What if we could divulge the best times to run Google ads (PPC) to get the best results?
A small disclaimer: we can only sort of answer the question for you. One of the foundational tenets of marketing is to test.
Making an assumption could lead to poor results and a spike in costs. You must always test all elements if you want to be smart and strategic about your efforts: your offers, your copy, your pricing—and when you run your PPC ads. After all, you could have the most incredible offer, but if no one is there to see it, it’s useless.
How to determine the best times to run your PPC ads
Ah, the power of data. Thankfully, Google AdWords gives you oodles of it. You can start to determine the best times to run your PPC ads through your AdWords account located within the Dimensions tab.
- On the drop down menu for “View”, you can select Time or Hour of the Day.
- For every hour of the day, you’ll be able to see how your PPC ads are performing (you also have an option to view reports for days of the week).
- Your data here will appear in a chart, much like an Excel report. From here, you can easily sort of hour of day to get an intuitive, chronological view.
- You can also sort by number of clicks, conversion rates, cost per converted click, and other metrics.
Based on these metrics, you can easily narrow in on trends and locate your daily “power hours”, the times where your ads will perform the best.
Wait, shouldn’t my ads be distributed evenly throughout the day?
If the idea of scheduling your ads causes you to panic, remember, you have to apply the logic to your own unique business.
You may have different patterns; your patterns may be cyclical. You may have to focus your efforts more on certain days of the week than hours. But applying logic with your hard data, available in AdWords, should help you make confident decisions about how to allocate your PPC budget.
For example, an event ticketing company that has the majority of its events on the weekends may see an increase in clicks on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. This makes sense; many people are relaxing in the evening and considering plans for the upcoming weekend.
While they may sell tickets on any day, it’s most cost effective for them to focus their efforts on those two weekday evenings, to capture a higher percentage of clicks and conversions.
How to put your knowledge to work
It’s time to enjoy the fruits of your detective work.
Instantly optimize your PPC ads by using AdWord’s scheduling feature. Under “Settings” select “Ad Schedule.” Modify your bids accordingly, based on day of week and hour of the day, to leverage your findings.
And remember, don’t just set it and forget it. Set a calendar reminder to check in at least weekly—especially in the beginning. You don’t want to inadvertently make a wrong adjustment and pay for it later. Hopefully, you’ll see stronger conversions and a spike in clicks when you run Google ads at the right time.
Once you’re comfortable with scheduling, then it will be time to consider modifying your ads based on geography or mobile device.
It takes time, but if you’re dedicated, before long you’ll determine the best times to run your PPC ads and start to see the benefits of your hard work.