The definition of PPC success can vary between marketers and stakeholders. During this week’s PPCChat session, participants discussed questions such as: How do clients or stakeholders currently define ‘success’ in PPC, and what are they focusing on? Have the key metrics for measuring success changed over time? What are some common myths or misconceptions about PPC success?
Today’s chat topic was inspired by this story on Search Engine Land, talking about Rethinking ROAS: https://searchengineland.com/roas-illusion-454361
Q1: How do you define “success” in PPC right now? Is your answer today different from what it might have been in the past and if so, how is it different and why?
I would say that success for clients is still getting them the best results most efficiently. So that has not changed, but what you have to do/deal with to try to achieve that sure has! @NeptuneMoon
I will also say that clients want more with less these days too and that can be challenging with CPCs and competition increasing. @NeptuneMoon
Agreed- either the client is achieving their goals or they’re not. If they’re not, the tactic is unsuccessful regardless of any front-end metrics/quality scores / etc. @revaminkoff
For me it’s still clients who make a profit from the leads I generate using Google Ads. On a more personal note, success is also helping other people make a profit from the ads they’re running for their business or for their clients. @Pete_Bowen
It’s volume and targeting for us. Everything is going so broad, my clients are super interested in how we slice and dice audiences and testing. I have a feeling recession-behaviour is a factor. When people are spending less, it’s time to start fiddling. @JuliaVyse
It seems like each client has such different needs and there are so many way to approach success in-platform (different campaign types, targeting, bidding, etc.) that my main metric is whether the client is happy. If they’re happy, I consider it a success. @robert_brady
Q2: How do clients or stakeholders define “success” in PPC right now? What are they focused on? Is your answer today different from what it might have been in the past and if so, how is it different and why?
Are they getting a good return on their investment from PPC? @revaminkoff
Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency. @NeptuneMoon
I think immediate ROI is becoming more important as we move closer to a recession and companies and consumers are both pulling back. @revaminkoff
I won’t say that has changed per se, as clients have always been interested in efficiency of their PPC efforts. However, when economies get volatile, that desire for efficiency gets coupled with one for safety and consistency. @NeptuneMoon
It’s all ROI right now. as they say, keeping it simple! @JuliaVyse
When times are good, the appetite for exploration and experimentation is also higher. Right now, it is more interest in things that we know work rather than expanding to new platforms or campaign types too. @NeptuneMoon
This is a great question. I agree with the previous comments about return and efficiency (and definitely seeing the “do more with less” mentality) @robert_brady
It’s simple—cut the cost per lead in half, and that’s a win. Boost ROAS every month? Even better. Sounds easy, but without solid awareness strategies, it’s a tough target to hit. @JuanDiegoRodrìguez
Q3: Which metrics do you use to measure PPC success today? Have those changed from what you used in the past, and if so, why?
Conversions still rule the day in search. And of course the cost per conversion. @NeptuneMoon
Goals haven’t changed, just heightened anxiety. @JuliaVyse
With the state of attribution being what it is – marketing efficiency ratio, net new customers, retention rate. Though some of those details may not be available to paid teams but we try to get the whole picture as much as possible.Different than just reporting on CTR, CPC, CAC & Conv Rate. @alimehdimukadam
This post on ROAS that I shared earlier was what prompted me to do this topic today. The author makes some really good point about going beyond the face value of a metric: https://searchengineland.com/roas-illusion-454361 @NeptuneMoon
Cost per qualified lead is my primary metric. I’ve been focussing on this for a few years so not much has changed. @Pete_Bowen
@NeptuneMoon – Thanks for sharing the article! I use ROAS as a first pass. Then look at Rockerbox to see the following: 1) How much volume I’ve lost that’s now being attributed to paid social, affiliates and SEO (it’s been as high as 40%), and 2) The ROI as shown in our source of truth (Tableau). I then adjust ROAS at the campaign level (up or down) to align with the backend. For short term, I’ll look at basic KPIs (CPC, CVR and CPL/A). If something’s off I start looking deeper (search term report and/or competitor actions). @JeffreyHain
ROI or CPA are still king, depending on the client and their space. @revaminkoff
In lead gen you’ve got to move past a simple cost/lead and get into the client data to know when leads are actually qualified. I am simply astonished at the amount of spam leads that come through (PMax, GDN & Meta are the likeliest offenders) @robert_brady
For lead generation campaigns, we use the cost per qualified lead as our main metric (once it’s been cleaned in the CRM). For sales campaigns, we focus on ROI. The rest are welcome metrics to help explain a campaign’s success. @JuanDiegoRodrìguez
At the beginning for me for client success, it was very much conversions and cost/con…now it’s about the funnel and how that develops into revenue…and linking that back to keyword/campaign success. @JoeWilliams
Q4: What is a common myth or misconception about success in PPC that you’d like to dispel?
