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Digital marketing is the thing today. And while a lot of businesses have taken online, SEO and PPC are two ways of attracting traffic and increasing awareness.
One such profound tool is Google AdWords, wherein advertisers bid for their ads to appear in search results.
It is not uncommon for marketers to think that their campaign is a flawless one.
7 Google AdWords Mistakes that are Holding back your Campaign
Below are some mistakes that one must avoid.
Mistake 1 – Search Network & Display Network default options
These are targeting options that help in the running of campaigns. If the purpose of your campaign is to generate leads, then it is a search campaign.
However, advertisers tend to keep the option for Display Network active as well. The display network option is primarily for raising brand awareness. Now, keeping it on for search campaigns increases the cost per acquisition.
Cost per acquisition increases because the search network option places your ad only on Google and search partners. But with the display network option, the ad also appears on relevant websites. The problem is that it will not appear to those who are actively searching for you.
Mistake 2 – Only using positive keywords
When running paid ads on Google, the negative keywords list is paramount. You can start with a standard list through tools such as SEMRush and Ahrefs.
Negative keywords help curb your overall ad spend by only attracting qualified leads and discrediting ones that are least likely to convert.
As a pro tip, you should aim for anywhere between 50 to 100 keywords at the start. Also, refine your list using your actual search term data from the search reports.
Mistake 3 – Not optimizing your campaign for conversion testing
Conversion testing adds certainty to your campaign by letting you know the cost of acquiring a lead or obtaining a sale from the campaign. Also, it informs you how much conversion comes from each of the keywords and phrases. Consequently, you also get to know about the non-converters.
Optimizing your campaign for conversion testing allows you to prioritize high-conversion keywords. Make sure to factor in several conversion actions.
Some of the conversion actions are:
- Form submission
- Newsletter subscription
- Downloading the app or eBook
- Contact initiation – phone or email
- Order placement
Mistake 4 – Not pre-testing bidding strategies
There are various bidding strategies available. Finding the perfect one is daunting, but you must test at least a few of them before launching the campaign. While most advertisers opt for manual CPC, some prefer enhanced CPC, much depends on the testing period.
If the intention is to test the bid for only one or two weeks, improved CPC – maximize clicks or conversions – is more appropriate. However, manual CPC offers the benefit of greater control over the bids in the long term.
The two bid strategies that you must check out are the target CPA and target ROAS. The former allows you to bid based on the ideal cost per action, whereas the latter, return on ad spend.
Mistake 5 – Not creating multiple ad variations
Another sin that marketers make when using Google AdWords is creating only one ad per group or one variation. Having several ad variations per group helps to boost your conversion rate and minimize costs. Multiple variations allow for better testing and discovering which ones convert better.
You can also create a slightly different variant of that winner and go for split testing.
Creating ads requires a lot of testing and fine-tuning. So as a safety net, you should aim for at least two or three, if not more, ad copies for every ad group.
Mistake 6 – Insufficient extensions
Extensions make your ads more informative. The extra pieces of information give your ad a competitive edge to stand out amidst the crowd.
Ad extensions are an incredibly effective way of getting more clicks. Sitelinks show different links to your websites by redirecting people to the relevant pages.
Callout extensions bring forth your unique selling propositions that help with profound targeting. In addition, structured snippets, message, location and price extensions are other types that you can use.
A word of caution is that you cannot control how the extensions will appear on the search engines of online users. The onus lies with Google, and the search engine decides what extensions shall appear for each of your ads. You should, however, check the extension tab regularly to see the conversions.
Mistake 7 – Undermining regional trends
It is undeniable that location is the primary factor that one should consider. Say you are running a restaurant. You will only want your ads to focus on your vicinity or a new geographical market you plan to enter or expand. Businesses that do not have these considerations can go for extensive geographical areas.
The benefit is that the approach allows you to assess the ad performance on a city or town basis. For example, you might find that the cost to conversion ratio differs across cities. Such information allows you to allocate your marketing budget more effectively.
Also, you can delve deeper by evaluating the ad performance service-wise and city-wise. That is, to see which services are generating the most sales and leads in which cities. Once done, you can then proceed to apply these principles to the campaigns.
Parting words
Now that you are aware of the common mistakes, you should structure and strategize your campaigns better. Also, keep in mind search intent and voice search when running your strategy. Remember, the psyche behind voice search starkly differs from typing, as the former uses a conversational tone.
Thank you!
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