An effective Google Ads campaign is the cornerstone of any digital marketing campaign. If you require swift results and don’t have six to eight months to wait to optimise your website for SEO, the likelihood of users finding your website on search engines can be incredibly low.
But don’t worry, configuring and maximising the performance of a Google Ads campaign is an effective method for reaching your ideal audience quickly and increasing traffic to your website.
Here are five tips to maximise your Google Ads campaign performance:
By following these best practices, you can create pages that are optimised for Google Ads and can help to increase your conversion rate.
1. Use relevant landing pages
Sending advertising traffic to your homepage won’t yield high conversion rates. Instead, create specific landing pages using the following best practices:
- Keep your landing page focused: Your landing page should be focused on the specific product or service that you are advertising. Avoid including information that is not directly related to your ad, as this can distract users and decrease your conversion rates.
- Include a clear call-to-action (CTA): Your landing page should include a clear and prominent call-to-action (CTA) that encourages users to take the desired action. Make sure that your CTA is visible above the fold and stands out from the rest of the page.
- Ensure fast page load speed: Your landing page should load quickly to prevent users from leaving before they have a chance to convert. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to test your page load speed and identify areas for improvement.
- Optimise for mobile: A significant portion of Google Ads traffic comes from mobile devices, so your landing page should be optimised for mobile users. Use responsive design and ensure that your page is easy to navigate on a smaller screen.
- Use high-quality images and videos: Including high-quality images and videos can help make your landing page more engaging and increase the likelihood of conversion. Make sure that your images and videos are relevant to your ad.
- Keep your landing page simple: Your landing page should be simple and easy to understand. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and clear headings to make your content easy to scan.
2. Conduct in-depth keyword research.
- Understand your audience: Start by understanding your target audience and their search behaviour. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to gain insights into the keywords and phrases that your audience is using to find your website and content.
- Focus on relevance: Your keywords should be relevant to your ad and the landing page that you are directing users to. Avoid using generic or broad keywords that may attract a lot of clicks but are not relevant to your business.
- Use keyword tools: Use keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords that are relevant to your business. These tools can also help you identify variations and synonyms of your target keywords.
- Pay attention to match types: Use different match types (broad match, phrase match, and exact match) to control the reach of your ads and ensure that they are only shown to users who are likely to be interested in your product or service.
- Monitor and adjust your keywords: Continuously monitor the performance of your keywords and make adjustments as needed. Remove underperforming keywords and add new ones that may be more effective.
- Use negative keywords: Negative keywords are keywords that you don’t want your ads to show for. Use negative keywords to avoid showing your ads for irrelevant searches and to reduce wasteful ad spend.
3. Set Up Conversions for Your Campaign
Choose the best conversion according to the desired campaign outcome – below are conversion examples to consider:
- Lead form submissions
- Appointment bookings
- Sign-ups
- Quote requests
- Email address clicks
- Phone number clicks
- Calls from website conversions
- Revenue tracking
- View of a key page
- Other – such as downloading a promotional ebook off of your website
4. Monitor Your Campaign Performance
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- Use Google Tag Manager to deploy tracking and conversion tracking on your website
- Use Google Analytics to monitor your campaign’s performance
- Ensure your conversion tracking has been implemented before activating your campaign.
- You should use your Google Ads and Analytics data to optimise your Google ads regularly and consistently so that you use your budget effectively and meet your advertising goals. Conversion tracking is the most effective way to do this.
5. Write Optimised Google Ad Copy
The text in your Google Ads is just as important as the keywords you’re targeting. Make sure you use the following best practices for creating effective text ads:
- Use keywords in the ad copy: Incorporate the keywords you are targeting in your ad copy to improve its relevance and help your ad appear more often in relevant searches.
- Include a clear and compelling headline: Your headline should grab the viewer’s attention and accurately reflect the content of your ad. Use strong language and be specific.
- Use ad extensions: Ad extensions allow you to provide additional information about your business, such as your location, phone number, and links to specific pages on your website. This can improve your ad’s visibility and relevance.
- Focus on benefits, not just features: Instead of just listing the features of your product or service, highlight the benefits it provides to the user. This will help potential customers understand how your business can help them.
- Use a strong call-to-action: Your ad should include a clear call-to-action (CTA) that encourages the viewer to take a specific action, such as “Shop now” or “Call today” Make sure your CTA is consistent with the goal of your Google Ad.
- Test different ad variations: Experiment with different ad copy, headlines, and CTAs to see what works best for your audience. Use A/B testing to compare the performance of different ad variations.
- Use ad copy that matches the landing page: Ensure that the message on your landing page matches the message on your ad. This will help improve the user’s experience and increase the likelihood of convertion.
- Keep your ads concise: Use clear and concise language in your ad copy. Avoid using jargon or complicated language that might confuse or deter potential customers.
- Optimise your ad for mobile: Many people now browse the internet on their mobile devices, so it’s important to make sure your ad looks good and is easy to use on mobile devices.
Consider hiring a digital marketing agency
If you’re new to Google Ads and need help setting up your first campaign, don’t hesitate to contact The Ethical Agency for a quote. Our team of Google Ads specialists can guide you through the process and help you achieve your digital marketing goals.
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