Think it might be time to test the value google adwords could add to your marketing mix? A pay-per-click campaign is an incredible tool to generate new business growth. However, it’s essential to achieve certain milestones prior to integrating this strategy in order to get the most out of it. Here are some caveats to be aware of when contemplating the timing and scope of an AdWords campaign.
1. Understand the Complexity
Standing out amidst the saturation of online marketing has become a nearly insurmountable task for brands. Google adwords has become one of the most effective tools to assist with the challenge, but the accountability still remains on the brand to delivery relevant and attractive offers. Thankfully, the platform has a built-in keyword suggestion tool that will help you to narrow down the optimal keywords for your campaign based on the search demand and how you stack up against your competitors. These factors, along with the landing page experience and expected clickthrough rate, are calculated in the quality score that google assigns.
2. Leverage Consumer Intent
Strong knowledge of your audience and your brand’s competitive advantage grants you the power to be specific and relevant. Long-tail keywords, which are explicit phrases comprised of four to six words, are extremely effective at optimizing ad spend. For example, “neutral shoes for trail running” is going to attract a very specific, intentional audience as opposed to a more generic term such as “neutral running shoes.” Thus, visitors that land on your site through this unique ad are more likely to convert instead of comparing a larger consideration set.
3. Evaluate Your Metrics
Tracking and measuring the AdWords campaign metrics is essential to identifying flaws and opportunities among your keyword investments. However, a common mistake is interpreting high traffic as campaign success. Generating a ton of traffic from an ad is nothing but a money pit if the consumer doesn’t convert or perform the desired action. The cost of the campaign increases every time a consumer clicks on your ad, so it is crucial to track the productivity of your campaign to make sure they are yielding a positive return on investment (ROI). In contrast, you can look at the bounce rate (how often visitors leave your site after clicking on your ad) to make educated judgements about the effectiveness of your landing page.
Google adwords campaigns are a powerful but complex tool that can be shaped to your specific brand challenges and goals. Relevant ads and user-friendly landing pages are essential and must be heavily aligned with the consumer intent in order to receive favorable quality scores and mitigate cost.