Google ads tips

Google Ad Tips To Make Your Dollar Stretch Further

Google Ads is a great way to get the word of your website out there. They ensure that your listing is visible and you only have to pay when someone clicks on your listing. Google Ads also work pretty well in conjunction with SEO, so you should consider running both these campaigns simultaneously.

Unlike SEO, Google Ads does cost money, and businesses are always looking for ways to reduce costs and make their dollar stretch as far as possible. The good news is that if you do Google Ads properly you can really get a lot of bang for your buck.

However, if you don’t have a full understanding of how Google Ads work and you aren’t on top of your campaign, it could actually mean you end up spending a lot more money or you waste your money on terms that don’t actually convert. This is why it is a good idea to do your research about Google Ads so you know how to use it properly.

pay per click optimisation

Google Ads is pretty much all about getting those precious conversions, whatever a conversion means for your website. So it is important that you develop the right set of keywords, so that when someone sees your ad and clicks on your website (and you have to pay for that click), it is what the user expected.

You need to have proper messaging in your ads to entice the user to click through as well. It is important to remember that all Google Ad campaigns are different, so there can’t really be a one size fits all approach.

With all the tactics listed below, you need to have a think about how it applies directly to your situation and business. The tactics are pretty general ways you can make your dollar stretch even further, so most of them can be applied to a lot of different websites.

Hopefully, if you can implement some of these changes to your Google Ads campaign, it will help you get more bang for your buck and even help you increase conversions. Have a read on below at some great tips to make your dollar stretch further in your Google Ads campaign:

Don’t Forget About Geotargeting

If you only offer your services or products in a certain area, then you need to set up geotargeting properly. You don’t want to end up targeting people (and spending money on them) if they can’t actually make a purchase or convert.

Even if you do operate everywhere, it is still a good idea to think about geotargeting because there are certainly going to be some locations that convert better then others. For example if you sell swimwear, you would probably have more sales in a sunny place like Greece, rather then somewhere that is colder, like Antarctica!

So, it is important to look at where most of your engagement is happening from and focus more on those areas. If you focus where you are getting the highest levels of engagement, you are more likely to ensure you can stretch your dollar even further.

As the seasons and user needs change you can update your campaign as you go. This is also why it is important to have a hands on approach with your Google Ads campaign to ensure you don’t miss out on any opportunities. If you are able to take full advantage you know you are making your dollar stretch that extra mile.

Many people tend to forget about the different customer types. Customers are all at different stages, but generally when running a Google Ads campaign you get to target those customers that are at the end of the funnel, so the ones that are just about to make a conversion or purchase.

If you can geotarget properly, you will certainly be able to save a lot of money. So, have a think about where you are looking to target, and who are likely to be the most profitable users that will convert.

Optimise for Negative Keywords

You know which keywords you are looking to target, but have you ever thought about the keywords you don’t want your listing to show up for. Negative keywords are an important and powerful part of Google Ads and it is certainly something that every campaign should consider.

You need to tell Google what your website is not, this will help Google understand your website and digital marketing campaign a lot better and also ensure that your listing doesn’t show up for those terms, which would definitely end up wasting a lot of your money.

By using negative keywords, it ensures that the customers that you don’t want to target don’t see your listing. So have a think about if there are any keywords that you don’t want to associate with your website and offering. If this is the case, then add them into your campaign.

These days in this highly competitive market that we are involved in, it is just as important to tell Google what your website is NOT as it is to tell what it IS. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to beef up your Google Ads campaign by adding in any relevant negative keywords.

Use as Many Ad Extensions as Possible

If there is an ad extension that is relevant to your website, make sure you fill in the details. This is important as it adds something a little bit extra to your listing, something to get your listing to stand out from the rest.

It is now important, that if you want your dollar to stretch even further, that you not only focus on just the headline, path and description of the ad. There are so many more cool and unique extensions that can be included to ensure your listing stands out.

If you are chasing that all elusive performance boost, then ad extensions can certainly help you get that for your Google Ads campaign. In Google Ads, take a look at all of the different extensions available and get a better understand of what each of them are and what they do.

There are a lot to choose from but the most commonly used extensions are the site link extensions, call extensions and structured snippet. The site link extension allows you to include additional links to your site, so the user can see all the links and choose one that is the most relevant to what they want.

The call extension allows you to include the business phone number in the listing. This is especially great for mobile phone users as this function allows the user to directly call. The structured snippet is great if you are looking to add more information about the features or products on your website.

Optimised Landing Page

This is the first thing the user will see after they have clicked on your ad. Therefore, it is highly important that your landing page is properly optimised. If the page isn’t what the user expects then they will simply just click back onto Google and look for another website.

When it comes to Google Ads this is certainly something that you do not want happening. You have had to spend money for that user’s click but they didn’t like your website at all. While the ad itself is important to draw the user in, the landing page is just as important to help increase the chances of a conversion.

Make sure that the messaging from your ad aligns with the messaging on your landing page. It may even be a good idea to create new pages just for the Google Ads landing pages. By creating new page, you ensure that they are properly optimised for the ads and you increase the chances of a conversion.

Consistency is key here, and you don’t want to be confusing the people that click on your ad. You want to be exactly what the user expected. This is also why it is important to ensure you are targeting the right set of keywords, as well as including keywords you don’t want to appear for (negative keywords).

Include as Much Ad Content as Possible

Just like you need to ensure you use every relevant ad extension, you also need to ensure you include as much ad content as possible. Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) are a great way to really showcase what your website has to offer.

As you only have a small number of characters to play with, you need to get clever about what you say and how you say it. There are many different sections of content that you need to include in your ad, like the final URL, headline 1, 2 & 3, path 1 & 2 and descriptive lines 1 & 2.

Ensure the final URL is pointing to a highly optimised landing page. With the headlines, it is important that you include keywords and call to actions here. The path is where you can include more relevant information to help the user determine whether or not your website has what they are looking for.

You get a higher character limit in the description, so make sure you use it wisely! Relevancy is key here; show the user that you have what they are looking for. Try to avoid general business information and instead stick with information on how you can help the user.

Focus on Mobile

google ads mobile focus

Mobile should probably be your bigger focus; especially considering that more people use their mobiles to search for things on Google compared then their desktop computers. The first place you need to look is your Google Ads data; see how well you are converting on mobiles.

You’ll likely find that mobile data outperforms desktop and tablet, so you probably should focus on the areas that are bringing in the biggest clicks, to ensure that the mobile user has the best experience possible.

So, have a think about how to best optimise your ads campaign for those mobile users. It is important here to add your business phone number, so that the user can just click on your number and call you straight away.

In Summary

Google Ads are a great way to drive traffic and hopefully conversions to your site. This type of strategy works really well when done in conjunction with local Sydney SEO, so this is something you should consider doing.

When it comes to Google Ads, you don’t really want to be wasting your money, you want to be getting your dollar to stretch just that little bit further. The good news is that there are plenty of tips you can follow to ensure you are getting the most out of your Google Ads budget.

The ultimate goal of your campaign is to get a sale or conversion. So by optimising your ads and campaign, you know you are doing everything you can to get the right type of users to your site and increase the chance of a conversion.