New to pay-per-click (PPC) and wanting to expand your knowledge?
You’ve come to the right place.
We’ll share everything you need to know about a key element in the PPC hierarchy: PPC ad groups.
We’ll explain how ad groups work, the benefits they offer and how you can modify them to ensure your PPC campaign brings the best results.
Plus, we’ll share five of the top digital marketing agencies that can help you with your PPC project.
Table of Contents
What Are PPC Ad Groups?
A PPC ad group is a group of ads targeted for specific keywords.
A PPC ad group is a part of the structure of your PPC account and an important element of its hierarchy.
Where does a PPC ad group fit into your PPC campaign skeleton? Here’s a simple explanation.
A PPC account includes multiple campaigns. Each campaign typically contains multiple ad groups. Each ad group includes your selected keywords, plus your ad copy and the landing pages that go with these keywords — in other words, where you want to take your users once they click on your ad.
Related keywords within each ad group are arranged by themes, each ad group reflecting the goal of your PPC campaign. The ad copy you create is closely linked to the keywords to reflect the search intent of your audience.
Still sound confusing? Here’s an example.
Let’s say you are selling shoes. It is spring and you want to promote both your high-heel models for special occasions and your golf shoes for golf lovers.
Since the people looking for these two types of shoes are likely to be different, you create different ad groups, ads and landing pages for each of these two campaigns.
This allows your users to find the exact information they are looking for.
You can have:
- Single keyword ad groups (SKAG) consisting of ads with one single keyword to target
- Multiple keyword ad groups consisting of a list of similar keywords
So where might you run your PPC campaign? Google Ads is one option.
One of the most popular pay-per-click advertising platforms, Google Ads was launched in October 2000 and currently boasts 4.3 billion users across the globe, servicing both small companies and Fortune 500 businesses. Imagine the potential reach you may have with your PPC campaign.
How Do PPC Ad Groups Work?
The ads in your ad group share similar targets, but are organized using a common theme.
When a person is looking for information online and they type a phrase or word into a search bar, they want to find results that are closely connected to these words.
Take, for example, Sarah, who is looking for high-heeled shoes for her wedding. If she sees an ad about sports shoes, she’s not likely to click on it.
To answer Sarah’s search intent, you need to create an ad group containing keywords and ad copy linked to high-heeled shoe models, plus a landing page to present your product(s).
Setting ad groups with selected keywords, ad copy and landing pages allows you to present the right ads to the right customers.
Your PPC bidding strategy can include:
Setting a price, or bid, known as a cost-per-click (CPC) bid that is used when keywords trigger the appearance of an ad on search engines
Setting prices for individual keywords within an ad group
Campaigns, ad groups and ads are closely linked.
If you pause or remove a campaign, the ads in this ad group will not show. If you pause or remove an ad group, the ads in this group will not run.
Why Are PPC Ad Groups Important?
Here is why it is important to use ad groups.
Search engines check your ad groups to identify:
- The keywords that will trigger the appearance of your ad
- The content of your ad
- Where visitors will land when they click on your ad
- PPC ad groups help with PPC optimization efforts by allowing you to choose:
- Your target audiences
- What words to use to attract the attention of your target groups
- How to structure your ad to convey your message
Benefits Of Using PPC Ad Groups
So why use PPC ad groups exactly? Benefits include:
Efficiency
Using PPC ad groups helps you organize your advertising materials and reduce the time you would spend on adjusting and modifying your PPC campaign components.
Relevance
Using ad groups that focus on specific aspects of your business, such as specific products or services, helps you address your target audiences and meet their search intent.
Flexibility
Using PPC ad groups allows you to modify your campaign elements immediately and easily according to changing market conditions.
Brand Consistency
Ad groups help you monitor your advertising campaigns on a single platform and ensure consistency across branding, messaging and other key elements.
Competitive Edge
Analyzing your ad groups allows you to track how each ad group is performing and change your keywords and ads as needed to stay competitive.
How To Create Ad Groups
An ad group allows you to organize and target ads within your PPC campaign.
Here’s how to create or edit an ad group in Google Ads.
