It doesn’t matter if you are an experienced marketer or a novice. The moment you launch a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign can be nerve-wracking. You have the opportunity to reach the people who are specifically looking for the type of product or service you are selling. Moreover, the people who click on your ads are 50% more likely to make a purchase. But, get one thing wrong, and you will be throwing money out the window.
There is no secret sauce to creating the perfect ad campaign, but there are some factors you can adjust to maximise your efforts.
Here are some tips for running successful Google Ads campaigns.
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Understand Customer Demand
Google Ads, also known as Google AdWords, can be very appealing to small businesses. One report showed that 35% of Internet users said that they purchased a product within five days after searching for it on Google. Moreover, 75% of users claim that online ads make it easier to find information and 90% of them say that ads influence their purchase decision.
With numbers so favourable, it’s easy to get carried away and jump on the bandwagon without making sure first that this type of advertising is right for you.
If your target audience isn’t looking for your products or services on Google, then most probably Google Ads campaigns are not for you. Understanding this basic aspect will save you lots of money and frustration.
Use the Google Ads Keyword Planner tool to investigate your primary keywords. Enter the search term you think people might use when looking for your product or service online and ask yourself this:
- What’s the search volume for this keyword? If it’s too low, then it means that not that many people are typing those words into the search engine’s
- What’s the intent behind the keyword? Are the people using it ready to buy or just looking for information? Target keywords with a buying intent. Otherwise, you will just drive up your click-through rate without nothing to show for in the end.
- How competitive is this search term? If the cost per click is too high and you can’t afford to bid for it, then look at other keywords that have a high potential for driving conversion.
Optimise Your Keywords to Perfection
User intent plays a crucial role in the success of a Google Ads campaign. Whenever someone types a query into Google, the search engine will use an auction system to decide which of the ads that targeted similar keywords are the most relevant. If your keyword matches the intent of the search term (among other factors, of course,) then your ad will be shown on the search engine results page.
To get there, you have to tell Google how to use the keywords you’ve bid on. There are four types of keyword matches:
- Broad match: With this option, your ad will be shown for your target keyword, variations of it, as well as related topics. For example, if you use the word “shoes” as a broad match keyword, your ads will show for “running shoes,”. “dress shoes” as well as “boots,” or “stilettos.”
- Broad Match Modified: With this option, you tell Google to show your ads only for searches that include the keywords you’ve marked with a red sign.”
- Phrase Match: This option tells Google to show your ads only when your target audience uses the exact phrase you’ve specified, such as “red shoes.”
- Exact Match: With this option, you tell Google to show your ads to the people who are searching for your exact keyword or a close variation of it. After all, “toddlers’ pajama” and “pajama for toddlers” are the same thing.
Understand the goal of your ad campaign and choose the keyword match that best serves that purpose. If you want to gain more brand awareness, for example, then a broad match keywords ad will work best for you.
Don’t forget to include negative keywords too and prevent your ads from showing on searches that don’t meet your goals. For example, if you are a bakery that does NOT do wedding cakes, then use “wedding cakes” as a negative keyword to tell Google what your product is not.
Make Them an Offer They Can’t Refuse
What makes your ad stand among your competitors? Or better yet, how can you make your offer so irresistible that your potential customers can’t help but click on your ad and buy your products?
Great ad copy is one that offers:
- Value – You must tell your audience clearly what they will get from your product and how this offer will add value to them. Make it look like they are getting an incredible deal.
- Trust – Your prospects trust that your offer is for real and not a scam. If your product or service is on sale, tell them why you are offering this incredible discount (end-of-season, clearing out inventory, etc.)
- Call to Action – It may sound weird, but if you don’t tell people what to do next, they might not take any action at all. Always include a CTA in your ad copy and tell your potential customers what you want from them.
Build Your Landing Page Carefully
The landing page can make or break your ad campaign. Just picture this: you’ve worked hard to set up your ad groups. You’re confident you targeted the right keywords, your ad copy is creative and enticing, and you have a really great offer. But, when people click on your ad, they get on your homepage and have to find their way through your website to get to the product that interests them.
What do you think will happen next?
They will get frustrated, leave, and drive your conversion rates down.
Create dedicated landing pages that match the target keyword on your ad. The point is to make it very easy for your potential customers to go through the sales cycle. Any bump in the road will slow the process down and make them less likely to convert.
Do You Need Help with Your PPC Campaigns?
We can talk for ages about how to set up and optimise a Google Ads campaign to improve your Quality Score and boost your conversion rates. If you would like to learn more or if you need help with advertising your small business online, we are just a click or phone call away.
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