It’s true that Google Ads can help to make or break a company’s advertising success online. It’s also true that most small to medium-sized business owners aren’t well-versed in marketing. It may be tempting for them to cancel Google Ads when underperforming campaigns don’t achieve business goals.
Before cancelling Google Ads altogether, double-check that the ads and campaigns are set up correctly. A thorough review will reveal why ads aren’t getting more impressions. Many easily-adjusted factors increase quality traffic as part of your Google Ads strategy.
The benefits of Google Ads for a small or medium-sized business are immense. They help level the playing field in the marketing world. Let’s review common issues that cause some owners to cancel too early. You can utilise the full potential of Google Ads if you monitor and tweak how you use the service.
Set Up Your Google Ads For Success
Mirror Your Google Ads To Your Website
There are two tiers that comprise your Google Ads account: Campaigns and Ad Groups.
Campaigns are for broad categories. Then ad groups are the flavours within those broader categories. A company needs to have an ad group, ads, a list of keywords, and individual campaigns that are unique and relevant to each product sold. So, campaigns may cover all products available.
Don’t expect the same ad to target every product. You’ll miss opportunities to capture potential customers searching for a specific item. Make sure your entire website offering is represented in your Google Ads.
Establish Your Google Ads Budget
Your Google Ads budget is controlled by two factors: bids and daily budget. Bids are the amount you’ll spend each time someone searches for your keyword and clicks the ad. Budget is the daily limit you’ll spend on each campaign. A good rule of thumb is to disperse your budget equally across all campaigns when starting out. This reveals which campaigns outperform others so you can adjust them accordingly.
For example, if you are having a sale next month on green widgets, you’ll set a higher budget for that campaign. Pulling budgets from a lower-priority campaign allows for the flexibility you need.
If bids are too low, you risk your ads not displaying. Monitor this in your Google Ads account by selecting the Keywords section. Ensure the max CPC bid is within budget.
Choose Keywords Wisely
Keywords are more than the name of the featured product. A keyword is a tool used to predict how a shopper will perform a search. Google Ads offers a free Keyword Planner tool that spews out relatable keywords for a campaign. This tool does more than produce the keywords.
It also estimates the cost of each keyword. It may not be wise to sink your entire budget into the top two keywords if you’re starting out. Plugging in a few low-mid-level keywords can show the effectiveness of your campaign while getting exposure. As your sales grow, you can switch to keywords that cost more.
You can also try scoring on 2 versions of the same ad. This demonstrates how slight variations in ad strategies will meet your business goals.
If Google detects a noticeably low keyword volume, it will temporarily deactivate its use within your account. Although it will reinstate it if traffic starts using it, that’s not a strategy to wait around for. Enlist a better-used keyword for your ad.
Check Your Keywords Match Setting
Did you know Google Ads uses 4 different match types to specify in your keyword search? Keywords do more than just generate quality clicks. Your goal is to have greater customer lifetime value. If your ad is not generating the quality traffic you expect, it may be time to drill down on your keyword matches.
- Broad Match – This is the Google Ads default. Any word that matches, in any order, will result in a hit.
- Phrase Match – This allows other words before or after your exact keyword. Ex: “green widgets” could also capture a search from “metal green widgets” as long as you put your keywords inside quotation marks.
- Exact Match – Exactly as it sounds. By putting your keywords inside of brackets [green widgets], only queries using those words in that order will capture a search.
- Negative Match – This setting excludes certain words from a search. This is useful if you’re not getting relevant traffic for your campaign. If you only sell metal widgets, you can exclude searches for plastic by placing a -minus sign in front of the undesired search word. Ex: -plastic
Land Your Landing Pages
A positive landing page experience garners more sales for your site. Test out that your Google Ad is delivering traffic to the product’s page and not your home page. Don’t risk a potential customer leaving before they find the targeted product.
You also want to give visitors a positive and trustworthy experience after clicking your ad. Load times need to be speedy to prevent leaving before engagement. Your company contact information should be readily available. The reasons for filling out forms should make sense. And security should feel impenetrable. A bad landing page experience will decrease your keyword’s Quality Score.
Customers Need To See Your Ads On Their Platform
Have you viewed a desktop-optimised ad on your phone? It probably wasn’t as accessible or responsive as you would have liked. Now multiply that experience by the number of hits not translating into sales. Guarantee quality traffic by making the customer journey seamless across devices. Opt for mobile, desktop, or both.
Compose Quality Google Ads
Fill your ads with keywords of what people desire from you. This generates more attractive ads to potential clients while raising your Quality Score. Remember to
- Include a CTA (Call To Action)
- Proofread for Spelling & Grammar
Monitor And Measure
After tweaking the previous categories, you may be ready to pat yourself on the shoulder. A successful Google Ad campaign needs frequent monitoring. Google Analytics is a free feature revealing the behaviour of shoppers once they reach your website. This shows which keywords and ads generate the most clicks and conversions. Refine and restructure un-productive ads after reviewing the data.
Lots of traffic with high bounce rates point to a low-relevance keyword. If you notice a keyword that is generating quality traffic and conversions, work that into other campaigns. Scheduling is another hiccup. Ensure the correct campaign time frame by checking the Ad Schedule page in your Google Ads account.
Get To Know Google Ads
Review keywords, budgeting, landing pages, and more before stopping Google Ads altogether. The benefits of Google Ads make learning how to use its tools worthwhile and profitable.
For further support on Google Ads and uncovering new ways to optimise potential to grow and boost sales get in contact here.
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