Top Ten Tips in Google Ads Management
These tips are a general starter for those business owners and managers who are trying to come to grips with Google Ads. The complexity of this particular platform has grown considerably over the last decade.
There have been changes to market segmentation, ad types, keyword categories, ad extensions, bidding types, Google Analytics, conversions options and more.
The Top Ten Tips in Google Ads
Google Ads are a great way to advertise online. Here are the top 10 tips for using them:
Set a daily budget and stick to it. In the old days you may have spent $2000 per month on Yellow Pages or Classified Advertising. Google Ads is in most cases a very good tool to accurately target specific customers.
Decide what you want to achieve in Google Ads. If your products/services are unique then wide exposure through a Smart campaign may be required. Most businesses use Google Search where the objective is to add to newletters lists, get new leads or increase sales. It may even be a combination of these objectives
Choose keywords that people will search for. Inside “Tools and Settings” there is a keyword research function. The best Google Ads keywords to choose are long tail keywords with enough search volume. They should also be relevant to your business and target audience. Make sure you also include different variations of keywords related to the service or product you are offering. Once you have found appropriate keywords, you are ready to create ads.
Organise your keywords into adgroups. Make sure to use “phrase match” keywords. Broad match keywords often attract unintended search traffic. Ideally each adgroup should contain one keyword. Make sure to create negative keywords to block bad searches.
Take time in developing your ads. In Google Search, the Responsive Search ads are now the best option. For each Adgroup you are allowed to have three ads. Each ad has 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. It is important that all headlines and descriptions are utilised. They can also be put into different combinations to create multiple variations.
Try to mix up the description lines and create longer ads in order to target more search terms. Longer descriptions are better, as they cover more topics related to your services. Finally, make sure you use Ad extensions (Assets) too – these are links that appear after your ad copy which help increase.
Google will choose the best descriptions and headlines over time to create eye catching converting ads. You have to make sure your input is very well thought through. Write attention grabbing content.
Ad extensions are now called “Assets”. The include sitelinks, structured snippets, telephone numbers, call to action, special offers and images. These are all used to help improve the performance of your AdWords campaign by providing more valuable information for search users. By including relevant and useful information in your Ads, you can increase the click-through rate (CTR) of your Ads and decrease the cost per click.
Make sure your ads displays well on all devices. The “Tools and Settings” have a section Ad Preview and Diagnosis. You are able to look at your ads in mobile, tablet and desktop formats. This is also the only place to search for your ads on any given day.
Many advertisers search for their ads on their devices instead of doing it inside Google Ads. This has the effect of increasing impression and lowering the CTR of your keywords and ads. Lower CTR leads to higher click cost.
Get help from a Google Ads strategist. They will help you understand the many automated features inside Google Ads. It is important to understand that some automated recommendations are best ignored. The more complicated bidding strategies are only for very experienced advertisers. Again the interpretation of the Quality Score features takes advanced knowledge.
Monitor your performance regularly. Keep an eye on your average CPC. If your bidding is high, your budget runs out and your ads may not show for the rest of the day. It is a tricky balance between bidding enough but also getting sufficient exposure in prime ad positions. Part of monitoring involves looking at search term data. That is the words that a visitor typed into their browser to trigger your ads. This data helps you to expand your negative keyword list. This is a list of words, which you have told AdWords not to respond to. When you are a plumber you do not want a visitor who is interested in wages or a career in plumbing. Wages and career should in this instance be negative keywords.
Make sure your Geo-targeting is done accurately. Target the areas where you want to sell your products/service but also exclude cities, states and countries where you do not want your offerings to show. This helps improve CTR and thus lower click cost. You also do not want to pay for clicks where there is zero prospect of a sale.
Set up Conversion Tracking. You need to understand which keywords and which ads convert into leads and sales. Inside Tools and Settings is a section where conversions can be set up. You may require the help of your web developer to place the tagging on your website. If you do not measure conversions, the campaign performance will remain unclear. It is also harder to know where to adjust the Google Ads campaign.
Conclusion:
Google Ads is complicated. Lots to absorb and learn. You may have enough on your plate before considering managing Google Ads yourself. Our Top Ten Tips in Google Ads is designed to help you on your way.
It’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest changes so that you can run successful campaigns and get the most out of your budget. Fortunately, Tradie Clicks is here to help. We can provide tailored advice and support to ensure that your digital marketing strategies are up-to-date and effective.
Our expert team of consultants can provide you with the knowledge and insights to ensure that your campaigns are reaching the right people and yielding positive results.
We believe in creating a customised plan for each client, ensuring that every campaign is tailored to their individual needs.
So if you’re looking to boost your digital marketing presence or take it to the next level, we are ready to help.
More info on Google Ads can be found on the WordStream blog.