Bamboo Basics:
How to build a PPC campaign

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is one of the most effective ways to get your business in front of the right audience at the right time. When done correctly, it can drive highly targeted traffic, generate leads, and boost sales.

However, setting up a PPC campaign requires careful planning and execution. In this guide, we’ll break down the process step by step, explaining why each stage is essential and how it contributes to a successful campaign.

Let’s jump in.

Step 1: Define your goals

Before you spend a penny on PPC, you must determine what you want to achieve.

Common PPC goals include:

• Brand awareness:
  Getting your brand in front of more potential customers.
• Lead generation:
  Encouraging users to fill out a contact form, sign up for a newsletter, or download assets.
• Sales:
  Driving transactions or service bookings.
• Website traffic:
  Increasing visits to your site to educate or inform visitors.

Why it matters:

Clear goals will shape your entire campaign, from keyword selection to ad copy and 
landing pages.

Step 2: Choose the right platform

Despite Google wanting you to think so, PPC isn’t just Google Ads. While Google is the largest player, other platforms might be more effective depending on your audience:

• Google Ads:
  Best for reaching users actively searching for products or services.
• Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads):
  A smaller but often less expensive alternative to Google.
• Facebook and Instagram Ads (Meta Ads):
  Ideal for visually driven campaigns and audience targeting.
• LinkedIn Ads:
  Great for B2B marketing and professional services.
• TikTok and YouTube Ads:
  Perfect for engaging, video-based content.

Why it matters:

The right platform ensures your ads are seen by the people most likely to convert.

Step 3: Research your keywords

Google has given us ample warning that search will change dramatically in 2025. While Google relies heavily on AI to rank listings, it expects websites not to rely on it to produce content.

If you’re using search-based PPC (Google or Bing Ads), keyword research is crucial. You want to target:

• High-intent keywords:
  Phrases that indicate someone is ready to buy (e.g., “buy software”).
• Long-tail keywords:
  More specific phrases with lower competition (e.g., “best video software for social media videos”).
• Negative keywords:
  Words you don’t want to trigger your ads (e.g., “free” if you’re selling a paid service).

Why it matters:

Targeting the right keywords prevents wasted spend and ensures your ads reach the 
right audience.

Step 4: Set your budget and bidding strategy

PPC operates on an auction system where you bid for ad placements. Here are a few things you should consider:

• Daily budget:
  How much you’re willing to spend each day.
• Bidding strategy:
  • Manual cost-per-click (CPC): You set bids yourself for complete control.
  • Enhanced CPC: Google adjust bids based on the likelihood of conversion.
  • Maximise conversions: Google sets bids to get the most conversions within your budget.
  • Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): Focuses on revenue-driven results.

Why it matters:

The right budget and strategy keep your campaign profitable and sustainable.

Step 5: Set your budget and bidding strategy

The PPC ecosystem is highly competitive. Your ad needs to grab attention and persuade users to click. Essential elements include:

• Headline:
  Clear and engaging, highlighting your unique selling point.
• Description:
  Explains what you offer and why it benefits the user.
• Call-to-action (CTA):
  Encourages users to take the next step (e.g., “Get a free quote”).
• Ad extensions:
  Extra links, phone numbers, or promotional details to enhance visibility.

Why it matters:

Strong ad copy increases click-through rates (CTRs) and conversions.

Step 6: Design high-converting landing pages

Once users click your ad, they should land on a page designed to convert them. Key elements of a high-converting landing page include:

• A clear title:
  This should reinforce what the ad promised.
• Concise, persuasive copy:
  Focuses on benefits rather than features.
• Strong visuals:
  High-quality images or videos that support the message.
• Easy navigation:
  A clutter-free design with a clear CTA that works well on a variety of devices.
• Trust signals:
  Testimonials, reviews, or certifications that build brand credibility.

Why it matters:

A well-optimised landing page prevents visitors from bouncing and improves conversion rates.

Step 7: Set up tacking and analytics

To measure your PPC campaigns’ success, you need to track key metrics. To do this, we use:

• Google Analytics:
  Tracks user behaviour on your website.
Google Ads conversion tracking – Measures actions taken after a user clicks on one of your PPC ads.
• UTM parameters:
  Essential for non-Google ads (and still useful in Google ads), UTM parameters help identify traffic sources in your analytics.
• A/B testing:
  Compares different ad versions to see what works best.

Why it matters:

Tracking helps refine your campaigns, optimise performance, and ensure return on 
investment (ROI).

Step 8: Launch and monitor performance

Once your campaign is live, your job isn’t done. While your PPC ads are running, keep an eye on:

• Click-through-rate (CTR):
  Indicates how engaging your ads are.
• Conversion rate:
  Shows how well clicks turn into actions.
• Cost-per-click (CPC):
  Measures how much each click costs.
• Return on ad spend (ROAS):
  Evaluates profitability.

Why it matters:

Regular monitoring helps you make data-driven improvements and avoid wasted spend.

Step 9: Optimise and scale

PPC isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. Regular tweaks to your campaigns can improve results. Here are a few things to consider when monitoring performance:

• Pause underperforming keywords and ads
• Adjust bids based on performance (if you’re working with manual
• Refine ad copy and landing pages and perform A/B testing
• Expand to new audiences or platforms

Why it matters:

Continuous optimisation ensures you get the best results from your ad spend.

Achieving PPC excellence with Bamboo

The PPC ecosystem is highly competitive. Your ad needs to grab Building a successful PPC campaign takes time, strategy, and ongoing optimisation. By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating ads that drive meaningful results for your business.

Need expert guidance? At Bamboo, we specialise in crafting data-driven, results-focused PPC campaigns that help businesses grow. Get in touch today to see how we can help.