Paid Advertising & PPC Management

Campaign Structure & Targeting

Separate ad groups for each core service — not one generic campaign covering everything. Geographic targeting limited to your actual service area (Wilmington, Leland, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Hampstead — not all of North Carolina). Device-specific bid adjustments because mobile and desktop convert differently. Dayparting schedules aligned with when your office answers the phone. This granular structure means every ad group has its own keywords, ad copy, and performance data — so we optimize each independently.

Keyword Strategy for PPC

PPC keyword strategy is different from SEO keyword strategy. In SEO, informational keywords are fine because traffic is free. In PPC, every click costs money — so we focus exclusively on commercial intent keywords where the searcher is ready to act. We also build extensive negative keyword lists: “free,” “DIY,” “how to,” job-seeking terms, and irrelevant modifiers are excluded. Without active negative keyword management, 20-40% of ad spend goes to irrelevant clicks.

Ad Copy & A/B Testing

Ad copy speaks directly to the searcher’s intent — not generic branding. For “emergency plumber Wilmington,” the ad communicates availability (24/7), location, credibility (licensed, reviews, years), and urgency (call now, same-day). Every element — headlines, descriptions, extensions, callouts — is crafted for the search. We run continuous A/B tests on ad variations, keeping winners and replacing losers so performance improves month over month.

Landing Page Strategy

The ad gets the click. The landing page gets the conversion. Sending PPC traffic to your homepage wastes money — it isn’t designed to convert a specific service search. We build dedicated landing pages on your WordPress site that serve double duty: converting PPC traffic AND ranking organically for the same keywords. Fast mobile load (speed optimized), single CTA, trust signals, and content matching the ad’s promise.

❌ Targeting Too Broad

Running ads targeting the entire state when you only serve the Cape Fear region. Every out-of-area click is wasted spend. We set geographic targeting to your actual service radius — down to zip codes and neighborhoods.

❌ No Negative Keywords

Without negatives, your plumbing ad shows for “plumbing DIY,” “plumbing salary,” “plumbing school.” You pay for every irrelevant click. We review search term reports weekly and build extensive negative lists that eliminate 20-40% of wasted spend.

❌ Homepage as Landing Page

Someone searching “AC repair Wilmington” clicks your ad and lands on your homepage about your company history. They leave. PPC traffic needs service-specific pages with specific CTAs. Landing page quality also affects your Quality Score — which determines how much you pay per click.

❌ No Conversion Tracking

Without conversion tracking, you’re counting clicks instead of leads. A campaign with 1,000 clicks and zero conversions looks “successful” by click volume but produces nothing. We track phone calls, form submissions, and bookings — the metrics that connect to revenue.

❌ Set-It-and-Forget-It

Many businesses or agencies launch a campaign and never touch it again. PPC requires weekly optimization: bid adjustments, ad testing, keyword refinement, budget reallocation, search term reviews. A campaign that’s “working” can always work better — and one that’s not being optimized is slowly degrading.

❌ Slow or Broken Website

Paying $5-15 per click to send traffic to a site that takes 5 seconds to load on mobile. Half the visitors leave before the page finishes loading. A slow site also hurts your Quality Score, meaning Google charges you more per click. Fix your website speed before spending a dollar on ads.