Many small business owners make the mistake of thinking that paid search or pay per click (PPC) campaigns are "one and done" approaches to marketing. The fact is, however, that a PPC campaign needs to be regularly monitored and optimized.

In an article on the website Business2Community, Florida-based marketing professional Jonathan Long wrote that while you should always be making changes to your campaign, the following signs indicate that it needs immediate help:

Click through rate reduces

The click through rate does not directly impact advertising revenue, but it is often indicative of how users judge your ads in search results. Your current strategy may no longer be as effective. It would be wise to study what your competitors are doing and revise your campaign. 

Conversion numbers suddenly drop

"Numbers are going to vary and go up and down on a regular basis, but a sudden drop should set off an alarm," Long wrote. "Conversions can vary and you will get a sense of how they fluctuate, but a continued downward trend is a bad sign and requires immediate attention."

Long added that it may be necessary to analyze and revise copy on landing pages. 

High bounce rate 

Many business owners forget to check their bounce rate when reviewing the performance of a PPC campaign. The bounce rate should remain consistent. If it suddenly spikes, this is a sign that optimization is necessary. 

Maintaining a successful PPC campaign is a major undertaking. Busy small business owners need to focus their time on selling their products and services and increasing their client base. Partnering with an internet marketing agency like KeyMedia Solutions can make work like PPC monitoring much easier.