Since the turn of the century Google has been providing businesses with the means to target their customers through paid online advertising on the search engine results page (SERP).
Google Ads (formerly ‘AdWords’) is a great tool for businesses looking to reach their target audience and maximise their return on investment (ROI).
It’s a powerful lead generation tool that allows you to create ads based on keywords, demographics, and interests and with the right strategy and campaign structure, you can get your message in front of the right people at the right time.
Here, we’re going to explore some of the key areas of Google Ads and how you can use it to support your business growth.
Four best practices for your Google Ads
Know your keyword match types
Google search ads are all about keywords, and choosing the right ones to target your ideal customers. Google Ads offers 3 kinds of ‘match type’ for this; broad, phrase and exact.
To be as targeted as possible, and to use your budget and time in the best way, it is always recommended to avoid using broad match keywords. This is because you could end up showing ads for terms that are very loosely (or not at all) related to what you’re promoting.
Here’s a breakdown of the match types and examples of what searches may trigger each one.
Analyse Quality Score
Quality Score plays a huge part in the success of your ad campaigns. It’s a score out of 10 that Google gives each of your keywords and is split into 3 components – landing page experience, ad relevance and expected click through rate (CTR).
The more relevant and useful your ad and landing page is for someone searching your keyword, the higher score Google will give. So, ensuring your ad copy contains key information (including the actual keyword you’re targeting), and sends users to a relevant landing page with good user experience, Google should award you with a score of 8 out of 10 or above.
Check your search terms
Knowing what search queries your ad is appearing for can be make or break for the success of your Google Ads account. The search terms report shows you the exact words or phrases that users have searched on Google that have triggered your ads to appear.
This is a great tool to not only confirm your ads are showing to the right people, but to also give you the opportunity to negate any terms from triggering your ads in the future. Checking your search terms at least once a week means you can spot any irrelevant terms before you spend too much of your budget on them and allows your ads to only become more targeted and relevant to your audience and what you’re promoting.
Set up conversion tracking
Without conversion tracking, how do you know your ads are performing well? Tracking form submissions, purchases and phone calls are all ways you can monitor the success of your ads and ensure you’re getting the best ROI.
By setting up conversion tracking as soon as possible, you’ll have all the data you need to monitor and analyse, right from the start.
How to give your Google Ads the best chance of success
Your ad copy is the first thing a potential customer sees and reads when it comes to your brand, you need to make an impression and give them a reason to click through to your website and convert into a paying customer. Your ad copy needs to be full of information with a strong call to action (CTA), including the keyword you’re targeting.
Ad extensions are also important here. These are add-ons to the main headline and description of your ad that give extra snippets of information to the user. From sitelink extensions that send users to alternative pages of your website, to structured snippets that offer more insight into a product or service, each ad extension offers its own benefits and only amplifies the ad itself and increases your conversion rate.
How QBD can help your business attract more leads
Google Ads is constantly evolving with new, updated ways to advertise your brand online. From the precise targeting options, extremely measurable data and controllability of campaigns, Google Ads is a great tool for your business to use.
Our Google Ads specialists can audit existing accounts and provide insights and recommendations on how to optimise your account. We’re also on hand to set up new Google Ad campaigns with the correct targeting settings and killer ad copy, whilst managing your campaigns on a monthly basis to ensure you’re getting the most from your ads.
Get in touch today for more information on our Google Ads services.