Keywords. Geo-targeting. Data analysis. Ad copywriting. Landing pages.
A lot goes into creating a successful Google Ads campaign and it can be overwhelming.
Thankfully, digital marketing experts have made it their job to figure out how to run PPC campaigns that convert into sales.
Below are 5 tips from Google Ads experts to help you create a successful campaign.
You’ll notice a common thread running through all five of these tips: they’re all about making sure your keywords, ads, and landing pages work together. We call this The Congruence Principle, and it’s the foundation of every successful Google Ads campaign we manage.
1. Segment Your Campaigns
“Be sure to segment your campaigns depending on the number and type of products you offer,” says Yorgo Petsas of Alensa LTD.
One of the key mistakes businesses make when launching Google Ads campaigns is being too general with their ads and landing pages. The beauty of Google Ads search is that you know what the prospect is looking for. Rather than advertise your business generally, relate your product or service to exactly what the prospect searched.
For example, rather than advertise your auto repair shop using the same ads for all keywords, segment your campaign by car make and model. That will allow you to perfectly match your ad copy and landing page to the keyword searched, which leads to higher click-through rates, better quality scores, and more leads and customers for your business.
2. Be Analytical & Creative
“Be analytical and creative, finding different ways to look at results that make the most sense for your particular account,” says Jacob Brown, an Account Manager at Hanapin Marketing.
Google Ads provides a lot of useful data by default. In fact, it can be pretty overwhelming combing through all the reports available in the Google Ads interface.
How do you know where to focus and what’s most important?
First, you must determine your campaign goals. For example, are you driving leads for your business via phone calls and webform submissions? Or are you trying to drive e-commerce sales? Or do you want visits to your store?
Based on your goals, you can then set up proper conversion tracking. Without conversion tracking you’re flying blind and you’ll never be able to optimize your campaigns to maximize your goals. We call Tracking the Foundation of The Growth Formula because without it, every decision you make about your marketing is a guess.
Second, don’t rely solely on the numbers. By that I mean you need to always ask yourself, “what is causing this positive or negative trend in the campaign?” What changes did you make in the account? Are there new competitors? Is the high cost per click due to bid increases or did the conversion rate decrease?
In other words, get to the root of the issue versus just dwelling on the numbers.
3. Get Granular
“My key takeaway from the rise of local based searches is that granularity is key to a successful paid search account,” says Jeff Baum, an Associate Director of Services at Hanapin Marketing.
There’s no question that the growth of mobile search goes hand-in-hand with the increase in local search results. People are frequently searching phrases such as “restaurants near me” or “dentists near me” as a way to find local businesses.
It is imperative that businesses take this into account when building a Google Ads campaign.
Google Ads allows you to select a geo-radius to target a campaign to a specific area. From there, it’s possible to get even more specific by generating reports to see which micro-units within that range perform the best.
This information can include breakdowns by city, zip code, neighborhood, etc. where you can then create new campaigns to even more specifically target those areas.
4. Always Be Relevant
“Always be relevant, create relevant campaigns, and give the user the answer to his query as precisely as you can,” says Marko Kvesic, an Online Marketing Manager at GoTraffic Online Marketing Agency.
Google Ads success is hugely dependent on relevancy and consistency. The more specifically you target your campaigns to the target keywords, the more likely a user is to click on the ad.
But, the ad isn’t the only thing that needs to be relevant.
You also need to make sure the information on your landing page is consistent to what is being offered in your ad copy. Your ad drives prospects to your landing page, and your landing page turns those visitors into leads and sales.
This is exactly what we mean by The Congruence Principle: when your keyword, ad, and landing page all tell the same story, your results improve across the board.”
5. Your Landing Page Must Connect With Your Audience
“Creating a well converting landing page is about presenting a sentiment that your audience will connect with. You have one page to build up enough trust to collect personal information from someone who in most cases has had no interaction with your brand before.” says Jillian Zacchia, a Content Generation Specialist at Acquisio.
Not only is it important for your landing page to be consistent with your ad copy, it is also important for your landing page to be authentic and connect with your target audience. Remember, you only get a few seconds before the visitor clicks the back button! Make every pixel above the fold count.
There are plenty of templates available for creating landing pages. But, these templates are worthless if they aren’t customized properly for your brand, offer, and audience.
Need Help with Google Ads?
If you need help creating Google Ads campaigns that convert, we can help. Request a free quote for Google Ads management, and we’ll review your goals and recommend the right approach.
