Two Google Ads Campaign Mistakes
So you have decided to give online advertising a shot!
It's time to run your first Google Ads campaign.
That's great, but don't make the two mistakes most newbies make.
I see it all the time when I working with clients. In fact, it's prevalent in the majority of ads I see.
Here's The First Mistake
They quite simply don't get into the mind of their potential customers. There is no consideration of their actual thought processes as they sit at their keyboards.
The reality is that they actually forget that people use search engines to find answers to their questions. They miss the point that they and their website should have a handle on all the different questions asked in their industry. With such information, they can be assured of developing a website that has all the answers their customers are continually looking for. Of course, this can't happen overnight, but you should aim to regularly add useful content that relates to the questions your target market is asking.
Once you have such an online platform with content your target market really appreciates, you are well positioned to run an online advertising campaign using Google Ads.
Now Let's Discuss The Second Mistake
I want you for one second to imagine you are searching on Google yourself. Am I right in saying you already know the results that will appear in front of you? Here's the thing it's the same for the people that you hope to attract to your website through your Google Ads campaign!
In a few seconds, we all quickly scan the organic and paid results. Subconsciously we say to ourselves it looks like I will find my answer on this page or I need to go back to redefine my search.
It is at this one moment in time that represents your real opportunity to connect with the person searching. There are no second chances, this is your chance to shine!
Let's put it another way, it's not a time to use run of the mill copy and blend into all of the other ads. This is your tipping point to success. You have one moment to show the searcher you have the answer to their question.
Put it this way, your ad headlines, descriptions and website link should present a compelling case to be clicked on. This shouldn't be done by writing hype but being relevant to the need of the searcher at that precise moment.
It's crucial you don't let yourself or the searcher down by not providing the answer and being irrelevant. If they land on your page and immediately click away this will increase your bounce rate and decrease your Quality Score. Both factors lead to higher click charges over time.
How To Create A Compelling Ad
So you may be asking how one creates a compelling ad, that isn't hype, doesn't disappoint and sets the right expectations. The trick comes from writing great relevant copy. Google makes no secret of the fact that highly relevant ad text copy triggered by highly targeted keywords is much more likely to drive ad conversions and reduce the amount you pay per click.
I see far too many ads that are too generic; they don’t even come close to being truly relevant to the person making the search query. It’s easy to see how this can happen, quite simply businesses tend to rush the way they set up their ads and typically insert cliché industry copy that stems from their own self-interest.
Therefore generalised phrases such as “We Offer Clients A Professional Job”, are neither personal to the reader or make any form of compelling offer. Here’s another example, advertisers will frequently say “Wide Selection of Quality Widgets”, again this would be termed as hype to make the business owner feel good. It isn’t specific and doesn’t make me believe in the product. The truth is poor copywriting compromises any initiative to improve the ad click-through rate (CTR) and subsequently affects the keyword quality score and the costs per click.
Running generic ads that look like all the others will not get you noticed. I recommend you do your homework and review the ads your competition are serving up and make sure you are different. For example, you could use capitalisation in your headline or URL, if the surrounding ads aren’t doing this. Furthermore using questions, numbers, quotes, and ASCII characters can further differentiate your ads from others.
The Importance Of Stating Benefits And Features
Your 3 headlines (a maximum of 30 characters each) must catch the searcher’s attention and make a statement about your offer. Moreover, your descriptions (a maximum of 90 characters each) needs to make a strong case for your product or service. It must address the problem faced by the searcher and ideally mention at least one benefit and feature.
Think of the benefit as what you will receive, feel like or think of once the product is yours to use. The feature could be a line item from the product specification or something actually in it. Thus if I was creating an ad for a Nikon telephoto lens I would mention the benefit of shooting superb wildlife photography on the second line of the ad and a feature such as 55 - 300 mm F/4.5-5.6 on the third line.
I would also test inserting the price in the ad if the searcher was looking to buy there and then. This is especially true if the search query includes the words buy, prices, costs etc.
You should consider increasing your relevancy by placing the keyword in the title and description because Google automatically makes these keywords bold. This will generally increase your Quality Score, though you have to still be mindful that the rest of the ad reads well for the searcher.
More Ways To Writing Killer Targeted Relevant Ads
Whilst you may create an ad that achieves a high CTR, it may still not convert well for you. This is because you are probably confusing the people searching on your ads by presenting a headline in your ad that’s totally different to the one on your website. A confused person will never buy. Google Ads gives you the ability to display your ads at the exact moment people are searching for your services and products and thus it’s critical you present the right ad to the right person.
You can enhance your ads by adding social proof. Everyone wants to be reassured others have had success with your product. No one likes to be a pioneer! Thus consider adding ad copy similar to “10k+ happy customers” to your ads.
Likewise, consider the call to action you have on your landing pages and determine how you can replicate this as part of your display URL? Embedding the call to action into your display URL is a highly effective strategy for improving your CTRs.
Here are some examples:
PropertyListings.com/SignUp-Now
AccountingSoftware.com/FreeTrail
Localbusiness.com/Save£25
LocalWidgets.com/Buy-Now
It’s worth taking the time to write killer targeted relevant ads. The higher your CTR, the higher the Quality Scores and as a result, your costs per click will lower. Google rewards you for setting up high performing ads.
A high performing ad with a good ROI will tick most of these boxes:
It grabs your attention by making a strong offer or asks a question
Has a compelling call to action
Focuses on benefits as well as features.
Delivers on your promise by ensuring the website landing page is relevant and relates back to the ad.
Crafting a great compelling ad takes time and must always work in unison with the website it's sending your potential customer too.