The Underlying Factors behind PPC Performance Fluctuations

Performance declines are unavoidable and can be brought on by a variety of circumstances, as experienced PPC managers are aware of. Finding the source of an issue can be challenging, but root cause analysis implementation is a strong tool PPC managers can employ to address performance issues and restore campaign success.

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Accounting for PPC Root Causes

A detailed root cause analysis is essential to identifying the variables influencing PPC account performance. This entails using an organized approach to problem identification, data gathering, analysis, and root cause discovery. The crucial actions for carrying out successful root cause analysis in your PPC account are listed below:

Defining the issue through root cause analysis

It is essential to describe the issue and how it affects PPC advertising. Ensure that the issue is understood by all parties involved.

Information Gathering for Root Cause Analysis

Obtain relevant information about the issue, such as its onset, frequency, and contributing factors.

Identifying causes in a root cause analysis

Investigate all potential causes of the issue. To identify the underlying fundamental cause, use “Five Whys” or fishbone diagrams.

Root Cause Analysis’s usage of cause testing

Determine the most likely root cause among the several factors by analyzing the data. Verify your theory by putting a solution into practice and gauging the results.

Implementing a solution in a Root Cause Analysis

Create and implement a remedy that goes after the underlying issue. Monitor the results in your PPC account and adjust the solution as necessary.
The method should then be documented for future reference and to avoid reoccurring problems.
This approach may be modified to deal with a variety of business difficulties, but dealing with problems in a PPC account is where it really shines.

Finding the Heart of Your PPC Account’s Problem

We introduced the “Five Whys Technique” as a valuable tool for identifying the root cause of a problem in the third step of our root cause analysis process. There is always an underlying reason to any problem, thus this method entails asking “why” five times to get to the bottom of the problem.

Consider the following exercise as an example when looking at a PPC account:

In the period from April 15 to April 18, PPC conversions fell by 25%. How did this happen?
Start by looking at the PPC traffic. We noticed that traffic stayed constant and other data didn’t exhibit any noticeable changes. The average conversion rate did, however, decline. Targeting, the bid mechanism, or audience signals also didn’t undergo any substantial changes. What other elements might have influenced this problem?
The cause does not seem to be increased website traffic. Consider the webpage itself for a moment. Engagement indicators like bounce rate and time on site appear to be reliable. The purchase rate decreased but site engagement remained unchanged. What might be the cause of this?
Let’s check with the web team to see whether the site has undergone any changes. They claim that throughout that time, alterations were made to the website. Why did these modifications occur?
Due to inadequate inventory, the development team had to abandon numerous well-liked products. To give notice to all pertinent teams, they still required time.

Undoubtedly, there are numerous approaches to PPC account diagnosis. However, this strategy encourages account managers to keep looking for the best solution.

Understanding the PPC Affected Timeframe

Knowing when a change happened is the first step in troubleshooting a problem with a PPC account. Finding the fundamental reason and coming up with a workable solution are made easier as a result.

Account managers can identify the causes of the fall by carefully examining the data from a particular time period, such as keywords, landing pages, and ad text. They can tailor a strategy based on this data to improve performance and avert setbacks in the future.

Additionally, by isolating the timeframe, search marketers are able to assess the effectiveness of any implemented solutions and guarantee ongoing positive performance.

Detecting Macro and Micro PPC Issues

Differentiating between macro and micro concerns is crucial when assessing an account’s performance. Macro issues are things that have an impact on the entire account and can come from outside sources like modifications to search engine algorithms or the appearance of new rivals. Examples of macro concerns are as follows:

The performance of an account may suffer as a result of targeting or ad messaging problems.
The performance of the account and the frequency and reach of advertising campaigns can both be hampered by a lack of funding.
Issues with the landing page can negatively effect the user experience and decrease conversions, which can have a substantial impact on the account’s performance.

The performance of an account can be significantly enhanced by effectively resolving macro concerns. The success of an account can be dramatically impacted by external variables like modifications to search engines, changes in user behavior, or seasonal variations. As a result, while doing a root cause analysis to find potential problems with a PPC account, account teams should carefully take these elements into account.

Micro problems, on the other hand, are unique to particular campaigns and demand a different amount of focus. The following are a few instances of micro problems that could harm a campaign’s effectiveness:

Low clickthrough rates (CTR).
A lot of bounces.
Low rates of conversion.

Micro issues must be found and fixed because they can greatly enhance the success of a campaign.

Tools for PPC Root Cause Analysis

A root cause analysis is a useful tool for identifying problems with your PPC advertising. Several tools can be applied to this process to help analyze problems as they occur in PPC. Some of the tools that may be useful are listed below:

1.History of account changes

You can view a thorough history of all changes made to the account using the account change history tool, giving you information about the actions taken and their potential performance effects.

2.Financial reporting

Isolate the timeframe and affected campaigns for an effective root cause investigation, as described in our five-step process. You can start and possibly finish your study using the data and reports from both your Google and Bing advertising accounts.

Your account reports and the change history log can be used to identify the precise time frame and campaigns that require more in-depth analysis. You can use this integration to ascertain whether a specific change is the root cause of the problem you are looking into.

3.Root Cause Analysis Using Google Analytics

When performing a root cause analysis, it’s crucial to look at the performance of all digital channels in addition to PPC account data and change history. Paid, organic, social, and referral traffic sources can all be evaluated with the aid of Google Analytics.

When diagnosing a performance problem, isolate the time period that is affected first. Then, check Google Analytics to see whether several channels have been impacted. You can learn more about the problem’s underlying causes and create a thorough solution by comparing and contrasting data from different channels.

4.Trends on Google

Understanding macro-trends that affect your industry is essential when it comes to monitoring account performance. You may learn more about these broad patterns by using a program like Google patterns. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that the information offered by Google Trends is not tailored to your particular account and that its applicability may differ. In spite of this, it can nevertheless provide insightful data on market trends that can guide your study.

PPC Issues Analysis: A Methodical Approach

A thorough root cause analysis method must be carried out in order to improve PPC account performance. This entails using an organized approach to find, collect, and evaluate pertinent data in order to uncover the underlying causes of any performance concerns.

PPC marketers can create specialized methods to enhance performance and avert future variations by using a methodical strategy. Avoiding panic and instead employing a logical approach will help you troubleshoot and resolve any performance issues.