Google Ads is a powerful advertising platform that enables businesses to target their primary audience and drive traffic to their websites effectively. Despite its advantages, many companies need help optimizing their advertising budget and achieving a high return on ad spend (ROAS).
To address these challenges, we have compiled a list of 10 actionable tips that businesses can use to improve their Google Ads account performance and maximize their ppc marketing ROAS. By following these tips, companies can create more effective ad campaigns, target the right audience, and ultimately get the most out of their advertising budget.
1. Start with Keyword Research
Conducting thorough keyword research is an essential first step in creating a successful Google Ads search campaign. This is a great opportunity to think like a customer or your target audience. Keyword Research is the process of identifying and analyzing the keywords and phrases that people use to search for products services, or information online. An essential aspect of keyword research is understanding search volume, as this refers to the number of times a keyword is researched on an engine like Google. High volume keywords tend to be more competitive and are more expensive, but they can drive copious amounts of traffic to your website. Another metric to consider is cost-per-click on each individual keyword. This process refers to the amount of spend for each click on your ad, when someone searches for that keyword. The CPC pricing scale can vary depending on the competition within the ad space, industry and even geographical location. A high CPC is a clue that the desired keyword will be expensive when running a successful PPC campaign, but they can also indicate that a keyword is highly relevant.
There are multiple keyword re tools available that can help you with keyword research. The Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SpyFu allow you to enter a keyword related to your business or industry and generate a list of related keywords that are being searched for by your target audience. You can then use this information to create a targeted list of keywords for your Google Ads campaign.
2. Create Compelling Ad Copy
After conducting your keyword research, the next step is creating compelling ad copy that captures the attention of your intended audience and inspires them to interact with your advertisement. Ad copy refers to the written content that appears in your ad, and plays a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of your advertising campaign. Your ad should effectively communicate your product’s or service’s distinctive value and feature a compelling call to action that motivates the user to take action.
Crafting an ad that resonates with your target audience is key to success, so following these tips for creating effective ad copy is crucial:
- Create a strong headline: The headline is the first thing that users will see in your ad, so it’s essential to make it attention-grabbing and accurately represent the products or services you offer.
- Use clear and concise language: The ads should be easy to understand and free of industry jargon or technical terms. The goal is to communicate your message in an easily digestible way relevant to your target audience.
- Highlight the unique value of your products or services: To set yourself apart from your competition, highlight the help of your products or services, including quality, affordability, or convenience.
- Include a strong call-to-action: Copy should include a strong call-to-action that encourages the user to engage with your ad. Use phrases like “learn more,” “sign up now,” or “buy today.”
- Test different variations: Consider testing different variations to determine which ones perform best. A/B testing can help you compare two different versions of your ad and see which one gets more clicks and conversions.
Remember, your ad copy aims to engage and motivate your target audience. Following these guidelines can create compelling ad copy that drives results and helps you achieve your advertising goals.
3. Use Relevant Landing Pages
Once a user clicks on your ad, they are directed to a landing page. Ensuring your landing page is relevant to your ad while providing a seamless and valuable user experience is crucial. The landing page should match the messaging and offer presented in your ad, and provide a clear path for the user to take action.
A landing page builder allows you to create customized landing pages optimized for conversion. These landing pages guide the user towards taking action, such as purchasing or filling out a form. Using a landing page builder, you can ensure your landing pages are visually appealing and easy to navigate.
4. Max Out Responsive Search Ads
Responsive search ads (RSA) are considered the new standard for Google as opposed to Google Adwords, which was discontinued in 2018. RSA works by mixing and matching a variety of headlines and descriptions to identify the best-performing combinations. RSA also provides a handy rating system of “poor,” “good,” and “excellent,” so improving your ad quality is easier than ever.
RSA allows you to create ads with up to 15 headlines and four descriptions, so we recommend the following approach:
- Utilize the max number of headlines and descriptions available.
- Focus on your target keywords across a few of your headlines and descriptions.
- Utilize the remaining headlines and descriptions to highlight your call to action and value propositions.
- Periodically review the rating on your ads. An ad that is rated “excellent” today could have a rating of “good” or “poor” after gaining clicks and impressions over time.
5. Utilize Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are a powerful tool that can help you optimize your Google Ads campaigns by providing the potential to boost the visibility and effectiveness of your ads by providing additional information like location details, phone numbers, and website links, thereby leading to better user experience and increased conversion rates.They provide additional information and context about your business, products, or services, which can help increase your click-through rate (CTR) and ultimately drive more traffic to your website.
There are several types of ad extensions available, including:
- Sitelink extensions: These allow you to add additional links to your ad, directing users to specific pages on your website.
- Call extensions: These add a clickable phone number to your ad, making it easy for users to call your business directly from the search results.
- Location extensions: These display your business’s address and a map marker in the ad, helping users find your physical location.
- Review extensions: These display positive reviews or awards your business has received, providing social proof and building trust with potential customers.
- Callout extensions: These allow you to add additional text to your ad, highlighting specific features or benefits of your products or services.
