Get 4 PPC strategies straight from Google

Since digital advertising is always evolving, there’s a lot to keep track of.

• What’s new with search?
• How do you get pay-per-click ads to convert?
• Is there an optimal budget?

Our PPC team is here to guide apartment marketers through it all. Better yet, we connect with experts across the industry to deepen our insights and share them with you.

We recently sat down with Google to talk about paid advertising. As a result of that chat, here are 4 PPC strategies to help apartment marketers create winning campaigns.

Let’s dive in!

1. Know your audience’s search habits

Did you know Google gets 20,000 unique queries per day? That proves people have different search habits, which is important to consider when running pay-per-click ads.

It’s why you need to create unique, strategic ads based on the search habits of your target audience. Running ads without an effective strategy — one that considers the variety of searches — might not help you reach and win renters.  

Ad position matters, too. If you land a spot in the top three search results, it sends a positive message to renters. Google says 71% of people expect leading brands to be at the top of SERPs, and 36% associate placements with company prominence. All the more reason to have a strong PPC (and SEO) strategy.  

2. Structure your campaign around conversion goals

According to Google, you should create a single advertising campaign based on your specific goal. So, if your goal is to get renters to schedule tours via your website, that should inform how you structure your campaign.

Really, it means your campaign should be conversion-focused and highly targeted.

And there’s one more (very important) piece to consider: budget. Google recommends a daily budget that’s at least 1.5x the conversion goal, in order to consistently rank in SERPs. For example: If your goal is to spend $50 per conversion, your daily spend should be $75.

3. Try a Performance Max campaign

As Google puts it, Performance Max is the platform’s newest golden child. It’s a goal-based campaign type that uses AI to reach more prospects and drive conversions. Importantly, it lets you access all your Google Ads inventory from a single campaign.  

And get this: Advertisers who adopt Performance Max see an average of 27% more conversions.

When you build your campaign, Google recommends these best practices:

• Again, structure the campaign around your goal
• Set optimal budgets and bidding strategies
• Provide high-quality assets (especially video)

Courtesy of our PPC experts, here’s how to get the best results:

• Prioritize high-value actions when setting goals
• Analyze and optimize your audience signals
• Include clear copy and calls to action in each ad
• Target prospective renters based on location

4. Understand the feedback loop

The feedback loop is the signal sent back to Google when a user visits your website. There’s potential for positive feedback (when someone engages or converts on your site), as well as negative feedback (when someone bounces from your site).

Why does this matter for PPC ads? Well, if a renter clicks through to your site but leaves before engaging, Google might stop showing your ad. It takes the negative feedback as a disconnect between what that person searched for and what they got.

To avoid this — and send positive feedback signals to Google instead — your SEO efforts need to match your PPC efforts. When your website is optimized, you’re more likely to get renters to stay and engage.

Check out this case study

Want proof that these strategies really work? We’ve got the perfect client story! It’s a property in Kirkland, Washington (a competitive market), that followed expert guidance to create ads that convert.

They noticed a commonality with their leads — people going through relationship transitions — and wondered if they should target that specific audience. To test it, they created two new audience segments. The results confirmed those two audiences were worth targeting regularly.  

The objective: Use PPC ads to reach an untapped audience segment, in order to drive a higher return on ad spend (ROAS).

The opportunity: The property saw a significant number of leads came from people going through relationship transitions, such as divorce.

The new strategy: Create two audience segments for Performance Max campaigns. The new audiences included those with divorce-related interests and a history of browsing dating sites.

The results: Six months in, the new audiences accounted for 37% of total conversions and increased the ROAS by 400%.

The big takeaway: Talk to your PPC team, understand your target audience and be strategic with your ads.

Connect with our team

When it comes to PPC advertising, there’s a lot to digest, but we’re dedicated to helping you. Reach out if you have questions about PPC strategy. Our team will be in touch soon!

If you want a closer look at how PPC ads work, start here:

PPC advertising for apartments: What it is, how it works & how to measure results