It goes without saying that online ads are vital for businesses to succeed. Technology dominates our lives and we tend to spend a lot of time using the internet to consume media and potentially make purchases.
Running ads is important, of course, but you need to be aware of the ins and outs of online advertising and need to prioritize platforms. As a pay-per-click and web development agency in Dubai, we love Google Ads (formerly known as Google Adwords). Google undoubtedly has a massive reach and this is one of the reasons why Google Ads should be your priority. In this guide, we’ll help you optimize your campaigns to receive the best results.
What are Google Ads?
With Google being the most popular website worldwide, it’s used by everyone when they need more information. Google search results are typically a combination of organic results and paid advertising – this means that you’ve probably seen Google Ads right at the top of your search engine results page.
Because these ads are so visible to virtually everyone, businesses use this method of advertising to boost their awareness and sales. Google Ads display your brand’s ads to potential and existing customers who may be interested in the products you’re providing. Advertisers typically bid on search terms, keywords and locations in an automatic auction so that they can get the best ad position.
Your ad position is determined by bid amount, ad and keyword relevance and so much more. Additionally, depending on the type of ad campaign you run, your ads may appear on websites that Google has access to, such as YouTube.
Do you need Google Ads?
Google is the most used search engine! The platform receives 3.5 billion search queries a day and has been around for around two decades. According to Google, advertisers will make $8 for every $1 spent on Google Ads – one of the best reasons to start implementing Google Ads into your strategy.
With thousands of companies across the world using Google Ads, your organic results would be pushed to the bottom of your page without ads, placing you below your competitors.
Getting started
Keywords play a huge role in the success of your Google Ads. To have your ads show up, you need to target and bid on specific keywords relating to your industry. Finding the right keywords to bid on without spending large sums of money may not be super easy, but there are tools to help.
The Google Keyword Planner is your best friend.
Using Google’s dedicated keyword tool is the best place to start your keyword research for your first campaign as you get clear suggestions on topics that you’re interested in. You can enter topics, phrases or even URLs even if you don’t know much about keyword research in the first place.
Once you’ve set your topics or phrases, Google will create ideas for you.
Based on your keywords, Google suggests potential keywords for your campaign that they believe will be highly beneficial. The ‘top of the page bid’ columns shows you the amount of money you need to bid per click for each keyword so that appear at the top or bottom of the first page.
While selecting keywords for your campaign, remember to ensure they match your goals. Are you looking to drive in sales or traffic? Analyze your keywords before you use them.
Choose the right campaign type
Before running your paid campaign, you need to select a campaign type.
- Search ads are typically text ads displayed in the search results on a Google SERP.
- Display ads are image-based and usually shown on web pages that are within the Google Display Network
- Video ads appear on YouTube and run from six to 15 seconds.
Location
When setting up Google Ads, you’ll need to set a geographical region where your ad would be shown. If you have a physical store, it’s recommended that you choose a radius around the physical location. E-commerce stores can target the areas that they ship to – so if you ship a product all over, then you’ll have no restrictions!
Keep in mind that your location settings will play a massive role in placement. If you own a bakery in Chicago and someone in North Carolina searches for “bakery”, they won’t see your ad. This applies even if your AdRank is higher.
Why aren’t my Google Ads converting?
Recommended Content: PPC Management Pricing
You could do everything seemingly right but your Google Ads may still not convert. There are a couple of factors you should take into consideration when this happens.
- Messy landing page. When redirecting users to your website, your main goal should be converting them into customers. It will be the first thing they see and you need to grab their attention quickly. Look at the design of your page; CTAs, visuals – if there’s too much information that distracts the user from the actual purpose, there’s a higher chance they will just leave the page and not purchase your products. Users look for seamless experiences and want to buy their products fast.
- Broad keywords. You have to make sure you’re choosing the right keywords, which is why we recommend testing keywords multiple times until you get the results you seek. When your keywords are too broad, Google places your ad in front of the wrong audience, resulting in fewer clicks but a higher ad spend. Analyze which keywords work for you in order to adjust them to target the right audience.
- Low Quality Score. Your Quality Score (QS) is how Google determines your ad ranking. The higher, the better! If your quality is low, you’ll have fewer views and therefore less revenue. To improve your QS, your ad needs to be relevant, so you need to take the right steps to ensure this. Include relevant keywords, improve landing pages and make sure that your ad text and CTA deliver what users expect – these are great starting points to improve your QS.
Google Ads Bidding Strategies
Once your ad campaigns are set up, it’s time to start the big. Keep in mind that how you rank in Google Ads will depend on how you bid. With the bidding system, you have the opportunity to set a maximum bid amount that you are willing to pay for clicks on your ads. The higher the bid, the better the chances are that you’ll be placed high in the search results. There are three options when it comes to bidding.
- Cost per click (CPC): this is the amount you will pay for each click received on your ad.
- Cost per mile (CPM): this is the amount you pay when your ad has been showing to 1,000 people, garnering a thousand impressions.
- Cost per engagement (CPE): the CPE is the amount you pay only when a user takes a determined action with your ad.
Even though your bidding amount will depend on your goals and budgets, here’s what you need to be aware of when running your campaign:
- Automated vs Manual Bidding. These are the two main options when it comes to bidding on your keywords. Automated bidding will have Google adjust your bid based on your competitors. You can set a maximum budget and Google will work within a range to give you the best chance. Manual bidding, however, lets you set amounts for your groups and keywords, allowing you to reduce spending on low-performing ads.
- Cost per acquisition (CPA). If you’re not keen on spending money to convert users into customers, you can set a CPA and only pay when a user is converted into a customer! This may cost you more initially, but you may feel more at ease knowing that you only pay when you acquire an actual paying customer, making it easy to track your ad spends.
Optimize Your Ad Copy
Recommended Content: The Comprehensive Guide to PPC Consultants: Navigating the Pay-Per-Click Landscape
Your ads need to be organized so that the ad copy itself matches all the keywords in the ad group you’ve selected and they need to target your ideal customers. With everything in life, trial and error can only help us improve! Even if you have the best content, your ad will fail if it’s displayed to the wrong audience and the wrong time.
To effectively optimize your ad copy, you must test different ad variations to see what works best for your business – many refer to this as split testing. If you want to test two different ad variations, you would show 50% of your target audience the first variation, and 50% to the second variation. Doing this helps you track which ad variation receives a better click-through rate and conversions, helping you decide the type of ad you need to run.
Focus on your main offer at hand; your headline, description text, display URL and your ad extensions when testing your variations.
Continually Optimize!
The internet is rapidly changing, and so are its users. There’s always an opportunity to test every aspect of your Google Ads campaign and you need to make this a habit! Test your targeting, ad copies and landing pages often if you’re looking to maximize your ROI. This will help you identify what works and what doesn’t, helping you improve your ads and boosting profits along the way. If you are looking for a Ppc Marketing Agency or Google Marketing agency then give get in contact with us.
