3 Common PPC Challenges and How To Overcome Them

Running a profitable PPC campaign is rarely straightforward. Costs rise, platforms change, and many teams don’t have the time or tools to manage campaigns properly. Knowing the challenges is one thing. Knowing how to solve them is what keeps your campaigns performing over the long term.

Below are three of the most common PPC challenges and the practical steps you can take to overcome each one.

1. Rising Costs and Increased Competition

PPC is more competitive than ever. As more businesses bid for the same keywords, click costs go up. If you are targeting popular terms without a clear strategy, your budget can disappear quickly with little to show for it.

How to respond:

• Use long-tail keywords
  Focus on more specific search terms with clear intent. These are often less competitive and more likely to convert. For example, instead of targeting “marketing agency,” try “marketing agency for estate agents” or “small business marketing help.”

• Run retargeting campaigns
  It costs less to convert people who have already shown interest. Use retargeting to reach visitors who didn’t convert the first time and increase the value of your existing traffic.

• Set bids by time and location
  Use ad scheduling and location targeting to focus your spend on the places and times that convert best. Cut waste from low-performing areas.

2. Constant Platform Updates

Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and other platforms change often. New formats, changes to rules, and shifts in bidding strategies can leave advertisers scrambling to keep up. If you are not paying attention, you can lose visibility and performance without realising.

How to respond:

• Monitor industry updates
  Keep track of official announcements and industry news. Knowing what is changing helps you prepare rather than react.

• Test small, adapt fast
  Regularly test new ad formats, bidding models, and audience types. Small tests let you trial changes without risking your entire budget.

• Review your setup regularly
  A campaign that worked six months ago might be underperforming today. Review keyword match types, exclusions, and bid strategies on a routine basis.

3. Limited Time and Resources

PPC campaigns require attention. If you are running a business or managing multiple channels, PPC can become something that just ticks along. That usually means poor tracking, wasted spend, and slow progress.

How to respond:

• Focus on what works
  Prioritise the campaigns and ad groups that drive results. Pause anything underperforming and concentrate your budget where it matters.

• Use automation properly
  Tools like automated bidding and responsive ads can save time, but they only work well when the tracking and inputs are clean. Make sure your data is accurate and campaigns are structured before relying on automation.

• Don’t spread too thin
  It is better to run one campaign well than five poorly. Start small, optimise it fully, and scale once you are confident it is working.

Struggling With PPC?

If you’re running into the same problems over and over, or just want your campaigns handled properly from the start, we can help! Our PPC management is built to solve these challenges for you, with clear tracking, smart targeting, and full campaign oversight.