Time and again we come across pay per click campaigns with massive keyword sets seemingly focused more on driving any kind of traffic and blowing through ad spend than efficient methodology.
While PPC campaigns are a great tool for increasing exposure beyond the limits of search engine optimization, the end goals should primarily be conversion and return on ad spend.
Often we come across campaigns that are focused on first place ranking, when in fact, a given keyword set may perform as well if not better with a lower average ranking. A rank-based analysis can identify these opportunities and help reduce overall spend.
Additionally, paid search campaigns should work in conjunction with the website optimization, improving quality score and conversion percentage once a user clicks through to the website. This will also help reduce the monthly spend amount.
Another area of misguided spend we come across is in branded terms. Often we see large amounts of money spent on branded keywords, when in reality, the consumer would have readily clicked on your organic listing if the branded term was not an option.