Google Ads is a very wide topic to discuss. Each update brings in new changes and sometimes total revamp of the whole platform. It is absolutely necessary to stay updated with the constant changes in Google Ads.
But there are some factors that are as important right now as they were in the past. I have listed some of these factors in this article.
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Keyword Research
Keyword Research
Image: Keyword research
Keyword research has always been a cornerstone of Google Ads. It always acts as a base for the whole account. Finding relevant keywords has always been the first step in Google Ads.
But the process is only getting more and more complex with the introduction of new techniques and content.
Here is a simplified version of the process that anyone can apply to get started. Start with reviewing the landing page. This is where you will get most of the content you need for your keyword research.
The landing page will provide you the basic outline of the message you want to communicate to your users. Next comes the content on the landing page. Search for keywords and terms that are repeated throughout the landing page.
You can use these terms to form keywords and ad groups.
Another aspect is the search term report. There are two ways that data from search term reports can be used. First is to find negative keywords and second to find opportunity keywords. Negative keywords are those search terms that are not relevant to our website but still lead to our website.
Opportunity keywords are as the name suggests keywords that could be used to mine more keywords and phrases. Competitor’s names are also a type of opportunity keywords that could be used to drive traffic towards your ads.
Ad Copy
Ad Copy
Image: Ad copy
Content is very important especially when it comes to advertising. You need to convince the user to choose your product over everyone else. In the case of Google Ads, this message is conveyed primarily through ad copy.
Ad copy includes the headline of your ad, description and various extensions that you may or may not use. We will discuss extensions under a separate header, for now, let’s discuss headline and description.
For headlines, the idea is simple. You need to grab the attention of the relevant users and then compel them to click on your ad. Quirky one-liners work wonders for headlines. Also, your headlines must have a sense of urgency. For example: Buy Now! Limited Stock.
Description needs more than quirky one-liners. Descriptions should be informative and concise. An ideal description informs the user about your product, your product’s USP, and any offers that may entice the relevant user to click on the ad.
Ad copy should be more focused on the potential target rather than the website or product. The user should be able to connect to the message and see value in your ad. Only then is conversion possible.
Ad Groups
Ad Groups
Image: Ad groups
Ads with similar themes are put together in sets of 6 to 20 words. This set is called the ad group. Creating ad-groups relevant to the ad and product are said to affect the quality score in a very positive manner.
A well-organized ad groups strategy will keep your ads account much cleaner. If you are handling a big account with multiple campaigns but without ad groups, then you may have to check 100-1500 keyword performance individually.
Therefore ad-groups are so necessary. They provide us with clean groups of related keywords and how their ads are performing. Ad-groups review is essential for experimenting within a Google Ads account.
In every ad group, you can add 2 ads and then test it out for a week or a month according to your preference. Then you can go on to remove the ad groups with low performing keywords and add some other keywords under the new ad group to continue the experiment.
SKAG or single keyword ad group is a very different type of ad-group. Here an ad-group consists of only one keyword. These ad-groups are usually created for keywords who share no similarities with other keywords but have high potential to get a conversion.
Landing Pages
Landing Pages
Image: Landing pages
Landing page relevance is very important when it comes to conversion. Your ad and ad copy just get the users to click on the ad and get to the landing page. Despite being of such value for conversions, often landing pages are poorly optimized.
A landing page should be highly relevant to the user’s search intent. If someone is searching for a Gucci handbag with it’s make and model number then they should only end up at that specific product page, not the handbag categories page
Your ad and ad copy should be similar to your landing page. Your primary keyword should be included in the ad copy. If a user clicks on a deodorant ad and is redirected to a soap’s product page then the user may feel cheated.
The content of your landing page is important. This content conveys the answer to the question “why” a user should convert on your site. In content, less is more. Try to keep your content to a minimum unless your goal is to provide information.
Keep your landing page format length low. Minimize text and maximize imagery and whitespace. You should also keep experimenting with your landing pages. Continuous experimentation provides you with valuable insights through changes in various metrics.
A bonus tip is to set the landing page in the preferred language of the target user. If you are targeting a local milkman community in a rural village then you should design the landing in their language.
Similarly, if your targeted users are worldwide then English would be a much smarter choice.
Campaign
Campaign
Image: Campaign
Campaigns are to ad sets what groups are to ads. Campaigns have a specific theme. It can be a specific product/service or a target audience. A campaign brings together different ads, keywords, and bids under one section.
A campaign helps you organize various ad sets and then provide them with shared location targeting, budget, and other settings. Campaigns should be well structured around the various dimensions decided by the webmaster.
Conversion tracking is a very important step on the campaign level. You will need to continuously experiment with your campaigns and conversion tracking will help you observe the effects of these changes.
Extensions
Extensions
Image: Extensions
Extensions are useful in various ways they can be used to provide additional information to the user about your ad. Sitelink, call, location, callout, price, and app to name a few. Different extensions come with different benefits.
Extensions are very useful. First of all, they are free, Google charges the same amount when someone clicks on your extension as it would if someone clicked on your ad. Extensions also provide you free real estate on the SERP with the opportunity to add more to your ad.
Among the best uses of extensions is the call out. A good call-out extension can instantly grab the user’s attention but this aspect is usually overlooked. You should use site extensions whenever it seems appropriate and also keep track of your extensions’ performance.
Extensions should be scheduled according to the time you can provide a specific service. Call extension can be a great example of this statement. You should only use call extension between your business hours when someone is there to answer the user’s call.
Mobile
Image: Mobile
Mobile is currently the big trend in digital marketing scene. Mobile users outnumber desktop users by a sizeable margin and both Google and marketers have taken notice. Mobilegeddon was the very step by Google towards showing its commitment towards its mobile user base.
One of the first things to do for optimizing your mobile site is to create a separate landing page that is optimized for mobile devices. Using the same landing page for both mobile and desktop is a huge mistake in the post mobilegeddon era.
Another crucial step by Google was to introduce separate bidding for mobile devices. You can bid more or less according to your need or choose to opt out completely from a device. This is especially useful for sites which get a major chunk of their traffic from one specific device type.
Conclusion
Google Ads is an ever-changing landscape with frequent updates and changes. No one can come with a permanent strategy to succeed in such a dynamic environment. The only method is to continuously experiment and come up with new hacks.
Amol has helped catalyse business growth with his strategic & data-driven methodologies. With a decade of experience in the field of marketing, he has donned multiple hats, from channel optimization, data analytics and creative brand positioning to growth engineering and sales.
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