There are no magic bullets to creating a successful Google Ads campaign. Many who run their own PPC campaigns make a chief tactical error. They think that optimization is carried out solely on the ads themselves. Actually, due diligence permeates every aspect of a Google Ads campaign. So rather than jump in and start crafting taglines around keywords, back it up a bit. No, back it up a lot.
Begin by defining your targets. This way you’ll know if a certain dollar amount per click is cheap or not. Ditto your click-through rate. Forget for now what the conversion rate is. Define what it should be first and take aim towards achieving it. (BTW: Remember, when you set up your account in Google, it is all-important to make sure that ‘Auto Tagging’ has been checked. You’ll want to receive every shred of data Google can provide. Ditto making sure that your Google Ads account is linked to your Analytics account. Don’t laugh, even seasoned PPC Managers forget this step. Also, do not keep the Google Ads default ‘Optimize for Clicks’. Set it to ‘rotate indefinitely to ensure all ads receive their turn at top billing. Lastly, make certain every ad has been approved. Reasons obvious.)
Remember the song, “Never on a Sunday?” No! Never start an ad campaign on a Friday. You’ll want to review it 24 hours after launch and the weekend is not an optimal (pun intended) time. Campaign not working? Ad spend too high? Don’t scuttle the campaign. Find out WHY it is costing so much before giving up. It’s likely that an ad component needs to be tweaked. Isolate it, do it and start over. When in doubt drill down.
Now you can optimize at the campaign and ad group level. Once you understand where an ad is failing, you can remediate with clarity, instead of clicking on and off boxes to see what might work. Now we get to the part that most PPC Managers start with: A/B Testing their ads. Remember to make the assumptions broad- i.e. a solid research question, not a subtle one. This way your results will reveal more about user behavior, not just the number of click-throughs, but what influenced users to click through.
For example: For a petshop, test which ad receives more click throughs, one entitled, “Buy a Dog”, or “Purebred Puppies for Sale” or “Unconditional Puppy Love for Sale”. Each headline targets a different sector: consumers who are literal, consumers looking to buy a purebred dog for less, or the emotional tug of buying a family pet. Remember, if your statistical data is irrelevant, chances are good that your spectrum was not broad enough.
Now you can optimize for keywords. Address low performing (CTR) keywords first since these can have a negative impact on the site’s quality score. Also lower ad performance is a redflag- Google will serve your ad less often since your ad is not making Google any money either. Do not overlook the value of negative keywords. There has been much ink spilled over that one so its benefits need not be repeated here. Now the painful part, determining lost revenue through lost impressions. It can be very sobering but in PPC one often learns (and quickly) from mistakes. Finally, be prepared to check your top 25 highest spending keywords in each group two to three times weekly. This way you’ll know if your budget, keywords, and campaign is on track. You’ll know when to increase the bids for certain keywords and when a keyword’s relevancy and your ad copy comes into question.
Sound like a lot? It is! Why then do so many business owners relegate this very important aspect of their digital marketing budget to someone who may not be aware of all of the campaign optimization aspects that need to be addressed? More important, are you one of them? At Active Web Group, our seasoned professionals know that there is no corner-cutting formula to a successful Google Ad campaign. We take the time and effort required to successfully manage our clients’ Google Ads campaigns from the onset to the finish line. If you are ready for a frank discussion about handing over the reins of your PPC campaigns to achieve greater success, please contact our team for a confidential discussion: (800) 9878-3417.
