How To Optimize PPC Campaigns for Mobile

A significant percentage of users search using their mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. Studies conducted over the years have proven mobile searches surpass desktop searches. Google Search Statistics for 2024 showed that over 60% of global online searches come from mobile devices. 

This makes it crucial for businesses to optimize their marketing strategies for mobile users, including optimizing pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Advertisers neglecting mobile-specific optimization can lead to wasted ad spend and missed opportunities.

Here is a comprehensive guide to optimizing PPC for mobile devices.

Why Mobile PPC Optimization Isn’t Optional Anymore 

Mobile-oriented PPC campaigns are more crucial than ever. Several factors have contributed to this, including:

• The mobile-first reality: Due to mobile traffic dominance, businesses, including search engines, are giving priority to users of mobile devices. A good example is Google’s mobile-first indexing. Google is now predominantly using the mobile version of a website’s content to evaluate their relevance for indexing and ranking in search results. Hence, your PPC campaigns should take into account mobile users.
• User behavior on mobile: A mobile user is often on the go. They seek quick, concise, and location-based information. A mobile PPC strategy should consider this. Your ads should be concise, visually engaging, and include local keywords and clear calls to action. Note that since mobile users are often on the go, conversion rates can be lower. Most of them complete the intended action on larger screens when settled. Thus, you should ensure a seamless user experience across all devices.
• The cost of ignoring mobile: Poor quality scores, lower ad rank, higher cost per acquisition (CPA), and missed conversions are a few examples of the consequences of neglecting mobile audiences.

Foundational Mobile PPC Strategy

Your mobile PPC strategy matters. You want to have a detailed strategy that considers structure and conversions.

Campaign Structure: Separate Mobile Campaigns vs. Bid Adjustments

The common approaches that advertisers use to structure campaigns are separate mobile campaigns and bid adjustments. Separate mobile campaigns involve creating distinct campaigns specifically for mobile users. It gives you the control to create ad copies with messaging and ad creatives that resonate with mobile users and tailor bidding strategies with options, such as time-of-day bidding and location-targeting.

However, this approach usually results in a great number of campaigns to manage. Moreover, separating campaigns leads to less data for each campaign, which can make it challenging to get a clear picture of overall performance.   

The bid adjustments approach allows users to increase or decrease bids of existing campaigns based on specific criteria, such as device type, location, and time of day. For instance, you can increase your bids on high-converting mobile keywords at a particular time of the day.

If you are looking for how to optimize PPC campaigns with a simple approach, this can be a dependable option. Nonetheless, you will not have much control over your campaigns, seeing that the focus is on adjusting bids, not tailoring messaging. Also, you will not have the same level of customization as an advertiser who uses separate campaigns.

Consider using separate mobile-only campaigns when you have significant performance on mobile devices. This allows you to allocate your budget to campaigns that deliver the best results.

It’s critical to analyze device performance data regardless of the campaign structure you use. Doing this ensures you understand user behavior, optimize ad copies, and allocate your budget effectively.

Mobile Keyword Research Considerations 

The keywords you use on mobile-oriented PPC campaigns should align with user search behavior on mobile devices. You should use shorter, more conversational queries, and embrace voice search queries, such as “near you” question-based keywords. 

Your mobile ads should also incorporate geographic terms, as most mobile users always look for location-based information.

How To Craft Impactful Mobile PPC Ads

Crafting well-planned mobile PPC ads improves user experience and engagement, which can lead to increased conversion rates.

Writing Compelling Mobile Ad Copy 

When writing a mobile ad copy, conciseness is key. Avoid using overly complex words. You should also emphasize the benefits of your products/services. 

Additionally, use mobile-specific calls-to-action, such as “Call Now,” “Get Directions,” “Tap to Order,” Shop Now,” or “Find a Store Near You.” Ensure your mobile PPC ads highlight mobile-friendly features, like “Easy Mobile Booking.”

