A good digital marketing agency knows that Google Ads can provide a great ROI for clients. But to do that requires regular optimization. As the economy tightens for many businesses, making their ad dollars go farther has never been more important. Just as agencies regularly optimize their Search Engine Marketing(SEM) campaigns you should too.
Search Network
Check to see that your search ads are just displayed on the Search network. Google encourages you to serve your ads on their Search and Display networks. This will increase your reach. But, it will also increase the likelihood your ads appear in places where they are less likely to be clicked on. The beauty of search is the intent of the user. Someone on the display network has not necessarily declared intent. When funds are at a premium narrow your focus.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Bid Strategies
Another Google recommendation is to use their automated bid strategies. This can range from “Maximize Clicks” to “Maximize Conversions” or “Return on Ad Spend”. These strategies take control away from you and can burn through your ad dollars faster. We always start campaigns on all manual settings so we can judge performance accurately. This is not to say that automated bid strategies through Google or a third-party are bad. Large, complex campaigns can benefit from automation, especially once a testing period has been completed. A/B test automated bidding against manual before committing all funds to automated.
Search Terms
Additional savings can be realized when reviewing the Search Terms Report. This is the report that shows the actual words used by people who saw your ad and clicked. Review for negative keywords and add them to your list. Negative keywords are search terms that you request not show your ads. An example is that you sell hip sunglasses to a younger audience. You might have a keyword such as “Cool Shades”. Negative keywords would be “lamp” or “window” as you don’t want to pay for people looking for lamp shades or window shades. Check to see if there are terms you are paying for that don’t pertain to your business.
While in the Search Terms report look for search terms you don’t have as keywords but that are converting. Add them to your keyword list. If you have keywords that are broad match, and they are often converting as a phrase match, consider changing your match type. The more specific the match type the less you pay per click.
Keywords Report
Now move over to your keyword list and find the conversion column. If you have a “conversion” that moves people into your sales funnel (A phone call, form-fill, email capture etc.) click on that column so you sort from most conversions to least. Look for keywords that get clicks and use budget but don’t ever convert. Ask yourself if they are really helping your cause. If not, eliminate them. They are using budget but not returning anything. Try and allocate as much budget as possible against keywords that contribute to the bottom line.
Another strategy is to take your best performing keywords and make them into their own Ad Group. Often called a Single Keyword Ad Group (SKAG) it is a good way to lower costs on those keywords. Because SKAGS are hyper-focused, with a campaign, ad group, keyword and ad all directed towards the same area of business, Google will generally charge less for those clicks.
No business ever wants to waste money. And now with the uncertain business climate it is more important than ever to ensure that every ad dollar is spent wisely. Regular review of your Google Ads account can save money and direct your budget to where it will help most. If you are not sure your Search Engine Marketing (SEM) accounts are properly optimized, please contact us for a free review.
