I’m not going to bore you with all the statistics about how mobile internet usage is on the rise. You already know that. Instead, let’s dive right in and focus on how this impacts your Google AdWords campaigns.
First, it’s very important to know that Google AdWords ads automatically target desktop computers, tablets and mobile devices by default. So unless you made changes to your Campaign Settings, then you’re currently advertising to all three of those different devices.
Why is that important to know?
Well, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that people behave (or use the internet) differently based on the device they are using. For example, more and more people are using their smartphones to research products and services, but when it comes time to make a purchase, they’ll likely switch over to their desktop.
Plus, think about where people use each device and how that impacts their internet usage. According to research by Vocus, smartphone internet use most often occurs during travel, in restaurants and in stores (click here for more interesting mobile stats).
Now take a look at your AdWords ads and answer this question…
Do Your Ads Match the Device?
When you first drafted your ads, I bet you pictured your prospect sitting in front of her computer searching for your product or service. Up until fairly recently, that was almost always the case.
But not anymore!
Now, your prospect might be sitting on a plane, train or an automobile, at a restaurant, in a store or even underground in a subway using a mobile device. Regardless of where exactly she is, we know she’s likely on the move and looking to do some quick research versus make a purchase.
Of course there are exceptions here, and in some industries customers do in fact make online purchases on mobile devices, so you’ll have to test your offers to see what works for your business. My point is that the ads and offers you wrote for your desktop prospects will likely need to be tweaked a bit to work for mobile.
For example, I highly recommend testing mobile ads that promote free information or a free coupon in exchange for contact info. This can be very appealing to that “on the go” prospect who doesn’t want to fumble through all the steps to checkout on a mobile device. Then once you have the prospect’s contact info, you can follow up via email with a call to action to take the next step in the sales cycle.
Finally, don’t forget about the mobile “click-to-call” Call Extension. With this Ad Extension, you’ll be able to add a “Call” button to your mobile ad that prospects can click to call you directly. If your business can handle these incoming calls, then this feature can drive leads and sales directly from your ad.
After you’re done creating mobile specific ads, then it’s time to review your landing pages.
Do Your Landing Pages Match the Device?
If you do not have a mobile friendly website, then I recommend turning off mobile ads altogether until your site functions properly for mobile devices. That’s critical for obvious reasons. There’s no point wasting money on ads if your prospects can’t use your site on their mobile devices.
Even if you do have a mobile friendly website, that doesn’t mean your landing pages are optimized for AdWords. The first thing you’ll want to review is congruence from ad to landing page. Ask yourself: is the offer promised in your ad displayed prominently at the top of your mobile landing page with a clear and obvious call to action? If not, then make the necessary edits to the mobile version of your landing page.
Next, review the call to action. If your goal is to have your prospect complete a webform, then make sure the forms are short and easy to complete on a mobile device.
If your goal is to get phone calls, then don’t forget the one clear advantage mobile device landing pages have over desktop and tablet pages: your prospect is literally holding her phone while reading your sales page! With that in mind, if you want phone calls then make it easy for prospects to call you with big “click to call us” buttons on the landing page.
At this point, your ads and landing pages should be ready for mobile, but there is one more step to allow you to optimize your AdWords account for mobile traffic…
Do Your Reports Show Performance By Device?
By default, Google AdWords aggregates all the data from desktops, tablets and mobile devices in their reports. For example, when you look at the total number of clicks, conversions and ad spend for your campaigns, then by default the data is for ALL the devices.
If you’re not careful, then your reports can be extremely misleading. It’s possible (and common) to have campaigns that are profitable for desktops, but unprofitable for tablets and/or mobile devices. When all you’re looking at is aggregate data, then you would have no idea this is happening, and no idea how to correct it.
So how do you show performance by device?
It’s actually quite easy. When you’re looking at any report within Google AdWords, click on the “Segment” button and select “Device”. The report will refresh and you’ll see rows for Computers, Mobile Devices and Tablets. Simply scroll to the right of each row to see the data for each device.
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