It’s an email no Google Ads user ever wants to receive: the dreaded “your account has been suspended” alert message.
It’s understandable to, well, freak out a little bit if you have Google Ads account suspended, particularly if the reason for the suspension is a violation you weren’t aware you’d committed. Quite simply, your Google ad campaigns may play a major role in your business’ success. Your own finances may therefore be in jeopardy if your account is suspended.
Fortunately, except in some specific instances, suspension of a Google Ads account isn’t necessarily permanent. There are various ways you can restore your account if it’s been suspended. This guide will explain them, helping you better understand what you can do to get your Google Ads accounts back up and running fast.
Although the primary focus of this guide will be on the steps you can take to remedy the problem if you have a Google Ads account suspended, naturally, your main goal is likely to prevent your account from being suspended in the first place. To minimize the chances that your Google’s Ads accounts will ever be suspended for any reason, carefully review Google’s applicable ad policies and Terms & Conditions. Also, remember that Google routinely updates certain policies, and you may want to regularly check them for any changes that may have been recently made.
Reviewing the relevant policies can also potentially help you determine the root of the issue if your account has been suspended but you’re not entirely certain why. While the email Google sends informing you that your account has been suspended will typically cite the reason, sometimes, it’s still not precisely clear how Google justified suspending your account. The reasons Google’s email may provide when explaining why your account was suspended are based on generic error codes (typically produced by artificial intelligence and machine learning engines) that may not be specific enough for you to thoroughly understand the nature of the issue.
Be aware that it’s possible your account was suspended through no fault of your own. For instance, someone could have hacked your account or site. If after doing so, they engaged in any behavior that violates Google’s ad policies, you may be the one paying the price.
The potential reasons your Google Ads accounts may be suspended are numerous. The following are merely a few noteworthy examples:
Google’s ad policies are designed to protect users. Thus, if you’re running ads that direct users to sites infected with malware or other dangerous software, your account may be suspended to prevent users from clicking on your ads.
Take immediate action if you have reason to believe a hacker added malware or unwanted software to your site. The presence of harmful malware or software won’t merely result in your Google’s Ads account being suspended. It can also threaten your data, any existing content on your site, and more.
Even if you didn’t intend to, you could have accidentally engaged in behavior that qualifies as “counterfeiting” affording to google ads policies, triggering an account’s suspension. For example, if you’re using your Google’s Ads account to market products that are extremely similar to others, you may need to either modify your ads or the products themselves to indicate you’re not violating any trademarks. Sometimes when a user markets products that are virtually indistinguishable from others, Google interprets their products as being counterfeit, when they may not actually be.
Google’s own policies aren’t the only rules you need to keep in mind when running ads! It’s also important to familiarize yourself with the laws of the areas in which you plan to advertise.
Sometimes, the laws regarding what you can and can’t advertise may be surprising. For example, in the UK, it’s illegal to advertise paternity tests. This is an easy law to break if you’re unaware of it. While you may assume you’re not doing anything illegal with your Ads account, the possibility of breaking the law without meaning to is one you should consider. Protect yourself by taking the time to research these issues before planning and launching campaigns.
You’re not always being “punished” when Google suspends your Ads account! There are instances when an account may be suspended in order to protect you in the long run. Specifically, if Google detects an unauthorized user trying to access your account, it may be automatically suspended to prevent a hacker from causing any damage.
The reason your account was suspended will to some degree affect what you need to do about the issue. Google’s policies make a distinction between regular violations and “egregious violations.”
You don’t want your account suspended because a violation was deemed egregious. Generally, while it’s possible to recover an account that was suspended due to a normal violation, if you’re found guilty of an egregious violation, Google usually won’t let you recover your account. Your best bet in these circumstances is to contact Google and (truthfully, of course!) show that the violation you’ve been accused of was the work of a hacker. Even so, you can’t be entirely sure Google’s team will take your side.
In the case of typical violations, though, you can restore your account in the following ways. Keep in mind, this isn’t a problem with a “one-size-fits-all” solution. The proper way to restore an account will depend on the reason it was suspended in the first place.
Your options include:
If the email you receive from Google explaining why your Google Ads account was suspended indicates your site is home to dangerous malware or software, invest in an effective malware-removal tool and clean your site up. If your account remains suspended even after you’re confident you’ve gotten rid of any and all harmful malware or software, you might have to contact Google to explain that you’ve fixed the problem.
