough for converting keywords.

Negative keywords

• Add obvious negative keywords, usually in exact and phrase match form.
• Review negative keywords periodically.
• Review negative keyword lists to make sure relevant keywords aren’t negated.
• Review search query reports for new negative keywords to add to campaigns.

Keyword expansion

• Review search query reports for new keywords to add to campaigns (in AdWords & GA).
• Fresh keyword research with AdWords Keyword Planner & SpyFu to improve exposure.
• Utilize all appropriate match types: broad modified, phrase, & exact (no broad match)
• Add exact & phrase match keywords with more interest. ex. [pet boarding austin] & “pet boarding austin”
• Add more broad match modified keywords for high-interest search queries per search query reports.

Remarketing review

• Verify remarketing campaign is getting impressions and conversions.
• If no impressions, adjust settings on remarketing lists in AdWords or GA.
• If no conversions, review settings.
• Bid up if remarketing campaign is getting conversions at a good CPA.
• Create new remarketing lists if remarketing campaign is performing well.

Display review

• Review placement report for automatic placement campaigns.
• Delete non-performing placements from automatic campaigns.
• Promote performing placements to managed placement campaigns.
• Do NOT launch managed placement campaigns without testing placements first.
• Remove all mobile placements from display campaign.
• Add image ads for each size to every display campaign.
• Add relevant negative keywords to all display campaigns.

Ad copy

• Include most relevant, understandable copy in each line of the ad copy.
• Connect emotionally with prospect with ad.
• Include primary keyword or emotional hook in headline.
• Test dynamic keyword insertion in headline, description lines, or display URLs.
• Include relevant, benefit-laden description lines.
• Include call to action in description line 2.
• Include primary keyword from group in ad copy.
• Verify display URLs have keywords in them, if possible.
• Launch mobile ads with mobile calls to action.
• Review competitor ads to ensure our ads are still compelling.
• Implement new ad copy in higher volume groups first / roll-out to other groups later.
• Split tests: Create two different ad messages to test / test two different call-to-actions.
• Keep 2 ads running in all active ad groups at all times for continuing split tests.
• Review ads for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and symbols.
• Verify ads are running current & compelling promotions.
• Review disapproved ads / adjust and relaunch ads.
• Ensure all current final URLs are active landing pages (no 404 pages)

Ad Extensions

• Check that the PPC campaigns have all the appropriate extensions for the business.
• Launch/verify location extensions for each campaign.
• Launch/verify at least 4 sitelinks in campaign-level sitelink extensions.
• Add more sitelink extensions if there are more compelling offers/pages.
• Launch/verify app extensions.
• Launch/verify call extension and call forwarding.
• Launch/verify review extension.
• Launch/verify social extension.
• Launch/verify callout extension.

Landing pages / Final URLs

• Verify important landing page factors are above the fold: relevancy, matched expectations to search query & ad, trustworthy site, low time commitment for visitor, clear action to take, and obvious next steps
• Verify all ads are being pointed to the most relevant landing pages.
• Include prominent phone number in header.
• Remove unnecessary form fields.
• Review final URLs in GA to verify good engagement. Make adjustments as necessary.
• Review landing pages for useful content, ensuring it delivers on promise of the ad.
• Strong calls to action as needed for the type of business or offer.
• Keywords from ads should be used in the headline and copy of the page.
• Easy navigation, and a speedy page load time.
• Verify mobile-friendly pages.