More and more brands have begun utilizing social media and search engines as ways to drive valuable traffic to their websites, blogs and stores. While many may think of search engine optimization as the first way in which to do this, paid advertisements on sites like Google and Facebook have also become increasingly popular. These marketing efforts will not boost your SEO, but they can help you be seen by those who share an interest in your products, services or mission. Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns have gained steam as a preferred method of attracting traffic to a website and paying for each visitor, rather than for impressions. Below, we will outline three tools that anyone can use to optimize and improve their PPC campaign’s chances for success.

Google Keyword Planner

Within AdWords, users can find access to several pinging tools, one of which is called Google Keyword Planner. Since keywords are an integral part of PPC campaigns and ultimately determine their success or failure, the analysis of dozens of different options beforehand just makes sense. What the Google Keyword Planner attempts to do is forecast the amount of traffic you can expect to a website or blog based on a few different factors. Users can specify different keywords in conjunction with product categories, language targeting, physical location and more. After this information has been provided, the tool will give an estimate of the cost per click and help you determine which keywords are most efficient for your PPC campaign.

Facebook Power Editor

Anyone who wants to use PPC ad campaigns on Facebook would be well-advised to download the Facebook Power Editor, which can be installed to any internet browser. This can be easily installed via Chrome from the Ads Manager section of Facebook. Some of the intuitive features of the Power Editor include the ability to copy and paste advertisements and data for your PPC campaign directly into the interface from Microsoft Excel or another spreadsheet program, the ability to manage your page posts linked to a current PPC campaign, and the ability to end all aspects of a current campaign like cost per day, audience and run times.

Bing Ads Editor

The last tool on the list, the Bing Ads Editor helps users determine the best course of action for their PPC campaigns and add necessary data on a whim. The Bing Ads Editor works just like the Facebook Power Editor in that it can be installed to any browser for full-time use – users will enjoy options such as the direct importation of pinging tools from Google AdWords campaigns to Bing for replication, graphs that outline the changes in key metrics such as CTR and total cost over time, and the ability to preview any and all ads before changes are finalized. Bing has been proven to have great PPC results for certain niches like travel, so many bloggers and web-masters alike have flocked to Bing – and this tool – for their PPC campaign successes.

Each PPC campaign is an experiment, and you owe it to your wallet and hard work to ensure that each campaign is optimized for success. Whether you are running a PPC campaign on a search engine or social media, there are tools available to help you gain the most from your keywords, imagery, link placement and categorization.