Again, even if you didn’t mean to violate Google’s advertising policies or any local advertising laws, you may have done so simply because you weren’t aware of a law or policy. Luckily, after you’ve reviewed Google’s justification for your account suspension, in many instances, restoring your account is as easy as changing your ads or behavior accordingly. For example, if your account was suspended because Google determined one or more of your ads were excessively inflammatory, you can remove or change those ads to better align with Google’s standards.
It can be easy to lose track of your spending from time to time when running marketing campaigns. Depending on the size of your business, you might not even be directly involved in monitoring your spending most of the time.
Google might have suspended your Google Ads account or multiple google ads accounts because you haven’t paid for certain ads or a particular related service yet. Pay what’s due, and Google should restore your account promptly.
That said, you may want to reach out to Google first if you receive an email claiming your account has been suspended and won’t be reactivated until you pay a fee if you confidently feel you’ve remained up-to-date on all payment method. At the very least, check to confirm your account actually is suspended before taking any action. A scammer could have sent you a phishing email pretending to represent Google in order to rip you off.
Google may occasionally flag your account if it suspects that your credit card is being used fraudulently. Additionally, they view it suspicious when the same billing information is used for numerous accounts.
If Google suspended your Google Ads account because an unauthorized user tried to access it, you can fill out and submit a form to secure your account.
Depending on which country you’re in, you have to be a certain age to have a Google Ads account. Google may suspend your account if it’s discovered you don’t meet the age requirement. However, it’s sometimes possible to get around these requirements by creating a Google account with Family Link. This allows parents to exercise more control over which Google services and products their children can and can’t access.
Mistakes can and do happen. This is as true on Google’s end as it is on yours. Perhaps your account was suspended over a misunderstanding or a misinterpretation. Not every supposed violation of Google’s policies is actually a genuine violation.
If you have a suspended account & think your account was suspended improperly, Google offers a form you can submit to appeal the suspension. However, if you do choose to appeal your account suspension, be extremely careful when filling out the firm, and double-check all information before submitting it. If the submitted form contains any false information, the assumption will typically be that you knowingly attempted to deceive Google. The result? Permanent suspension of your Google Ads account.
It’s also worth noting that sometimes a valid and reasonable appeal will be rejected. Submitting the form to appeal your account’s suspension doesn’t immediately guarantee your account will be restored. If your appeal is rejected, but you genuinely don’t think it should have been, you can contact the Google Ads Team directly. Explaining the circumstances with an actual member of the team instead of hoping the person who reviews your appeal sees your side of the story can give you the chance to more clearly explain the situation.
Once more, though, be completely honest in any discussions you may have! Being caught in even a seemingly minor lie can make Google’s team unwilling to consider any of your other points or arguments.
Along with familiarizing yourself with all the relevant policies and laws regarding how you can (and can’t!) use your Google Ads account, you can also avoid account suspension in such ways as:
This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you’ve been running ads via a Google Ads account for a decent period of time, you might get complacent, no longer making a point of carefully reviewing your ads before submitting them for publication.
Don’t fall into this habit. Whether you create your own ads, or employees create them for you, before submitting an ad for publication, always carefully review it with the specific intention of looking for any issues that would qualify as violations of Google’s policies. If you even suspect an ad might cause problems, either modify it before submitting it, or check Google’s policies again to confirm whether you have reason to be hesitant.
You’re not the only person who may feel Google’s advertising policies are sometimes unclear. On Quora, Reddit, and many other platforms, there are numerous communities of users who ask and answer questions about Google’s ad policies and similar topics. If you’re at all confused about an issue, head to one of these communities and ask others for insights.
However, not every single member of such communities will necessarily be an expert, even if they claim to know what they’re talking about. Use your judgment when determining whether you feel you can trust any given member to provide you with accurate information. Obviously, you can also contact Google to ask a question, although you may have to wait a little bit longer to get an answer than you would on a forum or community page.
Installing a security plugin to protect your site from malware is never a bad idea. Additionally, create the strongest password possible for both your site and your Google Ads account, and periodically change your passwords to avoid unauthorized access.
Of course, hopefully you’ll never have to use any of the information here because your Google Ads account will never be suspended. Just remember that if it ever is, unless you’ve committed a major violation, restoring your account likely won’t be too complicated.
