Pay per click (PPC) marketing can be scary at times. Unfortunately, there are a few concerning statistics out there that support this fact. Here are 11 terrifying PPC stats that every marketer should know and why they should be concerned.
11 PPC Stats that are Downright Scary
94% of People Skip Over Search Ads
Yup, you read that correctly. 94% of web users skim over your search ads and go right to the organic results. Furthermore, 41% of paid clicks go to the top three ads on the page. This means that your copy and ad rank are more important than ever before when it comes to your PPC stats.
What You Can Do
- You’ll want to start off by regularly testing your ad copy. The responsive search ad format helps with this, but it’s still important to run A/B tests. The right copy will yield a higher click-through rate (CTR), which will improve your ad rank and boost your PPC stats. Doing so will increase your chances of joining the ranks of ads that attract clicks. It will also make people who typically skip straight to the organic results stop dead in their tracks.
- More importantly, make sure your ads pack a punch with eye-catching and compelling ad copy. One great way to do this is to use emotional words and phrases that stand out to users. Doing so is a surefire way to improve your PPC stats.
- This should go without saying, but you should strive to have a strong organic SERP presence.
96% of iOS Users Have Opted Out of App Tracking
Last year, just thinking about the infamous iOS 14 update that gave users this option was flat-out scary. Now that the update has rolled out, it’s more terrifying than ever to know that 96% of iPhone users in the United States have actually opted out.
What’s really scary about this is that it makes the Facebook pixel far less effective. This leads to inaccurate tracking data. It also messes up your conversion tracking and targeting. To make things even worse, audience sizes are dwindling, which is causing CPMs to rise.
What You Can Do
- Start using the Facebook Conversions API yesterday.
80% of Advertisers Rely on Third-Party Cookies to Improve Their PPC Stats
Most paid advertising strategies rely heavily on third-party cookies. These cookies capture behavioral data, which allows you to see how your ad clickers arrive at your site, what they do on your site, and what they do after leaving your site. All of this data is essential for conversion tracking and retargeting audiences. Furthermore, cookies also allow for platforms like Google and Facebook to suggest new audiences to target based on user interests.
With the eventual demise of third-party cookies, reporting and targeting as 80% of marketers know it will cease to exist. Google, Facebook, publisher sites, and other platforms are developing new tools and technologies to support marketers as they navigate this paradigm shift. However, you should really start preparing today for this drastic change in the landscape.
What You Can Do
- Improve your first-party data collection systems – create lead magnets and build your email list with effective CTAs.
- Set up the Google Ads tag on your site to track first-party data. You should do this even if you have tracking set up through an import. You can do this by going to Tools & Settings > Shared Library > Audience Manager > Audience Sources.
- As we’ve already touched on, it’s a great idea to implement Facebook’s Conversion API.
- Familiarize yourself with Google FLoC. This alone is scary in and of itself.
60% of Consumers Intentionall Provide Bogus Form Info
Hate to break it to you, but here’s some bad news for your lead qualification efforts. In addition to the high rate of form fakers, 81% of people abandon at least one online form, and most will never return to complete it. This is a major pain point for any marketer concerned about their PPC stats.
What You Can Do
- Simplify your forms and keep your form fields to a minimum. Forms with less than seven fields are more friendly since they take less time to complete.
- Use lead form extensions in Google Ads, or lead ads in Facebook. These tools prefill the information for users, which will drastically reduce the likelihood of form fakers.
- Don’t forget about targeting! If you have an audience that is ready to convert, they will happily fill out your form. Prequalify your audience by testing more precise parameters. Yes, a smaller audience segment may cause a minor drop in leads, but it will increase lead quality.
There are Ad Blockers on 615M+ Devices Worldwide
This figure is likely going to increase due to more and more devices having VPNs and built-in blockers.
What You Can Do
- Sadly, there’s really no way to get around ad blockers. However, a multi-channel strategy can make up for your losses by reaching your audience elsewhere. For instance, over-the-top ads (OTT) simply cannot be skipped or blocked by ad blockers.
40% of Advertisers Say Their PPC Budget is Lower Than They Want It To Be
You’ve likely been in this position at some point in your PPC budgeting journey. With the demands of digital ads constantly changing, advertisers are under some serious pressure these days. 40% of them say it’s becoming more difficult to maintain a competitive budget in such a heavily saturated space.
