When it comes to Pay-Per-Click marketing, advertisers are inundated with an endless list of metrics to track and measure. That’s because, unlike other traditional methods of advertising, PPC offers some fantastic ways to keep tabs on every aspect of a campaign. There is no denying the fact that PPC ad campaigns are data-driven to the max.
This also makes it easy for marketers to lose themselves in all the clicks, impressions, and other rates that may or may not make a real difference to the bottom line. After all, not all metrics are equal.
This begs the question: which figures are the most important to monitor?
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer because the most critical metrics vary according to the goals of a PPC campaign. Still, there are a few KPIs that are fundamental for the success of every campaign.
Here are the top metrics and KPIs to monitor:
The number of conversions resulting from a campaign is almost always the first priority of an advertiser unless their objective is only brand awareness. Ultimately, profits start with conversion, so it’s the number one priority of any business.
To measure the conversion rate, divide a campaign’s conversions by its total clicks.
For instance, a campaign with fifty clicks and five conversions will give a conversion rate of 10% when expressed as a percentage. Even though conversions are significant for campaign managers, they sometimes create campaigns optimized for clicks instead.
A click is the starting point of any conversion, making it a preliminary success indicator of a PPC campaign. It takes into account the number of people who clicked on your ad.
These clicks help campaign managers tweak their approach from time to time, even during a campaign’s running time. They can check on ads’ clicks throughout to see which are performing well to put more bids on them and pause those ads completely that are not faring well.
For mid-month performance measurements, clicks are a handy KPI, but of course, you cannot rely on just clicks to determine a campaign’s success.
Similar to how your clicks generated in a campaign measure its performance, CTR plays a vital role in determining the success of a campaign’s performance.
It is measured by the division of the total number of clicks generated by your campaign in a particular period from the total impressions. So, for instance, if your ad got 150 clicks and the total impressions were 1,000, then your CTR is 15% in that case.
It is essential to understand that a perfect CTR does not exist because industry types and other variables affect the PPC performance.
According to 2018 research, the differences in the average CTR of the auto industry and the dating and personals industry were 4% and 6.05%, respectively. So, suppose campaign managers rely entirely on these numbers as a benchmark for their CTR success. In that case, they will overlook the analysis of other variables that affect their campaigns differently.
When you compare CTR from other similar campaigns, they provide a good benchmark for improving upon.
One of the most difficult KPIs to measure is the Quality Score. Created by Google, this metric aims to point out your ad content’s relevancy with the help of CTR metric and more performance variables such as landing page experience.
However, it is difficult for advertisers to understand this metric because it is not as straightforward to measure as other KPIs such as clicks.
Google can evaluate an ad’s quality score with the help of expected CTR, ad format, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
When it comes to measuring the Quality Score, Google is upfront about its process and importance. In 2017, Google improved on how it reported Quality Score in Google ads, though the following aspects need to be kept in mind:
If you pay less money to Google Ads for campaigns, you will get a good Quality Score ranging between 7 and 10. However, if you pay more for ads, you will get a bad score of 6 or lower.
With a change in the Quality Score reports, advertisers found it easier to use it in Google Ads along with the provision of KPI’s historical data. Such insights are precious for advertisers to come up with better campaign decisions.
Advertisers are always highly interested in how they can improve the Quality Score as a means to determine the cost they pay for every click.
Additionally, Quality Score can influence KPIs like CPA and CPC.
PPC advertisers usually have a set budget that guides them on how to spend on an ad campaign. However, the bid and budget they specify for a PPC campaign are not guaranteed amounts that they will end up paying.
Advertisers place a higher bid than their competitors to get ad positions but pay a bid price second to it. As a result, your competitors in a PPC auction determine the cost of the ad you put up and the clicks it generates.
If you want to know the exact amount an advertiser pays for a campaign, calculate the CPC. Divide a campaign’s total cost by the number of clicks that ad generated.
To manually calculate your campaign’s cost, multiply a campaign’s clicks with the CPC.
In addition, you should think about methods for reducing your cost per click.
For advertising campaigns, you can come up with a cost per acquisition (CPA) which is the cost of acquiring a new customer. You can determine the CPA when you divide the total conversion costs by the total conversions.
Sometimes advertisers also opt for a bidding technique for a campaign to use a targeted CPA. This helps them use a CPA according to their budget with an automatic bid setting to get maximum conversions.
It is essential to have conversion tracking, know various bidding strategies and have a minimum of thirty to fifty conversions within the past 30 days of using a targeted CPA.