That said, it’s also very wise to learn from this experience! If you have a suspended account of Google Ads, make sure you thoroughly understand why, so you can avoid these types of problems in the future.
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When you’re running pay-per-click (PPC) ads, it’s easy to assume clicks mean genuine interest, but most car shoppers are just kicking tires online. Seeing your inventory once doesn’t mean they’re ready to buy anytime soon or even at all. If you want to reach the portion of clicks that come from serious buyers, you need to use retargeting.
The reality is that even prospects who intend to buy a car will bounce before contacting you or visiting your lot in person. And if you don’t have a way to keep them aware of your business, when they’re ready to buy, they’ll buy from a competitor. Running retargeted ads will keep your dealership in their awareness even after they bounce.
According to a 2022 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study, the average person spends more than 14 hours searching for a new car, which includes visiting around 5 websites before making a purchase decision. The sites they visit include automakers, dealers, third-party sites, and pre-owned car lots with online inventory. Your prospects aren’t going to buy right away, so to get the sale you need to reel them back in. If you’re not using retargeting – also called remarketing – in your PPC campaign, you’re missing out on hot leads.
Buying a car isn’t a small decision. People compare makes, models, and deals and look for dealerships with great reputations. Getting a single click from a potential car buyer isn’t enough to make the sale. And when they bounce, there’s no guarantee they’ll remember you exist. You’re paying for all those initial clicks, and if potential leads never come back you’ve wasted your ad spend. When you use retargeting, you’ll have another chance to turn their curiosity into a conversation, and that’s why remarketing is an essential component in every PPC ad campaign.
PPC ad retargeting for car dealerships shows your ads to people who have already clicked on an ad or visited your website. When implemented strategically, it keeps your dealership visible across multiple platforms and follows those people across the web. For example, when you run retargeted ads on the Google Display Network, your display ads will show up on the blogs, news sites, and apps your prospects frequent.
You can also run retargeting campaigns on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. As long as your prospects scroll through their daily feed, your ads will show up for them if they’ve already interacted with you. YouTube also offers retargeting options with video ads that play right before the content. In fact, don’t underestimate the power of YouTube video advertising. According to data from Wyzowl, video ads convince 84% of people to buy a product or service.
Not everyone searching for a new car will respond to the same bland, boilerplate message. For example, someone browsing luxury SUVs isn’t going to click on an ad that says, “Low APR on all models!” That’s where remarketing shines. It lets you tailor your message to what each user actually wants, which increases response rates.
With retargeting, you can segment your audience based on their interests and behavior. For example, someone comparing financing terms won’t be swayed by flashy sports car imagery. With retargeting, you can show truck shoppers truck ads and sports car shoppers sports car ads. It sounds simple, but it’s one of the most powerful marketing methods of all time. People are far more responsive to messages that feel personal. You may have caught their attention with a general ad at first, but once they start browsing those SUVs on your website, you can retarget them with SUV ads.
When you use retargeting, you can provide different calls to action (CTAs) to users based on how they’ve engaged with your web pages. A visitor who spent a lot of time on your truck inventory pages can be served ads for your latest truck deals. Someone who checked out your lease specials can be hit with ads that talk about financing offers. It’s deceptively simple and brutally effective. Relevance is everything. When your ads reflect what the prospect was already thinking about, it feels personal and resonates.
A next-level tactic is using engagement depth to determine how strong your call to action should be. For instance:
· Multi-page viewers and long dwell times. These are warm leads and can be retargeted with stronger CTAs like “Book a test drive” and “Get a quote today.” They’re close to converting and just need a little push.
· Single-page bouncers. These are people who just peeked at your site. They can be re-engaged with lighter touchpoints like a general promotion or model comparison guide to reel them back in.
· Abandoned lead forms. If someone started filling out a form but didn’t finish, retarget them with a reminder and a stronger offer to sweeten the deal (e.g., “Complete your form for $500 off!”).
This level of nuance turns retargeting into a conversion machine and allows you to show the customer exactly what they want to see.
People don’t buy cars from whatever dealer they find first. That’s too risky. They buy from dealerships they trust and that feel familiar. You can build that sense of familiarity and trust through retargeting. For example:
· Consistent branding across ads. Using consistent branding, design, and messaging throughout your ads reinforces your dealership’s identity.
