Google Ads is an excellent way to get eyes on your website, especially while you wait for your SEO to take off. However, many businesses struggle with their ad campaigns, spending a lot of money on PPC ads that don’t produce the results they expected. If you’ve spent a lot on your PPC campaign but aren’t seeing the benefit, make sure that you’re not sabotaging your marketing efforts with these common Google Ads mistakes.
Mistake #1: Avoiding Negative Keywords
Most businesses tend to focus their keyword research on finding the right keywords to target. However, while keyword research is essential (see mistake #4 below), you should also consider using negative keywords.
These keywords let you exclude certain keywords from your campaign. These exclusions are particularly useful for terms that may overlap with yours, yet are associated with an unrelated field. For instance, if you only do kitchen remodeling, excluding bathroom remodels or complete home remodels can increase the number of qualified custom cabinet leads interested in your particular product.
Mistake #2: Failing to Optimize for Conversion Testing
You may think that the point of a paid search is to get eyes on your landing pages, but that’s only the first step. What’s even more important is that the people visiting your page take you up on your service.
It’s essential to have a strategy in place to convert leads before starting a PPC advertising campaign. Knowing your conversion rate can help you plan and update conversions and strategies to get people to take actions such as getting in touch or, best of all, making a sale.
Mistake #3: Failing to Research the Right Google Ads Keywords
Keywords are the biggest part of successful search campaigns. That’s why Google Analytics provides so much information, including a search term report, to help you plan your keyword strategy. Google even has a keyword planner to help you choose relevant keywords for your business.
Many businesses fail to maximize their use of keyword match types. There are three types:
- Phrase match
- Broad match
- Exact match
If you have a few basic keywords, consider including variants that match the meaning of the term to get the best results from a new search campaign. Different industries benefit from different match types, so use your search terms report to optimize your spread.
Mistake #4: Ignoring Bidding Strategies
Having a bid strategy in place will ensure that your Google advertising will get the most clicks at the lowest price possible.
Two popular strategies include bidding on your ideal Cost per Action or Return on Ad Spend. Play around with ad variations and bids to find out which strategy works best for your needs.
Mistake #5: Ignoring Regional Trends
Geotargeting and retargeting are essential strategies in your ads campaign, especially if you’re a local business. An essential component of online marketing involves taking advantage of your location. When planning your campaign, you don’t want people from across the globe—instead, focus on customers who can take advantage of your services.
That being said, improving brand awareness over a broader area may provide higher returns on your investment if you have a larger footprint.
Mistake #6: Failing to Test the Optimal Ad Position
You may think that ads work like search engines and that higher is often better. Google ranks ads by multiplying your quality score by your bid. According to recent research, positions 3-5 are best for quality clicks and conversion, while position 1 is vital for branding.
This is important because while you control your quality scores minimally, you can still outbid competitors to reach the top position. However, outspending large companies may not be the best strategy, and lower bids and better quality will produce better results.
Mistake #7: Using Default Targeting Options
Search network campaigns can use Search Network, Google Display Network, or both. You may also choose to add Google search partners to maximize your reach. However, different networks offer different benefits. Display Network has a notoriously low conversion rate but is great for raising awareness. If you’re focused on conversions, spending money on Display Network would be a waste.
Mistake #8: Not Correcting Google Ads Mistakes that Violate Ad Policies
If you’ve had your search ads rejected by Google, your first focus should be on correcting them. Google has a long list of ad policies, and keeping track is hard. Breaking even one policy can result in disapproval. Common reasons for disapproval include:
- Spelling and grammar mistakes
- Incorrect punctuation and use of symbols
- Trick-to-click tactics
- Non-standard spacing
- Destination mismatches
- Copyright infringement
- Prohibited content, such as counterfeit goods and inappropriate content
- Issues with the landing page
Mistake #9: Avoiding Extensions on Your Google Ads Account
Ad extensions can make your ad significantly more appealing. Call and message extensions are particularly useful if you’re targeting mobile users as it removes many barriers to conversion by making it easy to get in touch.
It’s vital to remember that you don’t control how your extensions will appear. Google suggests regularly seeing which extensions convert better and pausing those that aren’t working.
Mistake #10: Not Using Ad Groups
If you have multiple landing pages, having different ad groups is essential. An ad group allows you to set keywords and specific ad copy for every landing page, thus maximizing your search network. You can combine ad variation with your keywords tab to guide potential customers to specific landing pages, each offering a different service.
Marketing has evolved dramatically and it is about more than just browsing search term reports and coming up with keywords. The process gets more complex every day, and while the results can be great, the costs tend to be huge.
That’s why working with a digital marketing agency makes the process much simpler. Kitchen Remodeling SEO is a performance marketing service that’s worked with remodelers to get more customers and generate awareness of their services.
If you’re curious about how we can take your business to the next level, schedule a free marketing strategy session today with Kitchen Remodeling SEO!