We all know impressions matter a lot where ads are concerned, and it doesn’t include them clicking on it. So the number of impressions for a campaign won’t indicate its success because there is no way to tell your ad’s effectiveness on your audience.
However, with the help of impression share, you can determine the number of impressions your campaigns generate. It is calculated when you divide your campaign’s total impressions by the impressions it was eligible to have.
If you want indirect yet competitive insight, impression share is a key metric you should have an eye on. For instance, if your impression share is 50% for some keyword, you can determine that the rest of the 50% is with your competitors.
You can reduce your competitors’ ad display by increasing your impression share. On the other hand, you’ll have to improve your bids to improve their impression share.
Whether search results for a query are paid or organic, Google has a way to balance them both. Google and Bing ads are displayed on top of the results page. The first one is at the highest position, the next one underneath that, and so on.
Advertisers determine the usual position of their ads with its average position. It is important to understand that Google doesn’t always place the highest bidders’ ads in the first place, for which they use the ad rank to figure out the average position.
You can find out the ad rank when you multiply Quality Score with the maximum CPM of an advertiser. However, this is an average, so even after calculations, you can’t tell your ad’s exact position.
It is natural to aim for the first position, but this is just to satisfy numbers because it doesn’t guarantee results.
It is also possible for some advertisers to get more conversions while in the fourth position than the first one. Hence, the average position should only be used as a point of reference but not as a target indicator as it doesn’t necessarily give the information you want.
In addition, it will also benefit to look at how Google Ads extensions perform relative to the normal listings in your campaign.
More often than not, paid marketers have a monthly budget they need to follow for an ad campaign. To what extent they achieve the budget they were given is determined by the budget attainment.
However, many PPC marketers don’t measure their PPC performance based on budget attainment, even if it provides a lot of information regarding their campaign’s management.
It is not easy to bid regularly and optimize results when PPC auction variations require continuous oversight. This is why marketers end up overspending or underspending on their budget frequently.
Nonetheless, PPC marketers should consider budget attainment as a valuable KPI.
A highly significant indicator of a PPC marketers’ skills and account health is the Lifetime Value (LTV). However, it is slightly complex to calculate a paid searches’ CLV.
When companies acquire customers through paid search and retain them for a longer time, they make more revenue.
LTV can be measured in several ways, even though it evaluates a customer’s lifetime with a business’s product. For instance, a large company such as Target will have a complicated LTV due to several aspects to it like customer retention rate, applied discounts, customer lifespan, etc.
PPC marketers generally avoid such calculations, but this KPI’s measurement could be precious for other departments.
There are many KPIs that you can use, and you might be tempted to use all of them. It is essential to understand your campaign and carefully choose metrics that suit it best so you can optimize them and get better results.
Chances are that your goal is to bring more traffic to your website, increase sales and enhance brand awareness through various campaigns. Understand what works for your campaign and what doesn’t, based on the KPIs you track.
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When this apartment complex client partnered with PPC.co, their goal was clear: generate more qualified leads through Google Ads. In just 60 days—from January to March 2025—we transformed their paid acquisition performance. Total conversions more than tripled, jumping from 10 to 32, while the overall conversion rate soared by over 300%. At the same time, we drove down the cost per conversion by 44%, delivering significantly more leads at a much lower cost.
By strategically combining Performance Max and high-intent Search campaigns, we not only increased lead volume but improved overall efficiency and ROI. This rapid and measurable improvement underscores the value of data-driven optimization and expert campaign management.
This case study is a testament to what can happen when a well-structured campaign meets expert strategy and continuous optimization. Whether you're launching a new property or looking to boost occupancy in a competitive market, PPC.co delivers real results—fast.
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Whether you’re a life coach or a business coach, you need a steady flow of leads to stay profitable. It’s not enough to post on social media. No matter how popular you become, being well-liked and even loved doesn’t guarantee clients.
For coaching businesses, pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns can be a powerful way to attract high-intent leads – people actively looking for transformation, accountability, and clarity. But you can’t just throw some ads up on Google and expect results. You need a strategy that uses the right targeting, messaging, and structure to avoid expensive lessons in trial and error.
In this guide, we’ll break down the essentials of building cost-effective PPC campaigns designed specifically for coaches who want conversions, clients, and growth.
The first step to creating any high-performing PPC campaign is identifying what your potential clients are searching for online. PPC ads show up in search results (Google, Bing) and social media feeds (Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok) based on the phrases users type into the search bar when looking for content.