To create a new ad group:
- Sign in to your account
- Select Ad groups
- Click the plus button to create a new group
To edit an ad group:
- Sign in to your account
- Click Ad groups
- Select the ad group you want to edit and click the pencil icon
In addition, you can pause, enable or remove PPC ad groups. To do this:
- Sign in to your account
- Select Ad groups from the page menu
- Check the Status column to see the current status of your ad groups
- Check the box beside the ad group or ad groups you want to modify
- Select Enable, Pause, or Remove from the Edit drop-down menu above the ad groups
Ad Group Best Practices
Now that you know how ad groups work and you’re ready to reap the benefits, keep the following best practices in mind for your campaign:
- Organize your PPC campaigns and the corresponding ad groups as you create them.
- Arrange ad groups by theme. For example, if you are selling desserts, your ad group might contain keywords such as “ice cream,” “cookies,” “brownies,” “carrot cake” or “cheesecake.”
- Make the keywords within each group as narrow as possible to ensure there is no overlapping in targeted searches.
- Create at least three ads in each ad group and use optimized ad rotation. This will help you optimize your ads for clicks every time there is an auction, using triggers such as keyword, location, search term, or device.
- Use one landing page per ad group.
- Enable or pause a single ad group by clicking the status icon.
- Change multiple campaigns, ad groups and ads in bulk by downloading a spreadsheet, updating it offline and uploading it again. This will allow the changes to take effect simultaneously.
- To change the messaging for one audience, do not create a new ad group but use an ad customizer, a tool that allows you to adjust the content directly in your ads. This will help you customize your ad without the need for more groups and without the need to trigger an ad Quality score review. (What is quality score? Check out our blog for more on this topic!)
Top 5 Digital Marketing Agencies For Your PPC Campaign
Working with a digital marketing agency on your PPC campaign can help you benefit from their extensive expertise and tools.
Their experts can research and create the right ad groups for your campaigns, create engaging ad copy and design landing pages that boost interest and conversion.
Here are five digital marketing agencies with a proven track record.
1. Ignite Visibility
Headquartered in San Diego, California, Ignite Visibility is a four-time Inc. 5000 company (2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020).
The agency’s services include:
- PPC
- SEO
- Web design
- Website development
- Public relations
Ignite Visibility’s has worked with 150+ clients including Tony Robbins, DoorDash, 5 Hour Energy and Fix Auto.
2. Evestar
Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Evestar was founded by Lolita Petrossov, an entrepreneur who was in charge of some of the biggest brand transformations across the globe.
Evestar’s services include:
- PPC
- Digital marketing
- Social media marketing
- Email marketing
- eCommerce marketing
Named Top eCommerce Marketing Company of 2020, Everstar has provided services to clients such as Steve Madden, Health Fitness Longevity,
3. KlientBoost
Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, KlientBoost has partnered with 250+ clients to grow their ROI.
KlientBoost’s services include:
- PPC
- Graphic design
- Digital marketing
- Video marketing
- Content marketing
Bloomberg, SAP, Stanford University, Lenovo and Airbnb are only some of the names KlientBoost has worked with.
4. Digital Silk
Headquartered in New York City, New York, Digital Silk is a top-rated world-class digital agency that works with top brands in both B2B and B2C.
Digital Silk’s services include:
- Digital marketing
- Branding
- Web design
- Website development
- Mobile app development
Digital Silk has worked with clients such as HP, Microsoft, Amazon, Xerox, AT&T, NFL, P&G, NYU and NASA.
5. Red Spot Design
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Red Spot Design has been distinguished as a 2019 Top Web Design Agencies UpCity Certified Partner.
Red Spot Design offers:
- PPC
- SEO
- Web design
- Website development
- Video production
Some of the Red Spot Design’s clients include Trinity Valley Electric Co-op, Cornwell Jackson CPAs and Pollo Regio Restaurant.
If you didn't find the right match, you can browse through our list of best PPC agencies to work with.
Wrapping Up On PPC Ad Groups
PPC ad groups are part of your PPC account. They help you separate different keywords, ad copy and landing pages for your PPC campaigns, to target different audience segments.
PPC ad groups provide:
- Efficiency
- Relevance
- Flexibility
- Brand consistency
- Competitive edge
If you’re not sure you can go it alone, reach out to one of the top agencies we listed above. Working with a digital marketing agency gives you access to top experts who can prepare and launch your PPC campaign and measure its performance.
