Is your Google AdWords campaign not performing as well as you want it to? Will it ever work? Do you just give up?
The answer? A resounding NO! Remember the famous quote by Abraham Lincoln, “it's not how many times you get knocked down that count, it's how many times you get back up”. The same can be said with Google AdWords management. If you have a setback or your campaign just doesn't seem to be improving, don't just simply admit defeat. Find out what's gone wrong, fix it and come back stronger than ever before.
To help with your Google AdWords campaign here are 8 quick and actionable tips you can start implementing today.
1) Check Each Ad Group Has 2 Ads So You Can Split Test
Go through each of your ad groups and double check each one has a minimum of 2 ads. If they have one, write a new ad. This is best practice. It enables you to split test your ads against one another. The advantage of this is that you can continue to work on improving your ad click through rates and conversions. You should never stop split testing, it should be continuous and you should always try and better your best ad.
2) Pause Low-Quality Score Keywords
Having many low-quality score keywords in your account can affect the overall performance of your account. Low-quality score keywords will also mean you are paying more for them. In general, they are just not great to have unless they are your only main keywords that are driving traffic. In this case, you would need to work on improving this quality score by improving the ad relevance, landing page relevance and more. As a rule of thumb, keywords with a quality score of 3 or less should be paused.
3) Check You're Tracking Conversions Correctly
Incorrect conversion tracking could either mean that your code is not firing so you don't know when you are getting a conversion, or it could mean you are counting too many conversions. Either way, your figures are going to be skewed. A common mistake is that if you are tracking leads and not sales then make sure you select the setting to only count one conversion and not every conversion. Also, double check your conversion page (usually a thank you page) and make sure the code is in the right place. If your figures seem skewed then they probably are.
4) Check Your Campaign Settings Are Correct
Your campaign settings are vital in AdWords as there is quite a lot that can change from one setting. So, just make sure you go over them all, double check they are as you want them to be and if not, change them. A common mistake here that can cause a lot of unwanted traffic and money thrown away is in the locations. You must select the option where it says, “only target users in my targeted location/locations” if you are targeting specific countries or regions etc.
5) Add New Negative Keywords Continuously
Google AdWords is all about honing your campaigns. It is an investment. You need to be patient with it and take the time to get them working as effectively as they possibly can be. Adding new negative keywords on a continuous basis really helps with this as it means you are cutting out the junk traffic that you don't want clicks for. You can add a big list of negative keywords before you start a campaign, but you still never know what people are going to search for and you should continuously be adding more every month.
6) Broad Match Keywords Can Harm Your Campaign, Be Smart
If you are currently using normal broad match keywords, i.e. with no plus signs in the phrase then there is a chance you are wasting money. Broad match keywords are exactly what they say - broad. Therefore, if a lot of your keywords are set to broad match, you are going to be showing up for much more unwanted searches, get more irrelevant clicks and waste more money. You should change any broad match keywords in your account to either phrase match or modified broad match. Learn more about keyword match types here: A Quick & Easy Guide To Google AdWords Keyword Match Types
7) Upgrade Standard Text Ads To Expanded Text Ads
Lots of people still haven't made the switch over from standard text ads to expanded text ads. If you fall into this bracket, you could be missing out on higher click through rates and more conversions. Expanded text ads stand out more in the search results and they also allow you to be able to say more... why wouldn't you want to use them?
8) Review Your Account Every Week
AdWords is a game of patience. Your campaign will take time to hone and become successful. However, whether your account is doing great or not, you can't just leave it and let it run. You need to continuously review your account at least once per week, check the settings and make positive changes to it. Changes may include:
Adding new search terms Adding new negative keywords Writing new ads Testing new ad groups
There is so much you can change and test inside your AdWords account, your options are almost limitless. The secret to success with AdWords is simple... review, test and keep on going.
Summary
If you were about to give up on your Google AdWords campaign because it's not driving the results you need, hopefully this article has changed your mind. The quick and actionable tips discussed will help improve your AdWords performance so you can start achieving the results you deserve. Still think you need assistance with your Google AdWords?
We are certified Google Partners, so give our specialist team a call today on 01332 343281.
