Google Ads can be an extremely effective way to market your business, but only if used correctly. Google Ads is the world’s largest online advertising platform, accounting for more than 50% of all online ad spend. A well-managed Google Ads account combined with a competitive business offering and website can transform your business. With over 40,000 global searches processed every second, Google is the world’s number one search engine.
In this article, we’re going to run through some tips for using Google Ads. These tips will not only make you a better Google Ads user, but they’ll also help you to avoid some of the common mistakes that people make when learning the system. If you’re looking to generate leads and sales, here are some essential Google Ads tips to enhance your online brand:
What is Google Ads?
Essentially, Google Ads is a marketplace where businesses compete to have their adverts in a prime position on Google Search, or displayed on other Google owned properties. Google’s advertising networks include Google Search, Search Partners, Display and YouTube video advertising.
If you’ve got a Search Ad on page 1 of Google or if your Display Ads are winning more auctions for greater impressions, then you’re certainly ahead of the competition in terms of attracting attention.
How does Google Ads work?
Google Ads operates on a pay-per-click basis, which makes money for Google each time a user clicks on one of your ads. The point of using Google Ads is to make it easier for potential customers to find you and learn about your business. When determining which ad should go where on the page, Google considers more than just how much someone is willing to pay per click.
Additionally, it delves into quality indicators like account history, click-through rate, and relevancy to calculate a quality score. This score then gives you an ad ranking. In other words, your CPC bid multiplied by the quality score equals your ad position (or rankings).
Quality Score is Google’s metric for determining how relevant and high-quality your keywords and ads are. It’s used to calculate your CPC (cost per click) by multiplying the maximum bid with quality score, which then ranks your ad in the auction process.
Whether you run an accounting business, a pizza delivery service, or a plumber, you want to make sure that your ads are optimised to get the best quality traffic possible with the highest chance of becoming customers.
Google Ads Tips
Google Ads is a powerful tool, but you may not be using it to its fullest potential. If you can increase traffic, improve the quality of leads, and garner more attention online, this should enable you to increase your conversion rate. Here are some top tips to help you get the best out of Google Ads:
Establish your Goals, Budget and Strategy
Having defined objectives for your Google Ads campaign is key to paving the path towards a successful outcome. Would you like to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate leads/sales? Keep these goals in mind from the get-go and create ads with purpose.
Targeting is Key
The most crucial element of advertising is targeting the right people at the precise time. Even if your ads, landing pages, and business offerings are fantastic–if you don’t have excellent targeting, then your success will be little to none. If you are selling products or services, chances are you already have an idea of who your ideal customer is. By modifying your Google Ads campaign according to this information, you’re more likely to reach out and connect with them successfully
One of the great things about Google Ads is that you can target your ads very specifically. This means that you can show your ads to people who are more likely to be interested in what you’re selling. If you can spend all of your ad budget on the most highly targeted traffic, just focus on that. By following an 80/20 approach, you can obtain the maximum ROI while still experimenting at higher levels in your customer’s buyer funnel.
Search Targeting:
It is crucial to research your keywords before beginning any Google Ads campaign. By understanding which keywords are most relevant to your business, and which ones are being used by your target customers, you can create a more effective campaign. There are a number of tools available to help with keyword research, including Google’s Keyword Planner and Google Trends.
Google Search allows you to target keyword searches, as well as other data like Shopping Feeds and website content. In order to run a successful Google Ads campaign, you will need to target specific keywords. Keep in mind what your customers are searching for when they might want to buy your product or service.
Google Ads Keywords are essential to Google Ads’ success. Knowing what searches lead to customers who buy your product or service is key. To get there, remember to do the following when building a list of keywords.
- Use specific keywords meant to target specific customers.
- Put yourself in your customers’ shoes.
- Use professional keyword tools for research.
- Split test different keywords to optimise over time
Audience Targeting;
Google Ads, you can target your ads to different types of audiences, which are either warm or cold traffic. There are three main types of audiences:
1. Remarketing lists
2. Similar audiences
3. Interest Audiences
Remarketing lists are people who have had some form of interaction with your company before. Alternatively, Similar and Interest-based audiences have not heard about your business yet and would therefore be considered a cold audience.
In your Google dashboard, you’ll find a tab labelled ‘Audience Manager.’ Using this tab, you can customise your campaign by creating lists for cold audiences based on interests they Display across the internet. You can also retarget warm audiences of potential targets based on the pages they have visited on your website. To learn more about targeting options within Google Ads, check out Google Ads Targeting: Ultimate Guide
Choose a Campaign Type
Search campaigns:
Ads that inform your potential customers about your products or services. With this type of ads, you first establish a goal (like directing traffic to your website or increasing leads and sales, and then you only pay when there’s some sort of interaction (PPC – Pay per click).