· Frequency builds familiarity. People need to see a brand between 5-7 times before they’ll remember it. Retargeting puts your dealership in front of people over and over again. Even if they don’t click right away, it’s helping to establish your credibility.
· Social proof works. When you use social proof like customer testimonials or awards in your ads it builds trust with your prospects.
Trust is earned over time, and retargeting will help you get it.
If you’re not using retargeting, your competitors definitely are. Car dealerships operate in one of the most brutally competitive markets out there, with national chains and franchise giants dominating search results and flooding ad channels with endless budgets. If you’re not showing up again and again, your competitors will, and they’ll scoop up all your leads.
The good news is you don’t need a massive marketing budget to get results. Retargeting allows smaller, local dealerships to play smart rather than trying to play big. When you focus on local PPC with hyper-targeted remarketing, you can reach a smaller, more qualified audience – people who are actually in your area, browsing your inventory, and likely to buy soon.
And unlike those cookie-cutter campaigns from national dealers, you can make your messaging feel personal and specific to your local community. That’s an edge big budgets don’t have.
Every visitor who leaves your website without converting is a potential sale but not necessarily lost. With smart retargeting, you can bring them back into your funnel and stay top-of-mind while your competitors waste money shouting into the void. Persistence wins the sale and retargeting is how you stay on the map.
To be blunt, search ads can get expensive fast, especially when clicks can cost a couple dollars per click. Pouring money into cold traffic is gambling on people who may not be ready to engage. Retargeting changes everything.
Display retargeting clicks typically cost a fraction of what you’d pay for search ads using competitive keywords. You’re no longer paying top dollar to get someone’s attention from scratch – you’re nudging people who already know who you are, and those people are more likely to respond. This makes retargeting one of the most cost-effective ways to use your advertising budget.
· Lower CPC, higher intent. Retargeting costs less per click, but you’re targeting people who already visited your site and showed interest.
· Better conversion rates. Familiarity breeds trust. Retargeted visitors are statistically more likely to convert than new users who just clicked an ad out of curiosity.
· Higher ROI. Since retargeting reaches warm leads, the cost of acquiring a lead is usually lower, which means your overall cost per lead is lower and you get better ROI.
If you’re skipping remarketing because you think it’s just something “extra” that doesn’t make a difference, you’re not saving money – you’re losing easy wins. Instead of perpetually chasing new, cold traffic, invest in converting the traffic you’re already getting. That’s exactly what remarketing does.
Generic ads are fine for first impressions, but once someone has browsed your inventory it’s time to get specific with dynamic retargeting. Here’s how it works:
When a prospect views a specific vehicle on your site, you can use retargeting ads to show them the exact vehicles they viewed and others like it down to the year, color, trim, and mileage. For example, if they looked at a black 2005 BMW 535i, that’s exactly what they’ll see in the ad – the same photos, same specs, all across sites like YouTube, Facebook, news platforms, and more. This reminds your prospects of exactly what they want.
Dynamic retargeting works by integrating your live inventory feed with your ad platform, like Google Ads or Meta. This means the vehicles displayed in your ads will always be up to date and won’t feature cars you sold last week.
Beyond personalization, dynamic ads are an incredible tool for creating a sense of urgency:
· Leverage scarcity. With these ads, you can leverage the power of scarcity by stating that your inventory won’t last. Using messages like “Only 1 left” or “Recently reduced” signals that the opportunity won’t last.
· Show what’s popular. If a particular model is getting a lot of views, let your prosects know. People don’t want to miss out on a good deal.
· Trigger action with FOMO. Fear of missing out is real, and when people see the car they want again – with a reminder that it might sell soon – they’re more likely to come in for a test drive.
By using retargeted ads, you can increase conversion rates by up to 200% compared to standard display ads. These ads feel more like a helpful reminder than an outright advertisement.
If you’ve never run paid ads before, it’s easy to assume your only options are basic keyword targeting and generic follow-up ads. But today’s ad platforms give you a buffet of hyper-specific targeting capabilities to fine-tune exactly who sees your ads, where, when, and how.
One of the most effective PPC retargeting tactics for car dealerships is location-based targeting. With radius targeting, you can serve ads to people within a specified distance from your dealership, like within 10-15 miles. These will be prospects who are not only likely to visit your site but could realistically walk into your showroom today. Don’t waste ad spend on clicks from people three states away.
