Google Ads should be in the toolkit of every business, due to its potential to generate traffic and visitors, which translates to leads and higher conversion (website sales) rates. Since it is easy to start using Google Ads, but the software is difficult to master, naturally beginners make many mistakes. If you wish to avoid Google Ads mistakes and make the most out of this fantastic tool, read our article and find out everything you need to know fast! You will find a list of the 7 most common and costly Google Ads campaign mistakes below.
Suboptimal Keyword Choice
One of the crucial aspects of Google Ads you should always have in mind is which keyword you will use. Therefore, you will need to dedicate time to conduct thorough keyword research before you can find the most optimal keywords. Randomly guessing the right keywords isn’t going to work, no matter how educated your guesses are. You need to use the right tools for research, e.g. Google Keyword Planner, which will help you find the most relevant and optimal keywords for your Google Ads account.
Even once you find the right keywords, you still need to narrow down the selection to the most specific and appropriate ones for your audience, which is why you need to know your target audience in advance.
You should also know the basic keyword types, broad match modifier, phrase match, and exact match. You should gather 10-15 keywords and use all of their variations, but remember that broad keywords mostly aren’t the best, so try to avoid them as much as possible. The most optimal combinations of keywords include phrase matches, exact matches, and modified broad matches.
Ignoring the Search Terms Report
Not using the Search Terms Report in every Google Ads campaign is a common and costly mistake. This report allows you to find the real searches which brought up your ads in people’s searches daily. You should review the report at least once per week if you want to always stay on top of things.
The Search Terms Report is intuitive and simple to use because it helps you weed out the subpar keywords while adding the effective ones.
Not Using Negative Keywords
People often leave out negative keywords, which is another mistake. A positive keyword may seem more attractive and reasonable to use, but that’s not always the case. If you’re using broad and broad match modified keywords, definitely include negative keywords.
Finding a standardized list of negative keywords can be achieved with various online tools, such as the Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Suggestions. There are also many websites, including Techwyse, that offer a free list of negative keywords, so use those as well. With the use of negative keywords, you will optimize your campaign, save money, and gain more qualified leads.
Sticking to a Single Ad Variation
Marketers commonly misuse Google Ads in this way, they only create one ad per variation or group. Maximizing cost-effectiveness and improving conversion rates won’t work this way. You should create more ad variations per ad group, despite reusing some headlines or descriptions. Adding more ad variations and testing them will let you discover the most successful ones, conversion-wise. Finding the most optimal ad will let you create slight variations of it, and discard the unsuccessful ads.
Not Testing Your Ads and Bidding Strategies
Google Ads campaigns require lots and lots of testing and configuration before they bring the optimal return on investment (ROI). Creating the perfect campaign fast, or even on the first try, is impossible. Generating leads and creating high conversion rates will come with time, but it takes a lot of fine-tuning
Remember that you should also test your bidding strategies and find the one that will be the most impactful in the long-term scheme. Some of the best strategies include target CPA and target ROAS. These strategies allow you to bid with optimal cost per action and return on ad spend. Therefore, they are fantastic cost-optimization and investment return Google Ads strategies.
Leaving Out Ad Extensions
Not adding ad extensions is bad, pun intended. Google Ads has an extensive list of ad extensions, and you should use them to their maximum potential. The extensions will add information to your ads, drive more traffic, and let you customize your ads.
Some of the best types of ad extensions include snippet, location, message, and callout extensions. For example, call and message extensions are ideal for mobile users, because they add the ability for these users to message or call you using their tablets or phones.
According to Statista, in 2021, there were 15 billion mobile users, so those numbers simply cannot be ignored, you must optimize your ad campaign to target mobile users if you want to attract even a tiny share of this demographic, which will still be enough for you to prosper.
Disregarding Your Regional Trends
Your Google Ads campaign will largely depend on the type of business you conduct, e.g., are you a wholesale or retail, do you offer products or services, etc. Different businesses have varied targets, it depends on the scope and size of the organization you’re leading.
Some companies target only their closest surroundings, while others have nationwide campaigns, and neither approach is wrong, it just depends on the work you do. In either case, ignoring the trends in all regions is a common mistake. Use Google Ads to deduce which regions search for your products or services the most, and try to advertise there. Targeting some key cities or even neighborhoods can be crucial to a successful campaign.
Final Advice
Thinking logically and pragmatically will make your Google Ads campaign bring in the results you are expecting. Knowing your target audience, optimizing the keywords, decreasing the CPA, and leading the potential customers to your website should be your priorities. Remember that you also need to extensively test your strategies, keywords, and ads, as well as optimize your overall website, landing pages, and sales funnels. If you incorporate these thoughts into your campaign, you will generate more leads for less money and improve your marketing campaign!
Author’s bio
Travis Dillard is a business consultant and an organizational psychologist based in Arlington, Texas.
Passionate about marketing, social networks, and business in general.
In his spare time, he writes a lot about new business strategies and digital marketing for Find Digital Agency.