To get your ads seen by your ideal clients, you’ll need to tap into their innermost thoughts – like a burned out executive searching TikTok at 2:00 a.m. for “how to find my purpose” or “how to get a promotion.” You’ll want to target searches that indicate the user is unhappy and is looking for a solution that coaching can help them achieve.
Not all keywords are equal. You’ll get more leads that convert by targeting keywords that indicate a user is ready to take action. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, and Ubersuggest to find keywords with strong intent. High-intent searches might include phrases like:
· Business coach for entrepreneurs
· Life coaching to reduce stress
· Life coaching to find my purpose
· How to grow my small business fast
· Career transition coaching
These and similar phrases related to your coaching business will be the foundation for your paid ad campaign on any platform.
The customer journey consists of three stages that lead someone into the buying stage:
· Stage 1: Awareness. The prospect is aware they need help, but they don’t know exactly what they need or how to get it.
· Stage 2: Consideration. The prospect has named their problem and are actively looking for a solution.
· Stage 3: Decision. The prospect knows they want to work with a coach, and they’re in the process of deciding who to work with.
If you’re running a full marketing campaign with email marketing, you’ll want to run ads that address leads in all three stages. The people you capture in stages one and two will need to be nurtured over time through email. Leads you capture in stage 3 can be more easily turned into a paying client faster. If you aren’t capturing emails yet, only target leads in stages two and three for the best results.
No matter what type of coach you are, your ideal clients will have a variety of goals and pain points. Not everyone will share the same concerns or desires. For example, some business owners want to grow their business and open new locations, while others want to build a stronger team or increase their revenue. Some life coaching clients want better relationships while others want to find their life purpose. When you run ads, your target market needs to think, “this ad is for me.” Generic copy won’t cut it.
You’ll need to run a different ad campaign aimed at each client avatar. To get the most conversions, you’ll need to reach one avatar at a time. Speaking to one avatar in your ads and landing page copy allows you to go deep into their needs, fears, hopes, worries, and concerns. The more specifically you can connect with people, the more likely they are to convert.
To figure out what your ideal clients want, think about their struggles and the potential keywords they might be searching on various platforms. For example, a lot of people are unhappy at work. In this case, potential keywords they might be searching for include:
· How to find a job that doesn’t suck
· How to handle conflict at work
· How to win respect at work
Once you know the pain points you want to target, craft your messages so they speak to emotional triggers. People respond to a sense of urgency (“Burned out? Don’t wait”), personal growth promises (“Find your life purpose in 90 days”), and emotional relief (“Stop second-guessing yourself”). Speak to where your ideal client is right now and show them you can take them where they want to be.
Using this information, you’ll craft ads with headlines, copy, and corresponding landing page copy that speaks directly to your ideal clients. For example, your ads might look like this:
Problem/Keyword search: How to find a job that doesn’t suck
Ad headline: Hate Mondays? Let’s Fix That.
Ad copy:
You spend 90,000 hours of your life at work. Shouldn’t more of them feel fulfilling? Learn how to reconnect with purpose and enjoy what you do. Book your free clarity call now.
Problem/Keyword search: How to handle conflict at work
Ad headline: Tired of Office Drama? Here’s Your Way Out
Ad copy:
Learn strategies to set boundaries and manage work conflict like a pro. Click for a free strategy session.
Problem/Keyword search: How to win respect at work
Ad headline: Feel Invisible at Work? Let’s Change That
Ad copy:
You’ve got the skills. You put in the hours. But the recognition never follows. Sound familiar? Respect isn’t about being louder – it’s about confidence, clarity, and strategy. Book your free consultation and finally be recognized for your full value.
Just like each of your ads target a specific avatar, your landing pages need to do the same. Don’t send traffic to your homepage. Your landing page should reflect exactly what your ad promised.
If your ad says, “Executive Coaching for Burnout Recovery,” then the landing page should address burnout, speak directly to executive professionals, and offer a call-to-action (CTA) for a discovery call.
Effective landing pages consist of the following elements:
· A dedicated page made just for your ad
· A seamless transition from ad to landing page
· A clear headline that addresses the pain point directly
· Testimonials or results from real clients if possible
· A strong CTA, like “Book your free 30-minute breakthrough session”
· A clickable phone number or link to book a call immediately
Remember, you’re not selling coaching services. You’re selling a better version of your prospect’s life. Make sure your copy reflects that.