Running ads = success* Without looking at landing page, copy and offer. @alimehdimukadam
If you spend more you can keep gaining more at the same efficiency forever and ever amen. If something works well on one platform it will perform just the same on another. There is only one way to do anything in PPC – this one is persistent and drives me nuts @NeptuneMoon
@NeptuneMoon – Agree 100%. The videos that worked on Meta and TikTok failed on YouTube. Got ~20+ sent over the transom and only one (barely) worked. @JeffreyHain
I think you should test things that worked well on a platform elsewhere, but also keep in mind how that platform differs so you can iterate to hopefully find success with root ideas from the other platform but tweaked for the new one. @NeptuneMoon
Not really a myth, but clients want to have 2019 back. Clients who have had Google Ads for years have this hope that we can somehow get back to the old CPCs, ROAS, etc…@Ichasse
Not all platforms are best for achieving the same goals – really need to make sure you’re matching the platform to the goals and budget of the client (and to the assets!) Yes, I wish I could get everyone their 2019 data back too – that would be nice. @revaminkoff
That once it’s working, you can just keep doing what you’re doing and continue seeing the same level of success in perpetuity. @robert_brady
Agree the videos needed to be tweaked, but there was no budget for creative, only for media. Go figure! @JeffreyHain
@robert_brady there is even less “set it and forget it” today than there was years ago, for sure! @NeptuneMoon
@JeffreyHain Maybe we need to do a chat on what it really takes to test new platforms. I am watching what is happening with DTC brands closely right now. I don’t do ecomm PPC, but seeing them come through covid and now running into an economic meltdown that targets much of what let them grow like gangbusters is really interesting to behold. @NeptuneMoon
It’s dire times for many DTC brands. @robert_brady
Between the end of ZIRP (zero interest rate phenomenon) which let them grow without being profitable and tariff chaos it is not pretty. @NeptuneMoon
Whether good or bad, everything literally is made in China, so yeah ecom is not having fun right now. Google had already made so many changes their lives were very different in ads. The good thing is there are other channels now and some industries can do better on the other platforms and limit their spend on Google. @Ichasse
Focusing solely on bottom-of-funnel investments might yield short-term wins, but in the long run, it starves the business of new customers and sustainable growth. @JuanDiegoRodrìguez
Q5: How do you define success for yourself in PPC today? Has that changed from what it used to be in the past, and if so, how?
I have been at this for 26 years in July… and what I have considered success has always been the same, but looked different. And what I mean by that is having a business that supported me but also fit around my life needs at each phase or stage of life. That has not changed – I still define that as success. But I have scaled up and down in my business more times than I can count at this point! @NeptuneMoon
Success for myself personally today is about integration and what people may call full-funnel and beyond. Being T-shaped, V-shaped and AI-ready – be the orchestrator or restaurateur instead of just running ads. @alimehdimukadam
And if I may have a PPC Mom moment here…It is ok for what you want in your PPC life to change! There truly is no one right way to do it. There is only the right way for you right now. I know it can be really hard to silence the “but I should” voice in your own head, or silence what others are telling you, but it is worth doing! Your path is your path. And it may wind around and change many times. But it is your path to walk and live, and define. @NeptuneMoon
I am with you @NeptuneMoon as I have scaled up and down if I wanted a break or we needed more income over the years. What makes me the most happy outside making a living, though, is seeing success for my clients. I actually quite literally will get that pit in the stomach feel if I don’t get the results they need. I want to see my clients hit their goals (of course, if they are reasonable, lol). @Ichasse
For me, success comes from a long-term perspective—if the business is consistently attracting new customers and knows how to retain them. High short-term metrics mean nothing if there’s no steady flow of new clients coming in. That’s why it’s important to invest in Awareness and consideration campaigns. @JuanDiegoRodrìguez
I recently incorporated my firm in Canada, registered on April 14, so here we go on the rollercoaster one more time. @alimehdimukadam
Always developing my skills and knowledge. I think this industry is always changing and offering new ideas/solutions. If I can continue to love the job I do and offer my help and see others improve/get excited, I think that is success for me. @JoeWilliams
PPCChat Participants
- Julie F Bacchini @NeptuneMoon
- Peter Bowen @Pete_Bowen
- Reva Minkoff @revaminkoff
- Lawrence Chasse @Ichasse
- Robert Brady @robert_brady
- Julia Vyse @JuliaVyse
- Ali Mehdi Mukadam @alimehdimukadam
- Jeffrey Hain @JeffreyHain
- Juan Diego Rodriguez @JuanDiegoRodrìguez
- Joseph Williams @JoeWilliams
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