Shopping campaigns:
Make your products seen by millions on the world’s largest online marketplace. You only pay when buyers click through to your website or see local inventory available.
Display campaigns:
By advertising on the Google Display Network, your business will be promoted on popular websites like Gmail and YouTube, as well as news pages and blogs.
Video campaigns:
Connect with potential customers on YouTube by advertising your business. You will only be charged when someone views one of your ads for at least 30 seconds, watches it in its entirety, or interacts with it; for example, if they click on a call-to-action button, on a card, or on a complimentary banner.
App campaigns:
App campaigns are perfect for anyone looking to promote their iOS or Android app on Google Search, YouTube, and Google Play. As with anything though, it is crucial that you establish your goal beforehand: do you want more downloads or to direct users to an app event? Also key is selecting high-quality images or videos of the app that will grab users’ attention.
Research your Competitors
Learning from your competitor’s successes (and failures) is the quickest way to create a successful PPC campaign, just like with any other marketing strategy. There’s no use in trying to come up with something entirely new when somebody else has already done that for you.
Research your desired keywords on Google and study the most successful ads. By analysing your competitor’s strategies, you can learn which keywords bring in conversions and invest accordingly. If done correctly, this could save you a lot of money–so don’t forget to share this blog post!
Use Keyword Match Type Correctly
There are four different keyword match types in Google Ads: broad match, modified broad match, phrase match, and exact match. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to use them wisely in order to get the most out of your keywords. Google Ads allows you to regulate how precisely users’ search terms must match your selected keywords before your ads will appear. For example, at one extreme, users must enter specific keywords for your ad to show up, while on the other hand, ads may be displayed based on broad association. The reason behind these settings is so that PPC advertising is only seen by those who you want it to be seen by.
It really depends on what your goals are as to which you should choose. If you’re looking to raise awareness for your brand and create impressions, then go with the broader options. On the other hand, if sales are what matters most to you and getting the best ROI per sale is important, an exact match is key. And their various keyword match mechanisms involved it’s worthwhile focusing on the one that will work best for your business type specifically.
- There are three types of keyword matches for Google Ads: Exact Match, Phrase Match, and Broad.
- With Exact Match, your ad will only show if the user types in the exact keywords you specify. You can tell Google to use exact match by putting your keywords into brackets.
- Phrase Match is similar to exact match but more flexible; Google will display your ads if a user searches for the phrase you specify (where a phrase is just a string of words).
- Broad is a matching system that casts a wider net and displays your ad based on associated keywords, including synonyms.
The keyword you choose will affect the results of your search. A broad match searches a wider base, while an exact keyword match may give fewer leads that are of higher quality. It’s beneficial to monitor your progress and see how you’re doing with different keywords. If you start off with broad or broad match keywords, for example, and you’re getting a lot of clicks that aren’t converting, then it might be useful to switch to more precise matches in order to improve the chance of a conversion. 
Improve traffic quality with negative keywords
In order to ensure you’re showing to relevant searches, negative keywords are just as important as positive keywords. Negative keywords allow you to exclude ads from appearing in irrelevant searches by people who have no interest in your product.
You want to bring in prospects who will actually be interested in what you’re selling, not waste money on those who aren’t. You can use Google Ads to find the right keywords, but you can also exclude certain negative keywords so your ads don’t pop up for searches that have nothing to do with your company. That way, you’ll not only save money on clicks but also increase CTR and quality score while reducing advertising costs overall.
Google’s Ads allow you to not only select keywords that ARE associated with your products, but also those that are irrelevant. For example, if you sell pedal bicycles, a positive keyword might be “bicycle” or “street bicycle.” However, Google might display your advertisements to customers who type in phrases like “motorcycle,” Even though you only sell push bikes, the latter three searches are irrelevant and won’t generate any conversions.
Negative keywords allow you to tell Google which words should NOT be associated with your business. This way, your ads won’t show up for searches related to those terms, and you won’t waste money on clicks from users who aren’t interested in what you’re selling.
Create Engaging Ads
Your ad copy is one of the most important elements of your Google Ads campaigns. You need to write ads that are relevant and interesting to your target audience, and that persuade them to click through to your website.
After you research your preferred keywords and corresponding audience, it’s time to design ads that are relevant to them. Your ad copy should be direct, brief, and include a CTA. Additionally, make sure your ads target the correct demographic; this way you don’t waste valuable resources fighting for irrelevant clicks.
When using Google Ads’ text ad editor – a pop-up box with numerous fields waiting to be filled out – remember that businesses that complete all sections tend to have more successful ads than those that leave some blank.