Then there are device-specific campaigns. If your analytics show that 75% or your traffic comes from mobile (this is common), you can launch a mobile-only retargeting campaign with click-to-call buttons, mobile-optimized landing pages, and a map and directions built right into your ads. This will improve the user experience and increase conversion rates.
Timing also matters. When you schedule your ads you can control when they appear. Run them during lunch breaks, in the evenings, or on weekends when people have more time to browse car listings and are more likely to make big purchase decisions.
Other strategic targeting elements include:
· Demographic targeting. You can tailor your messages based on age, income level, and household status. A 25-year-old college grad and a 45-year-old parent are not shopping for the same reasons even though they might buy the same car.
· Behavioral triggers. You can create audiences for your retargeted ads based on repeat visits, clicks, video views, or interaction with a specific feature like a trade-in calculator.
· Lookalike audiences. Build new audiences that resemble your best customers. Platforms like Meta and Google are really good at identifying similar users based on their behavior online.
The bottom line is that retargeting doesn’t have to be broad. With the right strategy, it becomes a smart, cost-effective system for reaching the right prospects at the right time.
Have a sale, lease offer, or year-end clearance? Retargeting can amplify the urgency to act now. By offering short-term discounts and financing deals, you can tap into the urgency people feel when presented with time-sensitive offers. Emphasize the end date using a countdown timer or final deadline to create FOMO (fear of missing out).
With this type of retargeting, you can align your ads with your email messaging to increase conversions even more. For example, if you sent out a promotion to your email list, they’re likely to see your retargeted ads and be reminded of the deal you’re offering.
Retargeting is the PPC secret weapon most car dealerships don’t take advantage of. Using this strategy can make the difference between a one-time curious visitor and a buyer ready to schedule a test drive. If you’re spending money on clicks without retargeting your visitors, you’re wasting your ad spend.
At PPC.co, we specialize in high-performance white label PPC campaigns that include smart retargeting from day one. Whether you’re launching your first campaign or looking to tighten up your existing ad strategy, we can help you capture more leads, drive more traffic, and move cars off your lot. Let’s turn those clicks into closed deals – contact us now to get started.
When it comes to selling web hosting, you’re competing in a fierce market with thin margins and corporations with big budgets. According to data sourced by Hostinger, the top 10 hosting providers account for 33.6% of the global market, which is expected to reach $355.81 billion by 2029. And the top three cloud providers combined hold more than 60% of the cloud infrastructure market.
That’s some fierce competition. But when you take a closer look, some of the bigger companies have a slew of dissatisfied customers looking for alternatives, and many first-time buyers will sign up for a good deal if a web host seems legit. That leaves plenty of room for smaller hosting companies to thrive. In fact, your hosting services and customer support might outshine some of the big players. But when you run paid ads, you’re all competing in the same space. That means you need to level up your advertising strategies to capture your share of the market.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be a powerful tool for acquiring hosting clients, but it can also be a fast way to tank your marketing budget. Make just one mistake and you’ll end up paying for clicks that don’t convert. To win, you need more than just good ads – you need a laser-targeted strategy, messaging that hits your market’s triggers, and landing pages that convert. You need to deliver the right ads to the right market at the right time. Here’s how it’s done.
Not everyone searching for web hosting is the same and treating them as such will yield poor results. For instance, someone searching for “cheap web hosting” is going to make a price-driven decision, and someone searching for “WordPress hosting” wants to skip technical tasks. Although they might all end up purchasing the same hosting plan, you need to reach each group based on what’s driving their purchase decision. Your messaging – from ad to landing page – needs to guide each user down a path that speaks directly to their goals, fears, and expectations. This is done through segmentation.
To execute this, determine what groups of user intent you want to reach. For example, common groups in this market are bargain hunters, small businesses looking for reliability, companies governed by data privacy laws, and non-techies looking for managed hosting.
When you run an ad campaign, you’ll set up a different ad group for each user intent so you can target them with their specific message. Ads displayed to each group will drive traffic to a corresponding landing page written exclusively for that persona. For instance, ads for “cheap web hosting” will lead to a landing page that highlights your low prices and special deals for paying years in advance. Ads targeting small businesses will lead to pages promoting 99.9% uptime, email tools, and reliability. The better you know your segments, the easier it is to tailor each funnel.