Coaches often underspend on ads, thinking they can game the system with just $5/day. That’s not an effective strategy. What you may not realize is that setting a low budget actually reduces the number of people who see your ad. Your ad visibility increases the more you spend.
Start with a modest, but meaningful budget of at least $1,500-$2,000 per month. The good news is your cost per click (CPC) will be significantly lower than other industries, like legal and insurance. However, if you’re not sure how to set a PPC budget or handle bidding strategies, hire a professional PPC agency to manage your ads. It’s the easiest way to avoid costly mistakes.
Your ads should target the right people at the right time.
First, think about your ideal client who is looking for your services.
Who hires coaches? Usually, it’s:
· Entrepreneurs who feel stuck or overwhelmed
· People who want to start a business, but don’t know where to begin
· Mid-level professionals seeking career growth
· High achievers facing burnout
· People at a personal crossroads (divorce, job loss, mid-life crisis, etc.)
Once you pinpoint who might be looking for your services, you’ll need to choose the right advertising platforms. Your main options are:
· TikTok Ads
· Instagram Ads
· Pinterest Ads
Advertising on each of these platforms comes with pros and cons – some are specific to coaching services. For example, while Pinterest is likely cheaper than Google, Pinterest leads might not be committed. However, TikTok and YouTube users frequently search for solutions to specific problems.
You might be surprised to learn that TikTok is a gold mine for coaching businesses. It’s not just an app for teens. Over 71% of TikTok’s users are between 18-34 years old, and 32% are 25-34 years old.
Unlike other platforms, TikTok doesn’t function like a typical social media platform where the purpose is to build a community. It’s more like an outreach platform and people are constantly discovering new content creators. The algorithm’s goal is to get as many people watching content for as long as possible. To achieve this, users are given content based on their interests, not just from people they follow. You don’t need followers or viral content to get seen. Each video stands alone in the algorithm and has an equal chance at getting attention.
People use TikTok to find insights and advice on just about everything you can imagine, including personal and business-related situations. While you can run ads on TikTok without a following, it helps to have an established account with solid content. You’ll build more momentum this way, and you can boost your native content to earn more trust across the platform.
Additionally, TikTok ads can target users based on hashtag interactions. People use hashtags on TikTok to find content more than any other platform. If you’re not advertising on TikTok, you’re missing out on clients.
Coaching clients aren’t impulse buyers, and they need to see your face and personality to know if they want to work with you. Wherever you run ads, you can expect people to click on your account to check you out. You’ll get more conversions by publishing short, engaging videos that show your authenticity and provide inspiration and support.
Whichever platform(s) you choose to advertise on, make use of custom audiences to target your potential leads as specifically as possible.
Everyone wants clarity, but not everyone wants to pay for it. That’s why you need to block certain searches using negative keywords. You don’t want your ads to show up for people who are just curious, looking for freebies, or looking for unrelated services. They’ll just click on your ads, waste your ad budget, and potentially waste your time if they sign up for a free call.
Suggested negative keywords for coaches include:
· Free coaching session
· Coach training program (these people want to be coaches, not hire one)
· Sample coaching questions
· Coaching worksheets pdf
Defining these and similar negative keywords will keep your clicks high-quality and your cost per lead low.
It can be exciting to see how many people are viewing and clicking on your ads, and there is a time and place to assess impressions and clicks. However, unless you’re focused on optimizing your ads, forget click-through rates (CTR) and look at how many calls you’re getting booked, how many contact forms are being submitted, and how many email addresses you’re collecting through your lead magnet downloads.
It’s crucial to know which campaigns are bringing you results so you can cut the ones that aren’t working.
People don’t usually buy high-ticket coaching packages the first time around. They need time to research, investigate, and consider their options. You might get some clicks and email signups from your ads that don’t turn into paying clients right away. That’s where remarketing comes in.
Set up ads on Google and Facebook to follow users who have already clicked on your ads and visited your website. Since these ads will be displayed only to people who have already interacted with your brand, you can use different value points to engage them, like testimonials, free guides, and limited-time offers.
Facebook retargeting options are pretty specific compared to other platforms. Since Facebook and Instagram are both owned by Meta, you can target people who have interacted with your Instagram page, too. You can even upload a list of your existing email subscribers from your segment that hasn’t yet converted and target them with relevant ads.
At PPC.co, we help life and business coaches run PPC campaigns that turn clicks into clients. Whether you’re scaling a coaching business or launching your first coaching program, we’ll help you connect with the people actively searching for your services.
Contact us today for a free digital marketing consultation and let’s start turning your ads into paying clients.
