Well, Do Google Ads Work?
Yes.
It’s very simple but expensive if you use an agency but you can do a lot for yourself. Here’s a few observations that will help you on your journey.
Points to Remember
To avoid overspending you can set a daily budget and an end date. If you are in any doubt set these two items. I set new campaigns to a week only then I extend the date.
Is First Place Best?
You have to remember that 60% of people don’t realise that the first entries, on the page are adverts and it’s costing you money. So, it’s not always best to be first. I have a friend who is a voice over artist. Being number one cost him money as people were looking for the name of the voice over person in certain shows. Serious potential customers will read further down the page to his ad.
Negative Keywords & Keyword Types
Google Ads have a tool that will suggest the keywords to bid on. Always compare this to what you know. Search the keywords on Google and have a look at the results. Are the searches returned relevant to your business?
Look at the help file for how to add negative keywords. These are related words that are not relevant.
Also learn the different types of keywords. That is broad, exact and phrase match etc. The type that saves you money is the ‘Broad Match Modifier’ which is a ‘+’ (plus sign) before each word in a phrase. Do check that one as it is going to save you money.
Keyword Intent
Look for keywords with intent. That is words that will lead to an action. Some would say also look for keywords that mean someone is researching what you sell. That’s fine but you can spend a lot of budget and not get the sale.
Small Ad Groups
Start with small groups of keywords that are relevant. Three to five should do. Then you can keep a close eye on what is and what is not working.
Search Ads
We are talking about Search Ads here. That is words that you type into Google and return a text ad.
Google Ad Types:
- Search
- Display
- Gmail
- Video
Display can work very well. These are visual ads with images that appear on website properties like YouTube. It can be a cheap way of building awareness for your brand.
Dynamic Ads
When you set these ads up you supply different headlines and descriptions. Google shows variations that are relevant to search intent. I’ve had a lot of success with these.
Targets
You can get very granular. You can target postcodes and or cities, different devices and market segments (with Display).
Ad Extensions
You can add extensions to the ads including the brands you sell, the product types, pages on your website and phone numbers. Again this is a very powerful feature.
Retarget
One of the most powerful features is to remarket or retarget to visitors of your website and what they have been doing on your site.
Do get the necessary analytics and tracking codes in place right from the start.
Best Advice
If you are in any doubt then don’t try for yourself. An agency is going to cost a lot of money. Fine if you have the budget. You can also hire freelancers who are qualified which is perhaps a better option.
Action
Look at what your competitors are bidding on with SpyFu
. If you have the budget and I mean a real budget of thousands then check out Hitwise.
About Conversion Detectives
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We use the full mix of digital marketing creating a blend specific to your business.
From digital strategy to the tactics (how to go about that strategy) and the actions that make it happen.
We’re a full mix digital agency based in Hertfordshire.
Look us up for a chat: hello@conversiondetectives.com
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