If you have limited experience with paid search and Google Ads, these 10 tips can assist you in initiating the optimisation of your Ads account, ensuring you maximise your budget effectively. Firstly, it’s important to understand what we mean by ‘optimisation’ and why it is essential. Optimisation is the process of adjusting specific elements of a campaign with the goal of improving performance. Without frequent optimisation, budget can easily be wasted so your Google Ads campaigns require consistent attention.
How to get started
While Google Ads may seem relatively straightforward initially, its potential is vast. If you are embarking on your Ads journey, this article featuring 10 essential tips aims to provide a solid starting point. These tips specifically focus on text ads within Google search results, and with the growth of new ad formats and assets, you have enhanced opportunities to assert your presence in the search results landscape.
1. Incorporate negative keywords:
Include negative keywords in your ad strategy to avoid bidding on terms that lack business significance. Filtering out words such as "cheap," "used," or "free" helps safeguard your ad click-through rate (CTR) and valuable budget from the impact of irrelevant products or services that differ from what you offer.
2. Split campaigns for Display and Search:
When setting up a Google Ads campaign, the platform's automation integrates Google Display Network when you choose 'search' as a campaign type. If you would like to utilise both campaign types, it's advisable to divide your campaigns into distinct groups for display and search ads.
This approach ensures optimal control over your budget and allows for the effective conveyance of a coherent company message. Since messages in search results and display ads often differ, separate campaigns become essential for strategic management.
3. Choose the appropriate keyword types for targeting:
Utilise specific keyword match types to ensure you capture the most relevant searches for you and your budget. While Google is pushing for advertisers to adopt broad match, it’s important to structure campaigns in a way that serves your goals. The match type options are:
- Exact match: ads are shown only when a user's search query exactly matches the specified keyword.
- Phrase match: ads are displayed when a user's search query contains the specified keyword phrase in any order but may include additional words before or after.
- Broad match: ads appear for a wide range of related searches, including variations, synonyms, and misspellings.
Improper use of keyword match types can severely limit delivery or swiftly deplete your budget, underscoring the importance of strategic keyword selection.
4. Scrutinise the search terms report:
Although Google shows a smaller portion of triggering search terms than several years ago, search term insights continue to provide value. Leverage this function in Google Ads to swiftly identify and eliminate underperforming terms while identifying new, relevant additions to enhance campaign performance.
5. Evaluate quality scores in the keyword overview:
Monitor the quality scores of your keywords, aiming for higher scores to reduce per-click costs and secure better rankings. A quality score of 10 is ideal, while scores between 1 and 5 may prompt reconsideration or optimisation of keywords, ads, landing pages, or other contributing factors.
6. Optimise landing pages for Google Ads keywords:
Ensure each keyword aligns with a dedicated or highly relevant landing page on your website, fostering a high-quality user experience, positively influencing quality scores, and subsequent performance.
7. Establish goals for Google Ads campaigns:
Define goals for your Ads campaign to enhance return on investment (ROI). Incorporate Google Ads tracking on site to measure conversions from key pages or actions. Alternatively, import goals from Google Analytics to track and optimise performance.
8. Connect your Google Analytics and Google Ads account:
Connect your Google Analytics and Ads accounts to synergise data and gain detailed insights into Ads traffic. This integration, especially with e-commerce tracking, enables monitoring of revenue per keyword, fostering a deeper understanding of campaign performance.
9. Utilise automated bid strategies:
Google’s machine learning has progressed immensely over the past several years and now automated bid strategies such as target ROAS, target impression share, maximise conversions or maximise clicks are commonly selected and prioritised over manual strategies. Select the bid strategy that is most likely to satisfy your digital goals but accept that some testing will be required.
10. Leverage ad extensions and assets:
Enhance your campaigns' visibility in search results by using ad extensions or assets. These not only occupy more space in search results but also provide users with additional interaction options, such as accessing current offers or making direct calls from the ad. Explore the various extension options to maximise the impact of your ads.
Conclusion
Operating paid search activity on Google Ads is challenging. While your initial account structure will go a long way to determining success, as long as your account is spending, data is always accumulating meaning your performance and expected results can be taken in an unexpected direction. To keep your performance on the right track, regular optimisations such as those listed above are a requirement.
About Novicell
At Novicell, we provide comprehensive digital solutions, including expert management of paid search campaigns. Our in-house consultants are dedicated to ensuring your brand stands out in the digital landscape and drives impactful results. Contact the Novicell team to elevate your digital presence and unlock the full potential of your online marketing efforts.
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