Online outreach and marketing campaigns can involve any number of moving parts, but one of the best ways to get started or to increase your traffic and conversions is with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. If you want the opportunity to reach a lot of people without spending a ton of money, PPC can help you to do so.

That said, you still have to be smart about spending when it comes to PPC advertising, especially if you’re working with a tight budget. Here are a few helpful tips to get the most of out every dollar you spend on PPC.

1. Limit Keywords

PPC is a pay to play game, and with a limited budget you need to carefully choose the keywords that will show the best return on investment (ROI). Some amount of research and trial and error will likely be involved, but eventually you should be able to work out a strategy that revolves around just a few keywords at any given time.

2. Choose Your Network

If you’re using AdWords, you should know that you can choose whether PPC ads appear in the search network or the display network (or both). With a limited budget, it’s best to pick one, and for newbies the search network is likely to be easier to master and deliver better results (at least until you learn how to optimize efforts on both networks).

3. Bid with Care

Your budget may stop you from getting the most relevant keywords, especially since you’re probably up against wealthier competitors. By carefully selecting keywords and bidding on those that are a bit off the beaten path, you could develop an affordable and lucrative strategy.

4. Don’t Neglect Negative Keywords

When it comes to PPC advertising, you not only want to attract targeted customers that are seeking your goods or services, but you want to avoid paying for ads that accidentally attract the wrong crowd (i.e. those looking for something else). This is where negative keywords are important.

There are bound to be all kinds of terms related to your business that aren’t actually relevant. You want to make sure to remove such associations in order to best target your audience and realize optimal results.

5. Reassess Frequently

Just because a relevant keyword works great for a while doesn’t mean changing trends won’t derail your success. You cannot afford to rest on your laurels in the fast-paced world of online advertising, where trends can change on a dime.

Keep close tabs on how your keywords are performing so that you can adjust as needed. You should pay attention to daily, weekly, and even monthly results, track results over time to spot statistical trends, and adjust keywords accordingly. Don’t be afraid to cut favorites if they begin to underperform.