- The text in your Google ad that you pay for is called your ad copy. It contains the heading, description, and target page text. Ad copy should follow similar guidelines as headlines. Things to keep in mind while writing include:
- Making it easy to understand
- Focusing on what the customer wants instead of our business
- Writing about benefits
- Not using negative or overly complicated language
Ad copy should always be clear and concise; otherwise, users might get confused and leave without taking action. Ad copy is basically a sales pitch in writing form. Everything that’s written is meant to guide the reader closer to making a purchase (or taking some other desired action). So, ad copy has different rules than those of a blog or any other kind of informational text. The goal is to sell outcomes and make the customer feel good about buying your product.
- Final URL: The Final URL is simply the link to the webpage you’d like your advert to link. This landing page needs to be relevant with a CTA that matches your advertising goal
- headline 1: Include the user’s primary keyword, your brand name or a brief value proposition in this field.
- headline 2: Write a supportive value proposition here, or use this area to set the stage for the Description.
- headline 3: Although it doesn’t show up often, it’s still beneficial to include a strong CTA or value proposition for it.
- Description Lines 1 & 2: This is the longest section of copy that connects the needs of the searcher with the solution of your product or service. Keep your content relevant to what the user searched for instead of providing general information about your brand or service. The searcher is giving you a clue as to what they need, so use this opportunity to address their specific needs!
- Path 1: The Path fields are not the “real” URL, but they are user-friendly insertions to demonstrate relevancy to the searcher. This is a good place to note top-level category, brand name, or keyword category that relates to the ad group (i.e., what the user searched for).
- Path 2: Try to include more additional, accurate information in this field to provide further context and clarity about your product or service for potential customers.
This is your chance to convince potential customers reading your ad about why they should purchase your product. Take this opportunity to describe the benefits of what you’re selling, address any concerns or issues they may have, and end with a call to action.
Fill out all ad options. Fill out all information fields before launching a campaign- they exist for a purpose. Ignoring them may result in poorer performance for your advertisement.
Use Strong Call to Actions
Intriguing your potential customers is a great way to get them to click on your ad. You could use phrases such as “Get Your Free Trial”, “Save £10”, and “Free 1-Month Subscription”.
According to a study, being specific about savings works better than general promises of discounts. For example, “Receive £3.50 off” rather than “50% Discount.” Customers want to know exactly what they’re getting before committing. Additionally, free shipping is an offer that has notably high conversion rates between 0.29% and 1.7%
Maximise Ad extensions
You can add extensions to your ads from the extension tab in your Google Ads dashboard. These extensions allow you to specify locations, products, features or sales promotions And You Should! According to studies, 76% of users who search for a service nearby will visit that business on the same day. With mobile searches happenings more often and people out more frequently, it’s important to let customers know you’re close by and ready to help.
There are many types of ad extensions used for Google Ads, but the most common ones include site link extensions, callout Extensions, and structured snippet Extensions. Ad extensions can be used to improve the visibility and trustworthiness of your ads.
- Sitelink extensions
- Callout extensions
- Image extensions
- Phone call extensions
- Price extensions
- Promotion extensions
- Location extensions
Many Google Ad extensions are automated extensions to compliment manual ones.
Achieve a High-quality score
The most effective way to make your budget go further is by ensuring that your ads are of the best quality possible. Google Quality Score rates every ad’s bid amount, keywords, and landing pages on a scale from one to ten; essentially, the higher the score the better chance you have at conversion and improving rank. To put it simply, you want to create an ad experience that is as clear and helpful as possible for searchers.
Set your budget
An important factor in your Google Ads campaign is your budget because it sets the parameters for how long your campaign can run and how many conversions you can make. A great tip to remember is that you don’t have to set a rigid, immovable budget – instead, be flexible with what you’re willing to spend. Your maximum bid should also be taken into consideration when thinking about finances. The max bid is the price you are comfortable paying each time someone clicks on one of your ads.
The amount you set for your budget can be altered at any time. As you decide on a budget, the maximum bid must also be taken into account. An example would be if your budget was $100 and the max bid was $1, then 100 clicks are allowed until the budget is depleted. However, if the numbers were switched and the budget was now $1 1000, 1000 clicks could happen for only costing 1$. The way Google Ads works is that people clicking on ads are what’s charged, rather than impressions. Consequently, ponder over how many clicks vs. how much money is allocated in order to stay within said budget.
ABT - Allways Be Testing
The only way to really know what works and what doesn’t is to test different elements of your Google Ads campaigns. Try different keyword combinations, ad copy, and targeting options, and see how they affect your click-through rate and conversion rate.
Set up Conversion Tracking
Google Ads conversion reporting lets you see how often people who click on your ads end up taking the desired action, such as making a purchase, lead enquiry or signing up for your newsletter. This is valuable information that can help you to improve your campaigns and make sure you’re getting a good return on investment.
Running successful Google Ad campaigns requires you to understand which keywords convert best. So test, monitor, and optimise your campaigns closely.
Use Relevant Landing Pages
Although you may have razor-sharp targeting, there’s still a chance that potential buyers won’t find your landing page or business offering appealing.
