One of the biggest nightmares every marketer has to deal with is an underperforming campaign.
If you’ve incorporated digital marketing and PPC in your daily routine, then you’re aware of the important role Google AdWords plays in your marketing efforts.
After all, it is one of the most efficient ways of driving highly targeted traffic on your site.
That said, we have listed down the common Google AdWords mistakes that you need to avoid:
Everything’s in the broad match type
Broad match type allows extensive variations of your keywords to trigger your ads. This can be keywords in singular and plural forms, misspellings, synonyms, and related searches.
This is usually the default match type, but this could result in your ad showing up very loosely on related queries. What it does is that it tends to focus more on quantity rather than quality.
Broad match types have their benefits. However, using a broad match modified or exact match type allows for specificity.
The more specific you are with your targeted keywords, the cheaper will your CPC (cost-per-click) be. Not to mention that you can boost your conversion rates because you’re targeting people based on their search intent.
Underestimating the power of negative keywords
Negative keywords let you exclude keywords that you think aren’t a good match for your products and services.
Keep in mind that AdWords isn’t just about targeting the right keywords. Instead, it’s all about how you refine your target keywords and get rid of those that can drain your budget.
That said, negative keywords allow you to have more control over your budget.
If you have a bit of trouble converting your site traffic into paying customers, and you don’t have a list of negative keywords, then this is the first thing that you should put together and execute.
No bidding strategy
Have you ever come across the term “PPC Brand Bidding”? PPC Brand Bidding, also known as Brand Bidding, is a practice where you’re bidding on the keywords or branded terms of your competitors.
That way, your brand shows up whenever a brand name is entered on search. The end goal here is to direct the traffic away from your competitors to your landing page.
Unfortunately, not a lot of marketers don’t have a bidding strategy. To fix this, keep track of your keywords and maintain a close watch on them. Be vigilant of what your competitors are doing so you can figure out how you can build your unique selling proposition.
Not utilizing ad extensions
Ad extensions are one of the most effective ways to drive more clicks. You can add site link extensions, which will feature various links on your site, and then send users over to more relevant pages.
Aside from that, you can also utilize callout extensions, which lets you highlight unique offers like free shipping or 24-hour customer support. However, you can’t completely control how these extensions would show up. It’s up to Google to decide on which extensions show up for a specific ad.
What you can do instead is to search for an extension tab from time to time, and then figure out which works out the best.
Having no ad variations for each ad group
Sometimes, it’s quite easy to be swept away by the idea that you have that one ad that will rise above the rest and even outsmart Google’s ranking algorithm.
That ad might also contain all the keywords that are intertwined to create the most compelling message out there.
But regardless of your niche or industry, ad variation and multi-variate testing are still key. You need to come up with a couple of ad variations to have more chances of getting the PPC campaign right.
Not using Search Terms report to your advantage
So now that you’ve put in all the time and effort in discovering and researching the keywords that you want to target, your keywords list is done.
But it’s not quite over yet. This is where the Search Terms report enters the picture.
It gives you insight into the particular search queries that trigger your ads, based on the keywords that you target.
Aside from that, it gives you an idea of what users are searching for. Thus, you gain relevant insight into the gaps between your target keywords and user search queries.
Moreover, it lets you know whether or not your keywords are catching irrelevant traffic that’s costly on your end.
You can also utilize the search terms report for expansion of your keywords, and as a result, boosting your relevancy for searches. The higher the relevancy is, the cheaper your CPC will be.
Lack of audience targeting
Targeting is essential, especially if you want to direct your ads with the kind of audience who are likely to buy from you.
Thus, audience targeting lets you see to it that you’re not wasting your time on unnecessary clicks that aren’t converting.
It lets you zero in on the right people, which allows you to maximize the results of your ad campaign.
Failure to optimize your landing pages
So you might be crafting exceptional ads, bidding on the right amount, and then bringing in the kind of customers that you want. However, all your efforts will go to waste if your landing page is not optimized.
One of the most important things about AdWords is that it ensures that your site is ready! Once Google notices that you’re not converting the way that you should, you’ll be charged with a higher rate.
If you don’t give users precisely what they need, or spoon-feed it to them, they’ll eventually leave. Your job here is to ensure that they do as little work as possible. So make it easy for them to convert when they visit your site.
Not mention that when you create a landing page for every campaign, you can track the success of your ads. You’ll know that people from these ads are directed to that particular page. So from a glance, you can see how much impact your ads are getting.
Giving up too easily
Managing the finer points of your AdWords campaign can take some time, and you might commit a lot of mistakes at first. But you must learn from them, and not give up too easily.
Believe me when I say that AdWords is worth the time and investment. You might need to spend a bit at first to be able to learn the tricks and master it. But once you gain some experience, that’s where you start to see profits coming in.
So, there you have it. If you don’t want to run the risk of ruining your AdWord campaigns or see your conversion rates tank, make sure that you don’t commit these nine costly AdWords mistakes.
About the Author – Kevin Urrutia is the founder of Voy Media, a New York AdWords company. He is dedicated to helping businesses triumph over the ever-changing marketing landscape. He crafts results-oriented solutions that are tailor-fit for each client his team works with.
