Google AdWords are a fantastic way to drive relevant, targeted traffic to your website. Managed correctly they can have huge conversion rates – resulting in more leads and sales via your website.
Setting up a Google AdWord account is relatively straightforward. However there are some common mistakes that people make along the way. This list just features, in no particular order, ten of the biggest and most frequent errors people make:
1. Not putting keywords in your adverts: Putting keywords in your advert will not only help increase the click through rate (CTR), but will also give you a higher ad position. The more relevant your ad is to the query the user typed in the search engine, the higher the position and the less you pay – it’s win win!
2. Not having enough relevant keywords: You may have an AdGroup focused on a particular term – you need to ensure that you cover as many different variations on this term as possible – think outside the box here and also make use of the Google Keywords Tool. However, you must also make sure that all the keywords in that AdGroup remain focused – don’t branch out too much otherwise you may end up with keywords which don’t closely relate to their dedicated adverts.
3. Having too many keywords in an AdGroup: On the other hand… Google really doesn’t like you to have hundreds of keywords in one group. It’s unlikely that they’ll all be tightly focused on the one subject. You’ll also end up having many keywords which don’t produce any impressions or clicks – and Google doesn’t like this either. They like nice tight, focused AdGroups, with a list of focused keywords which generate impressions and clicks. So make sure you have covered all your bases with your keyword list, but don’t go OTT.
4. Quitting too soon: Success with Google AdWords doesn’t always happen overnight. It takes time and lots of tweaks to get a successful campaign. Because there are so many variables (such as keywords, adverts, bidding, ad position, geographic targeting, timings etc… ) it’s almost impossible to get it right first time. But the great thing about Google AdWords is that everything is tracked and measured – meaning you’re able to instantly see what does and what doesn’t work. How many other advertising mediums give you as much statistical information as Google AdWords?
5. Not having dedicated landing pages: We’ve discussed this subject in blog posts before (Top Tips For Landing Pages and Do You Have Dedicated Landing Pages for Your PPC?). Having landing pages that have been create specifically for your Google AdWord campaigns can be a key factor in success. The focus of the landing pages should match the offer and focus on the adverts, which in turn match the focus of the keywords in that AdGroup. Everything should tie together in one focused path. This will not only help to increase your Google Ad Quality Score (which can mean you pay less for higher listings), but will also increase the number of conversions you have on-site.
So these are just some of the common mistakes. Google AdWords can have an enormous impact on your online success, but they must be managed and monitored in the right way.
Come back on Tuesday 31st for Part Two and the other 5 mistakes.