Tips for Running Successful Google Ads Campaign.

Without any doubt, Google Ads (formerly named Google Adwords), is one of the most result-driven digital advertising platforms of all time for brands regardless of their size. If you are not familiar with the platform and its amazing tools as well as options, you might see it as a complicated tool and find it difficult to wrap your head around it. Here are a few tips you should apply when running your next Google ads campaign for your business especially if you do not have the budget to hire a PPC expert.

#1: Identify Advertising Goals and Set KPIs

Goals could include increasing your website traffic, generating more sales or leads, increasing brand awareness and reach, improving product and brand consideration, or app promotion. Just like every tool has its strengths and weaknesses, Google Ads does too; some of the highlighted advertising goals above (like getting more sales and leads) can get brilliant goals when implemented using Google Ads. However, some campaigns (like brand awareness) might not get optimum results when run on the platform and will involve a high running cost that could be spent on social media ads. In addition to identifying goals, KPIs must also be set so as to consciously and continuously track the outcome of your Google Ads Campaign.

#2: Get Familiar with Google Ads Related Terms

While setting up Google Ads campaigns, there are certain terms you can’t hide from; therefore, you just need to understand what they mean. Some of those terms include Placement, Campaign Type, SERP, Keyword, Impressions, Quality Score, Click-Through-Rate, Cost-Per-Click, Search Volume, e.t.c. Check here for a full list of Google Ads related words and their meaning.

#3: Have An Optimised Landing Page

The need for a well-optimised single-purpose landing page cannot be overemphasised. Organically, your home page is most likely your preferred choice for a landing page. However, a good landing page is one that has a single offer being promoted without overwhelming your prospects with several options. Most people know what they want, and when they click on your ad they only expect it to lead them to where or how they can get it with ease. If you want them to call you to make an inquiry, your ‘Contact Us’ page should serve as your landing page, or if you want them to buy a product, lead them to your ‘Products’ page. The goal of your advert could help you determine which is the perfect landing page for your campaign.

#4: Up Your Keyword Research Game

When choosing keywords for Google Ads campaigns, it is important to understand your audience and predict which terms they are most likely to type into the search box when searching for a product/service you offer, or a brand like yours. Keyword research is one of the most essential aspects when preparing to run an ad campaign on Google. To start with, it is expected that you come up with a list of keywords which you’ll want your ads to be displayed when they are searched for. In Google Ads, there are 4 keyword match types, they are Broad Match, +Broad+Match+Modifier, “Phrase Match”, and [Exact Match].

Several tools are available to check for the search volume for each keyword and generally ease the keyword research process. These are some of the most common and effective tools you can use; Moz Keyword Explorer, SEMRush, UberSuggest, Google Keyword Planner, and Ahrefs. It is always safer and cost-effective to use words with higher search volume and low competition. Some other things you’ll want to take note of is the average cost-per-click, competition rank and bidding, as well as the inclusion of those words in your ad copy and landing page.

#5: Carry Out Your Audience and Placement Research

Oh, you thought that searching for and selecting keywords is the only form of research required? Well, you thought wrong. When running Google Ads campaign, you cannot but decide who your ideal target audience are, on what platforms they interact the most and spend more time on. These are some of the findings you’ll get by diligently carrying out audience and placement research before launching your ads. Your research will include the demographic and psychographic information of your audience, as well as the websites, apps, blogs, and YouTube Channels they are most likely to visit. For example, you’ll find most betting related ads on sports blogs and websites than you’ll find female fashion items; this is so because sports lovers are mostly of the male gender and usually read news about upcoming games or their favourite team/players on those platforms where the ads will be displayed. The place of research cannot and should not be overlooked when running marketing campaigns.

#6: Create Your Ad Copy and Design

When running search and responsive ads, you will need to focus on your ad copy rather than design. Words or phrases used in responsive search ads must be set out in a manner that they can be matched with each other and still make sense. Get rid of repetitive words, or elements that go against the rules of Googe Ads. As for design, this will be used when running display ads. Ensure you use quality and relevant images that best portray your brand and its offerings. Be aware of the various banner sizes (leaderboard, skyscraper, square, inline rectangle, e.t.c.). Do not forget to craft a persuasive, compelling, and articulate ad copy, bearing in mind the text to image ratio. It is safe to say that your ad copy is incomplete without a Call-To-Action button to prompt people to take action.

#7: Optimise Everything Else 

This is one of the reasons why Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click advertising cannot be separated from each other. While SEO typically improves your organic ranking, it also ensures the effectiveness of your ads. For every Google Ads campaign, your aim is to stay at the top of the Search Engine Result Page (SERP) when searchers input a related keyword. However, if several factors aren’t considered and optimised, be sure to lose those leads gotten from ads, and this translates to a wasted budget. Majorly, your ads, landing page/website must be mobile-friendly. Assist yourself by taking away any element that might prevent leads from getting converted. 

Lastly

The awesome part of Google Ads is the fact that you can make changes to your ads even while it is up and running. As your campaign is ongoing, you will be able to spot out the copy, keywords, design elements, CTA button, headlines, or other elements that are either performing well or require a change; so keep testing. In addition, change only one ad element at a time to help you figure out what is working and which changes are producing the best impact. The above tips, if properly put into use will improve the results you get from your Google Ads campaign. 

Well, if all of this seems more than you can handle, the safest thing to do is to get a PPC expert who can pull this through and put your budget to good use while producing impressive results. Big Field Digital is a digital marketing and tech-driven agency with a team of certified Google partners who are well acquainted with the concept of Pay-Per-Click advertising for brands. If you send us a brief now, you are closer to solving your worries relating to Google advertising and other forms of digital marketing.