A ‘landing page’ is a web page created to encourage customers to take some sort of action, like purchasing something or signing up for newsletters, rather than simply leaving the site. Smart businesses don’t just create one landing page; they develop several based on user intent.
Though it might be difficult, understanding user intent is key to creating successful landing pages.
Look at your competitor’s pages and score them from a prospective buyer’s perspective. Then make sure that your own landing pages can stack up against the competition. By doing this, you’ll increase the chances of potential buyers choosing YOUR product or service.
It is important to remember that as the cost per click increases, so will the competition for creating effective landing pages. For example, a local service provider who only targets their home city will have more difficulty being successful than if they targeted a nationwide or international audience with average to below than average landing pages.
Advertisers need to ensure that their ads and landing pages are working together to produce a consistent customer experience. Your ad should make a good first impression, followed by a relevant landing page with keywords used throughout the text, and finally, include a call-to-action (CTA). Use CRO testing on your landing page so you can always be making improvements.
Geographic Targeting
Most businesses gain from targeting local customers. If you want to amplify your local trade and get more people in your area to visit and buy from your website, changing your bids to target particular locations is a great idea. Even if you don’t have an actual store like a salon or hotel, for example, you can still use geographical targeting. For instance, let’s say there’s a website that sells shovels specifically for clearing snow.
Businesses in areas with heavier snowfall will most likely succeed more than those located in milder climates. You can improve your chance at success by manipulating keywords and negative keywords accordingly.
Google lets you adapt your bid strategy depending on the user’s location. For example, if you manage a motorbike shop in London, then you will be more inclined to pay for ads that would show up for users located 30 KM outside of London. Even if your business isn’t based on location though, you can still take advantage of geo-targeting by changing your bids according to different weather conditions or local user needs. If this interests you and want to know more about targeting locations specifically, read our article Google Ads for Local Business
Maximise Automation
Google is changing and automated processes are becoming more commonplace. You can use script writing to take some of the workloads off your hands while still getting fantastic results. To get the most out of your Google Ads campaigns, employ Smart Bidding and Responsive Search Ads. AI won’t be able to create a top-level advertising strategy for you, but machine learning can adjust bids as necessary.
Automation is key in any business, big or small. It makes sure your bid is just right for when your ad has the best chance to succeed—or drops the bid when your competition is set to win. This way, you’re not wasting time or money needlessly
Refine Account Structure
If you want your website to be successful, take the time to set it up properly from the start. This includes creating campaigns and designing targeted ads specifically for gnome-friendly cities. Remember, if you want people to find your site, you have to meet them where they’re searching.
Analyse and Optimise
It’s crucial that you evaluate your campaign results and make adjustments to improve optimization after you hit the publish button. You’ll want to control how the budget is being invested, take a look at which keywords are performing better, see which ad groups have the best performance, check the conversion rate…and then be prepared to make decisions that will help fine-tune your ROI.
Google Display Ads Best Practices
Google Display ads appear in the articles, videos, or website content that users are clicking through. By setting up a Display ad, you can have it shown on the Google Display Network. The network covers over 2 million sites and reaches 90% of all users.
Unlike Google search ads, display ads may not always reach the people who are already searching for what you’re offering. Instead, they are only presented to specific audiences that advertisers select. Therefore, businesses need to do their research in order to find out which audiences will be most receptive to their ads. Based on age, gender and interests, custom audiences and lists can be created for retargeting purposes. By targeting users who have already demonstrated an interest in certain industries or products, businesses can more easily identify potential customers. Ultimately, choosing the right audience is the key to success when it comes to Google Display Ads
Keep the following in mind when you create your Display ads so that they will capture the attention of your target audience. Once you’ve determined your target audience, your Display ads need to capture their attention. When doing this, remember to:
- Include the most important message in a headline.
- Make sure mobile and desktop users alike can see the ad properly.
- Create the Display ad in both landscape and square formats (the campaign will use one of them based on the placement).
- Choose the most effective types of banners.
The most common Display ads on Google are:
- Leaderboard: 728 x 90
- Skyscraper: 120 x 600
- Square: 300 x 250
Even though it’s still an option to use these specs, as Google increasingly moves toward automation, these sizes could soon change. It’s much easier to create the ideal Display ads by starting with the right template size and working from there. There are dozens of banner sizes for Google Display ads, but those mentioned above are a good starting point.
Summary
To increase your business’s chances of success with Google Ads, start by focusing on the basics. Google Ads is a hugely effective online advertising platform that has the potential to attract new customers and boost sales for your business. However, while there are no guarantees when it comes to Google Ads, there are several ways you can improve the quality of leads and increase the click-through rate.
If you want to make your business more visible online, improving your Google Ads campaigns is a great place to start. Use relevant keywords, target the right audience from the beginning, and create quality ads, with landing pages that deliver what they promise.