What You Can Do
- While increasing your budget isn’t a feasible option in most cases, you can still get creative and stretch your existing budget. Depending on your needs, you may need to:
- Reprioritize your marketing channels
- Narrow down your targeting
- Adjust your bid strategy
Only 10% of Advertisers Optimize Their Google Ads Accounts Each Week
Furthermore, 20% of account managers do nothing on their accounts within a single month. So, what’s the downside to this one? You could very well be part of this statistic! As for the good news, your completion could also be, too.
What You Can Do
- Keep tabs on your account and consistently make tweaks to prevent any unwelcome surprises from popping up.
- Get into a PPC routine and be sure to audit your account on a regular basis. To start, try scheduling just a few minutes each week, month, and quarter to check on specific areas of your account.
Online Ads are the Least Diverse Media Type in the United States
Only 9% of people claim digital ads as the most diverse media they encounter. In comparison, network TV ranked far higher at 43%. Furthermore, 54% of people don’t feel culturally represented in online ads. This last PPC stat goes to show that PPC is clearly lacking diversity in a major way.
What You Can Do
- People are attracted to brands that represent them. You need to address more than just their pain points and lifestyles, but their cultural backgrounds too. As advertisers, we can make an impact by implementing accessibility and inclusivity in our advertising. Furthermore, the more diverse your ads are, the more people you can connect with and attract. To do this:
- Represent a variety of ethnicities and genders in your images, including those with disabilities.
- Employ diverse and inclusive language in your ad copy.
96% of Consumers Don’t Trust Ads
Remember how we discussed how the paid ad space is heavily saturated earlier? Well, we may have done ourselves dirty according to this PPC stat.
Paid ads have been on the rise for a long time – so much so that people are becoming desensitized to them. Considering how 96% of consumers don’t trust ads, advertisers need to work harder to prove their credibility.
What You Can Do
- A great way to start earning trust is by providing social proof. When you make a claim in an ad, people will likely not take your word for it. However, they will trust the word of a friend, family member, or a fellow customer. This is why online reviews and reputation management are critical when running paid ads.
- Another tactic is to include credibility “stamps” in your ads whenever possible. For instance, you might include “NASSM-certified” or “family-owned” in your ad copy.
- You can also feature awards and partnership badges on your landing pages. You can also try to opt into attributes available to you, such as woman-owned, black-owned, or veteran-owned to achieve a more personal and trustworthy touch.
67% of People Say that Once a Brand Loses Their Trust, They Never Go Back
In addition to people being more skeptical of your ads, 67% of consumers will permanently lose trust once said trust is broken. It doesn’t matter if it’s due to false claims, damaged goods, poor services, a poor customer experience, or an unintentional mistake.
What You Can Do
Well, don’t lose their trust…duh! But how can you do this?
- Form a strong brand foundation with a mission statement and core values that everyone follows.
- Maintain brand consistency so your customers know your brand well and feel confident when doing business with you. This way, you can steer clear of permanent trust loss and closer to loyal, life-long customers.
- Respond to negative reviews. Just because a customer is unhappy doesn’t mean that they’ve lost trust in you. A quick and proper response to a negative review can prevent permanent damage and even strengthen their trust and loyalty.
“Near Me” Searches Increased 10)% Between 2019 and 2020
This PPC stat is especially scary if you’re a national or online-only brand. This drastic increase is due to lockdowns brought upon by the pandemic. However, “near me” searches are likely to increase further with time. We can use this PPC stat as a clue to understanding the habits of the modern consumer.
What You Can Do
- Even if you’re a national or e-commerce brand, you need to employ a local PPC strategy so that you can better relate to your audience. Most consumers want products or services closer to home and more instantaneous.
- Double-check your geotargeting strategy and ad customizers. Employing tactics like dynamic keyword insertion in your ad copy will help your ads better align with local queries.
Don’t Fall Victim to These PPC Stats
Awareness of these shocking PPC stats is the first step towards prevention. So, to recap, here are my tips to avoid becoming part of these shocking PPC stats:
- Make sure you’re constantly tweaking and testing your ad copy so users don’t skip over them.
- Use Facebook Conversions API to prevent data loss from iOS 14 App Tracking Transparency.
- Start collecting first-party data and try Facebook’s conversion API.
- Keep your forms short & sweet and use lead forms to avoid fake form fills.
- Leverage a multi-channel strategy to make up for ad blockers.
- Get creative with your bidding and targeting to avoid budgeting shortcomings.
- Get into a PPC routine and stick with it to keep your account optimized.
- Tailor your ads to cater to everyone in your target audience so they feel better represented.
- Use social proof, partnerships, and unique identifiers to prove credibility.
- Maintain brand consistency to safeguard against permanently losing trust.
- Always approach PPC from a small-scale, local perspective to keep up with consumer trends.