Before you even think about creating your first paid ad, you should already know what your competitors are doing. And yes, even major hosting companies are your competitors regardless of the market you’re trying to reach. However, not everyone is happy with the big hosting companies so there’s space for smaller fish, but you have to play your marketing hand right. That starts with knowing what you’re up against and where there’s room for improvement.
Study your competitors deeply. Look at their websites, paid ads and landing pages, email newsletters, and everything else in-between. Once you visit their website, you should start seeing their paid ads across various channels, including Facebook and Google. Study the layouts, the copy, the headings, the pricing models, and look up their customer reviews.
Next, use sites like Reddit and Trustpilot to find out what customers don’t like about your competitors. You’ll want to use that information to create compelling ads. For example, if you find a bunch of complaints about poor customer support, advertise 24/7 human support as part of your value proposition (as long as you actually offer it). If another competitor is hitting customers with hidden fees and annoying upsells, advertise transparent pricing and no surprise fees. If people complain about a confusing, highly technical user interface, make it known that yours is user-friendly.
You don’t want to copy your competitors’ ads – you want to outthink them by leveraging their missteps to create better hooks. Tech giants have million-dollar marketing budgets, and you don’t need to outspend them if you can outmaneuver them.
You only have around 0.4 seconds to make a user stop scrolling to look at your ad. Once they click, you have another 2.5 seconds to capture their attention. Whatever is on the other side of that click needs to be good. But to even get that far, you need to capture attention fast.
It’s said that the average person scrolls through the equivalent of around 300 feet of content every day. If your headlines aren’t scroll-stoppers, they won’t get any attention. But headlines that capture attention aren’t necessarily clever – they’re clear, compelling, and speak directly to what your market wants. For example, a web hosting ad headline that reads “Premium Web Hosting” isn’t compelling. On the other hand, “Launch Your Site in Minutes – No Tech Skills Required” will reel in clicks.
The idea is to craft headlines that help people imagine their problem has been solved, whether it’s a faster launch, no tech headaches, or peace of mind. But it has to be accomplished in a split-second or users will just keep scrolling.
There was a time when web hosts sold packages by advertising better server resources, like more RAM and unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and MySQL databases. That type of advertising worked because most hosting packages offered extremely limited resources for a high price. Today, disk space and bandwidth aren’t an issue and most consumers don’t even know what basic server specs mean.
Avoid advertising your hosting services by highlighting server resources and other tech specs. It’s not going to entice people. Even tech jargon that seems self-explanatory won’t be to your customers. For example, “Scalable VPS architecture with isolated containers” sounds smart, but it’s just noise to the average buyer. Sure, you should include that on your product pages so people who understand the lingo know what they’re getting but keep it out of your PPC ads.
You only get so much space for your ad copy, so make it count. Use it to generate clicks from people who want to buy your hosting services now. If you advertise tech specs and rattle off tech jargon, you’ll get clicks from tire kickers and people who are just curious. To get clicks that count, use conversational language, short sentences, and clear calls to action (CTAs). If your grandma wouldn’t understand it, neither will your customers.
Don’t just sell space on a server. When you sell confidence, freedom, and simplicity with urgency, the value of your offer automatically increases and that’s what will generate relevant clicks.
You might have a solid offer and amazing hosting services, but unless users feel compelled to click now, they probably won’t. That’s why you need to create a sense of urgency to click. It’s what creates momentum and cuts through hesitation, pushing potential customers into action. If your ads don’t communicate a reason to act today, you’re giving users an invitation to bounce, get distracted, or go to a competitor.
Create an irresistible offer that gives users a reason to act now, like a limited-time offer. However, this type of offer needs to be believable. You can use a count-down timer that tells people “This offer ends at midnight” or “Only 15 spots left.” These tactics work, but only when they’re done with integrity. If users come back a week later and see the same “limited-time” deal, you’ll lose credibility and you might end up on the FCC’s radar. So use scarcity and time sensitivity sparingly and follow through.
Instead of using gimmicky offers, try these proven approaches:
· Time-sensitive pricing. Most hosting companies offer dramatically discounted rates for the first year and additional discounts for paying up front for multiple years. This works well for price-conscious shoppers. Just be transparent about the cost after the discounted time period ends.