Use Mobile-Centric Ad Extensions

Call extensions for PPC mobile optimization allow users to easily contact you using a clickable phone number in your ads. There are also location extensions that allow businesses to display the physical address, phone number, and a map link to their stores within their ads.

Sitelink extensions direct users to specific pages. Use sitelinks relevant for mobile PPC advertising, such as to your app’s download page, store locator page, or product/service categories.

Message extensions allow users to text a business directly from an ad on their mobile device. Furthermore, consider using promotion extensions to highlight offers or discounts specifically for mobile users.

Smart Bidding and Targeting Tips for Mobile PPC Campaign

Smart bidding and targeting are essential aspects in increasing your return on ad spend (ROAs). Your mobile PPC management should be efficient. 

You need to:

Master Mobile Bid Adjustments 

Analyze your performance data by evaluating which devices are driving the most conversions, which time of the day your target audience is most active and receptive to ads, and how your campaigns perform across different geographic locations. This information will help you set effective bids. 

You can go beyond simple device bid adjustments. For example, you can combine location targeting with device or location and time of day to further refine bid adjustments.

Utilize Automated Bidding Strategies for Mobile Goals

Automated bidding strategies, such as Target CPA (cost per acquisition/action), target ROAs, and maximize conversions, help businesses increase conversion rates. Ensure your bidding strategies align with your primary goals for marketing and are specific for mobile PPC by making decisions based on device, location, and time of day. 

Setting appropriate mobile goals is another element to keep in mind if you want to understand how to optimize PPC campaigns.

Refine Mobile Targeting 

Specify the country, state, city, and zip codes (geo-targeting) you want to reach, or be more specific by targeting a particular distance around a point of interest (radius targeting). 

Daypartying is another way to refine your targeting. Choose the hours or days to display your ads based on mobile user behavior. 

It also helps to employ audience targeting. You can target users who are actively searching for a specific product/service (in-marketing audiences), those with specific interests or lifestyle (affinity audiences), or those who have interacted with your app or website before (remarketing). 

Layering audience targeting with device targeting can substantially improve campaign performance.

Importance of Mobile Landing Page Experience

After catching a user’s attention with a good mobile ad, ensure the landing page you are directing them to maintains the positive user experience. A poor mobile landing page can make a user click out, wasting the optimization efforts you put into your ad, which negatively impacts your mobile PPC management.

Key Elements of a High-Converting Mobile Landing Page 

A high-converting mobile landing page has certain elements, including:

• Speed: Users expect fast-loading pages, especially when using mobile devices. This can be achieved by image optimization, browser caching, and designing pages on efficient projects, like the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP).
• Responsiveness: Have a layout that adapts to different screen sizes.
• Clear call-to-action: Use clear calls-to-action, and easily visible and tappable buttons/forms.
• Simple navigation: Have a clear navigation structure that guides users to the intended action, such as easy-to-use menus.
• Readability: Use appropriate font sizes and spacing and concise texts.
• Minimal distractions: Maximize the focus on users to take the desired action.

Mobile landing page optimization for PPC increases the chances of a user converting.

How To Analyze Mobile PPC Ad Performance

The key mobile metrics to track when analyzing your PPC ad performance are mobile click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate (CVR), cost per conversion (Cost/Conv), and impression share.

You should set up proper conversion tracking for mobile actions. These include tracking calls, messages, app installs, form fills, website visits, and so on. As aforementioned, many mobile users complete the desired action on their desktop. Therefore, you should also track cross-device conversions. 

Using Google Analytics in your mobile PPC management is vital, as it allows you to create segments for various elements, such as by device or audience type, to get deeper insights.  

Contact Levy Online for Mobile PPC Ad Services

For expert mobile PPC management and campaign optimization, contact Levy Online. Our specialists understand mobile PPC advertising in-depth. We will help you understand how to optimize PPC campaigns to achieve your business goals.

Call us to learn more about our digital advertising services. 

FAQ

Sources:

How to Structure PPC Campaigns. (n.d.).

What Is AMP? (2023).