With pay per click (PPC) advertising, you will likely need every trick in your bag to stay ahead of the competition. As the PPC landscape has become increasingly competitive, it is becoming harder than ever to run cost-efficient campaigns within saturated markets. But utilizing some of the following bid management strategies will help you gain the edge back on your competition.

First, don't outbid your own budget. Just because there is a bidding war going on doesn't mean you have to get caught up in it. Remember that if you spend more to get customers than the profit you earn by converting them on the backend, your entire campaign is not only a waste of time, it's actually a waste of money also. It is much better to have fewer clicks and get them at a price where you can achieve ROI (return on investment) then to get caught up in a bidding war you can't win. Plus, with fluctuations in the PPC market, just try to ride the low waves, and avoid the high waves.

The next thing you should do is forget about what ranking you are on a SERP (search engine results page). Bid an amount that you can afford, not for the spot you want. If you are in the top spot or the fifth spot, it doesn't really matter. It is a good idea to try and get on the first page if you can, but beyond this you shouldn't worry about it too much. Also, consider this: people click on the top spot without even thinking about it too much. This will lead to many clicks that have no chance of turning into conversions, drastically lowering your conversion rate and reducing your margins. Only bid for the top spot if you are the dominant player in your respective industry - or you wish to obtain this title, and realistically have the resources to do it.

Also, there is a technique called bid jamming that you might want to try. Basically, some PPC services have a visible bid system, meaning you can see the bids of all your competitors. Something you may not know is that your competitors don't pay the price they bid for each click, but instead pay one cent higher than their next closest competitors bid. If you bid one cent lower than your next competitor, it will force him/her to pay full price for the bid, something that is hard to keep up for long.

These are a few simple pay per click bid management techniques that you can use in order to gain a competitive advantage in your PPC advertising campaign. Use a little patience, and you will place smarter and more effective bids.