· Free domain registration. Nearly every host offers free domain registration for the first year. You could do the same or offer free yearly domain renewal for the life of the account for the first 100 signups. This adds a layer of exclusivity while giving users a reason to act fast.
· Free site migration. Most people don’t know how to transfer an existing website to a new host. Even technically inclined people struggle with this. Offering free site migration within the first 72 hours of signup can drive sales from users frustrated with their current host, but hesitant to move.
· Access to priority support. People want to know they’ll be taken care of, and offering basic support isn’t enough. Plenty of companies advertise 24/7 support that turns out to be sub-par in reality. Customers know this. But when you make people feel like a priority, it catches their attention.
Your potential customers have urgent problems to solve, but they don’t wake up with the intention of researching hosting plans. Most likely, your ads will show up for them when they’re not even thinking about hosting, but they’ll click if you promise to solve their problem.
Here’s how to work this into your ads:
Use phrases like:
· “You can’t afford downtime.” If they’re with an unreliable hosting provider, you’ll capture their attention by emphasizing that switching now means immediate uptime.
· “No more battling with complex interfaces.” Highlight how your setup is stress-free. Many users have an aversion to learning complex interfaces like Plesk and cPanel.
· “We’ll transfer your site by the weekend for free.” That’s an instant win for users who fear the pain of switching hosts.
The bottom line is that urgency that connects to real pain points will always outperform generic flash sales.
Deals are everywhere, and consumers tune them out because they know they’re just sales gimmicks. Get their attention by phrasing your offers as an opportunity rather than just another deal. Make people feel like they’re getting something special by using phrases like “this offer ends Friday” or “only available to the first 50 new customers.” Reinforce the idea that hesitating means missing out and remember to follow through by closing your offers when they’re advertised to end. You can always wait a week and run another offer.
Choosing your keywords is one of the most important components in developing a winning PPC strategy. But the words you target matter. You need to know the different keyword match types and how to use them. Because it’s not just about getting clicks – it’s about getting relevant clicks that convert.
You want to target keywords that indicate buying intent, not curiosity. If you go for vague, broad keywords like “web hosting” or “build a website,” your net will be too wide and you’ll invite clicks from curious people rather than committed buyers. These keywords are high-volume, high-competition, and don’t support conversions.
Web hosting PPC keywords that indicate buying intent, like the following:
· “Best WordPress hosting for ecommerce”
· “Affordable VPS with cPanel”
· “Web hosting for real estate agents”
· “Fast hosting for Shopify stores”
These are examples of searches that tell you exactly what the user needs. When someone searches for these phrases, they’re already close to pulling out their credit card. General terms will generate a lot of impressions, but the clicks will just drain your advertising budget.
Be cautious about bidding on phrases like “cheap web hosting” unless your business model is built around affordability. The big hosting companies already offer extremely good deals, and if you can’t compete with that, don’t advertise cheap hosting. People will see that you’re more expensive and bounce. Or, they’ll sign up for an account and require constant support from your team.
Build a strong negative keyword list to prevent your ads from showing up in irrelevant searches. Terms like “free,” “jobs,” “review,” “DIY,” “website builder,” “help,” “learn web hosting,” “courses,” “reviews,” “designer,” and “how to” might trigger your ads without generating conversions. If people use these terms in their search, they’re probably not looking for a web host.
Another tip is to include specific niche hosting you don’t offer that wouldn’t work on your existing plans. For example, exclude “forex hosting,” “HIPAA hosting,” “Git hosting,” and “Minecraft hosting” if you don’t offer these options.
If you’re stuck for ideas, don’t guess. Use Semrush to analyze your competitors’ ad campaigns; find out what keywords they’re bidding on and how much they’re spending on PPC. It may not be entirely accurate, but it will give you a good idea of where to start.
Don’t forget to check in with your reports to find out what searches are triggering your ads. If you find random phrases like “how to host a party,” trim down your keyword lists and add the irrelevant phrases, like “party,” to your negative keyword list.
At PPC.co, we’ll help you build an advertising ecosystem that captures your ideal market. From market research to laser-focused landing pages and optimized funnels, we help web hosting providers turn clicks into loyal customers. Whether you’re tired of campaigns that cost a fortune or you’re just getting started with PPC, contact us now and let’s build a PPC strategy that actually pays off.