In conjunction to providing helpful information to your target audience, ad extensions can also highlight secondary services and take up more physical space in search results. For example, a business that offers multiple benefits can use ad extensions to promote these services directly within its ad, making users more likely to engage and further explore their offerings.Not all ad extensions will be relevant or effective for every business, so it’s essential to test different extensions and analyze their performance to determine which ones work best for your specific needs and goals. By leveraging the power of ad extensions, you can improve the performance of your PPC campaigns and drive more targeted traffic to your website.
6. Hire a Dedicated Ads Agency
A dedicated ad agency specializing in Google Ads can be an excellent resource for businesses looking to maximize their return on ad spend. These agencies typically have a deep understanding of the Google Ads platform and are experienced in creating effective campaigns that drive results.
One of the primary advantages of working with an ad agency is the ongoing optimization and analysis that they can provide. Ad agencies will continually monitor and adjust your campaigns to ensure they perform at their best, helping you save time and resources that you would otherwise spend on managing your campaigns in-house.
In addition to optimization, ad agencies can help you address policy violations that may arise during your campaign. Google Ads policies can be complex and ever-changing, so having an experienced agency can help ensure your campaigns remain compliant. They can also help you navigate Google’s Advertiser Verification Program, which is a process meant to certify that advertisers are legitimate and meet Google’s advertising policies.
Working with a dedicated ad agency specializing in Google Ads can help you achieve better results from your online advertising efforts. With their expertise and ongoing optimization, you can expect increased ROI from your campaigns while saving time and resources. Having an agency manage policy compliance and navigate Google’s Advertiser Verification Program can give you peace of mind knowing that your campaigns are running smoothly and within the guidelines set by Google.
7. Focus on Mobile Optimization
With the growing use of mobile devices, making sure that your website and ads are optimized for mobile devices is crucial. As such, the design of your website and ads should be adjusted to fit smaller screens and touchscreen navigation. One effective way to achieve this is by utilizing responsive design, which allows your website to adapt to different screen sizes automatically. Additionally, your landing pages should also be mobile-friendly, loading quickly, and being easily navigable on a mobile device.
Optimizing for mobile devices is especially important given that Google has now adopted a mobile-first approach for indexing and ranking websites. In other words, Google now prioritizes the mobile version of a website when determining its relevance and ranking in search results. Therefore, failure to optimize for mobile devices can lead to lower search rankings and fewer potential customers seeing your ads.
When optimizing for mobile devices, it’s recommended to work with web designers and developers specializing in this process. They can help you create a website that provides a seamless user experience across all devices, ultimately leading to higher engagement and conversions.
8. Optimize Your Landing Pages for Conversion
Your landing pages play a crucial role in determining the success of your Google Ads campaigns. Help guarantee that your landing pages are primed for conversion by following best practices, such as using clear and compelling headlines, inserting compelling images and videos, and making the call-to-action prominent and easy to find. This will improve the user experience and increase the likelihood of visitors taking the desired action, whether filling out a form, making purchases, or signing up for a service.
To get the most out of your advertising spend, take the time to optimize your landing pages and see how they can positively impact your conversion rate and overall ROI.
9. Use Remarketing
Remarketing is a highly effective advertising technique that can help businesses re-engage with potential customers who have already shown interest in their brand. This approach is potent because it allows companies to display targeted ads to users who have previously interacted with their business by visiting their website, adding items to their cart, or signing up for their newsletter. As these users have already shown an interest in the industry, they may be more likely to convert than new ones. By using remarketing, companies can display targeted ads to these users, encouraging them to return to the site and make a purchase.
Another advantage of remarketing is that businesses can tailor their messaging and offers to these returning users. For example, they may show ads that feature products or services that the user has previously shown an interest in. This level of personalization can be highly effective, increasing the chances that the user will return to the site and complete a purchase.
10. Test and Refine Your Campaigns
It’s vital to continuously test and refine your Google Ads campaigns throughout their lives. Utilizing A/B testing to experiment with various aspects of your campaigns, such as ad copy, landing pages, and bids, can yield valuable insights that you can use to improve your campaigns. By continually refining your campaigns, you can increase your return on ad spend.
Investing in Google Ads is a critical step in achieving business growth. These ten actionable tips can help you optimize your ad spend and maximize your return on investment. By targeting the appropriate audience, crafting persuasive ad copy, and regularly monitoring and adjusting your campaigns, you can ensure that your ad spend is working as efficiently as possible for your business.
Still Need Help?
We cannot emphasize enough that continuous testing and refinement of your campaigns is critical to your success. Continuously evaluating your ads’ performance and adjusting them based on the results of your A/B tests can help you achieve even better results. By following these tips and regularly improving your campaigns, you can increase the effectiveness of your Google Ads and achieve greater business success.
Take the chance to elevate your business and achieve new levels by optimizing your return on ad spend through Google Ads. Remember that each penny counts, and with a well-crafted approach, you can reach the best possible outcomes with your advertising budget. Have any additional inquiries concerning Google Ads, web design, or SEO? Don’t hesitate! Reach out to JSMT Media today.