Google Search Ads are an undeniably excellent way to increase the visibility of your website and drive relevant traffic to it. However, simply setting up a Google Search campaign does not guarantee results. To ensure your ads are set up to convert, you need to know how to build a campaign that is effective and efficient from the moment you go live.
Based on our experience, here are our top 5 tips for building Google Search Ads campaigns that convert.
1. Understand Your Audience
Before you start building your Google Search Ads campaign, it is important to have a clear understanding of your target audience. You need to know who your audience is, what they are looking for, and what motivates them to take action. The more you know about your audience, the more effective your ads will be.
To understand your target audience, start by creating buyer personas. A buyer persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer. It includes information such as their age, gender, interests, goals, and pain points. You can use this information to create ads that speak directly to your audience, addressing their specific needs and desires.
Once you have a clear understanding of your target audience, you can start to develop ad copy and messaging that resonates with them. This will help you stand out from your competitors and drive more conversions.
2. Conduct Thorough Keyword Research
Keywords are the backbone of any successful Google Search Ads campaign. They are the words and phrases that people use when they search for products or services online. By targeting the right keywords, you can ensure that your ads are shown to people who are actively looking for what you have to offer.
To find relevant keywords, start by brainstorming a list of potential keywords related to your product or service. Don’t rely on your own thoughts – ask others how they would search for what you offer. Use a keyword research tool, such as Google Keyword Planner (freely available in your Google Ads account!), to expand your list and identify high-volume, low-competition keywords.
When choosing keywords for your campaign, be sure to focus on relevance. Your ads will only be effective if they are shown to people who are actually interested in your product or service. Avoid using broad or generic keywords that may attract irrelevant traffic, or going after your competitors’ brand names!
3. Structure For Relevance
Once you have completed your initial keyword research, some obvious themes may emerge. Let’s say you are a photographer, offering a range of photography services with dedicated landing pages for each on your website. You may identify search variations for “corporate headshots”, “wedding photography” or “product photography” – you should group the identified keywords under each emerging theme to ultimately form your ad groups.
Structuring your campaign in this way ensures that a user searching for “wedding photography” can be shown an ad which talks about wedding photography services and, once clicked, takes them straight to a landing page with further information about wedding photography services. As well as improving your quality score and increasing click-through-rates, this provides a seamless user experience, meaning your ads are much more likely to convert.
Don’t fall foul to the trap of creating one campaign with one ad group and all relevant keywords lumped in together!
4. Write Brilliant Ads
The ad copy you use for your Google Search Ads is what will ultimately convince people to click through to your website. Therefore, it is essential to create ad copy that is compelling and engaging (think about your personas!), as well as being relevant to what the user has searched.
Include your keywords, highlight USPs, create urgency, and ‘speak to’ your target audience’s wants and needs. A useful task is to search for your target keywords to see what other ads are triggered for inspiration.
Don’t forgot to add relevant Assets (formerly Ad Extensions) to provide users with additional information about your products/services, and also enable you to occupy more real estate on the Google Search page!
5. Continuously Monitor and Optimise Your Campaign
Finally, it is important to continuously monitor and optimise your Google Search Ads campaign. Even if you follow all of the tips above, your campaign may not perform as well as you’d like. That’s why it’s important to regularly review your campaign performance and make adjustments as needed.
Some things to keep an eye on include:
- Click-through rate (CTR): This measures the percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it. A low CTR may indicate that your ad copy or targeting needs improvement.
- Conversion rate: This measures the percentage of people who take the desired action (such as making a purchase or filling out a form) after clicking on your ad. If your conversion rate is low, you may need to adjust your targeting or ad messaging.
- Cost-per-click (CPC): This measures how much you are paying for each click on your ad. If your CPC is high, you may need to adjust your targeting or bidding strategy.
By monitoring these metrics, you can identify areas where your campaign can be improved and make adjustments accordingly. You may need to adjust your targeting, ad copy, bidding strategy, or other elements of your campaign to improve its performance.
In conclusion, building a Google Search Ads campaign that converts takes time and effort. You need to understand your target audience, use relevant keywords, create compelling ad copy, use relevant ad group structures, use assets (ad extensions), and continuously monitor and optimise your campaign. By following these tips and putting in the work, you can create a successful Google Search Ads campaign that drives more traffic and conversions to your website!
If you would like help with running your Google Ads, reach out for a chat today! We’d be delighted to help.