Paying more for the same service is never a good business practice.
Yet this happens all the time with Google
AdWords. People who are new to AdWords set up campaigns and let them
run, often with profitable results, but they don't realize they're
massively overpaying for their clicks. Or, on the other end of the
spectrum, they give up on campaigns that should be profitable when early
results don't look good.
Either way, Google wins. The search giant
makes more than $100 million from AdWords per day. And a good chunk of
that cash is from advertisers who run inefficient campaigns.
Of course, you'd rather be increasing your
profits rather than padding Google's pockets, and that's where we can
help. Here we've compiled a list of tips that can help most advertisers
optimize their campaigns and make better use of their budgets. Google
probably wishes we'd keep these tips under wraps, but we won't lose any
sleep over this - Google would do just fine without folks like you
overpaying.
#1: Don't launch campaigns over the weekend
You can't properly optimize if you lack
sufficient data. It's not only that you want to have lots of clicks to
analyze, but you also need to have the right kinds of clicks in your
campaigns.
For many businesses, most of your traffic will occur Monday through Friday,
so you should launch new campaigns to get clicks on those days. That
means you'd ideally want to start a campaign earlier in the week so you
have time throughout the week to collect data. People behave differently
when searching the Web on weekends, and you don't want these
differences clouding your initial data.
#2: Spread the impressions around
In addition to collecting enough data, you
also need to make sure your data is properly distributed among your ads.
The temptation is to use the AdWords default option to "optimize for
clicks," but doing this might cause more traffic to go to certain ads
over others. In the first stages of optimizing, it's more important to
spread out clicks so you give all ad variations a fair shot. Set ads in
new campaigns to "rotate indefinitely."
#3: Block bad Display Network placements
The Display Network is a great source of
cheap, high-volume traffic. But if you're not careful, you'll end up
paying for a ton of clicks that don't convert into leads and sales.
If your Display Network CTR is suffering,
try running a Placement report in Google AdWords. This report will show
which Display Network websites are showing your ads, as well as metrics
such as impressions and conversions from each of those sites. Identify
which websites don't send converting traffic and block them in your
campaigns. Oftentimes, you'll find these websites have little to do with
the goods and services you're marketing.
#4: Always split test new ads
A good online advertising strategy is
always evolving. Riding the performance of a single high-performing ad
is only a recipe for temporary success. Split testing at least two ads
per ad group is essential for maintaining success and staying ahead of
the curve.
Early on in your campaign, don't waste time
split testing ads that are just slight variations of each other.
Instead, write ads that employ different sales tactics. Try one ad that
touts a benefit of what you're selling, then another that mentions your
limited-time sale. You can also write ads that appeal to emotions using
simple, powerful words such as "imagine" and "discover."
Don't instantly give up on ads that you're
split testing. Go through your standard steps of optimization. That
said, don't hesitate to shut down a struggling ad and replace it with
something completely new.
#5: Check for landing page congruence
Do your ads make sense with your landing
pages? If your ad makes a promise that isn't reflected by your landing
page, then your conversion rate will certainly suffer. That's bad for
ROI. Landing page congruence issues can become problematic if you've
split testing numerous ads and drifted from your original concepts.
Landing page congruence is also important
for design reasons, especially with campaigns for your mobile ads. Your
landing page content could be perfect on desktops, but that doesn't
matter if your targeting mobile devices and your mobile landing page
isn't properly configured or designed.
#6: Create separate campaigns for your top keywords
Finding keywords that win big won't take
long. These keywords are great for ROI, but bad for optimization as
they'll dominate your clicks and your budget.
The solution? Run your proven keywords in
their own separate campaigns. As you find more winners, move them over.
You can pump up the budget for your winning keywords while spending less
money on the rest (including new keywords you're testing).
#7: Check your Impression Share
Getting your ads seen can be difficult if
you're marketing within a highly competitive niche. If you feel like
your impressions are lower than they should be, then you can check your
Impressions Share to learn how completely you're reaching your potential
audience. Add this data to your AdWords account interface by clicking
the Columns tab, then the "Customize columns" and "Competitive metrics"
options.
To remedy a low impression share, either increase your bid or improve the quality of your campaign. Remember
that low CTRs and landing page problems - usually either congruence or
page load issues - can sink your campaigns' quality scores, resulting in
more expensive costs and less-favorable ad placements.
Conclusion
Don't be too hasty when optimizing your
campaigns. Take the time to dig into under-performing campaigns and find
out exactly what's not working. In most cases, if you can isolate the
problem, then you can also create a solution. However, don't be afraid
to turn off under-performing ads and keywords. Run with what works while
never stop looking for your next big winners.
