Let’s be honest… Running an effective Google Adwords campaign can be difficult.
The platform is designed to guide you through a workflow that at its surface seems easy, but in reality often results in low grading and high costs. There is wizardry in understanding and properly setting up Google Adwords campaigns, however, you can better ensure success by planning your content before you ever log in to your account.
Today, I’m fortunate to have the room in my marketing budget to contract an amazing digital marketing firm, Brillity Digital, to manage the Google Adwords strategy for my company. I can’t recommend them enough! However, prior to contracting a strong firm, I spent a lot of time studying Google Adwords best practices and I’d like to share those tips with you.
1. Keyword = Ad Group
Set up your Ad Groups to include only 1-2 keywords. The Adwords platform will encourage you to list several keywords per group, and even suggest variations of words but resist the temptation to assign more than 1-2 words per group. This means if you have 20 keywords you’re trying to rank for, you’ll need to set up 20 ad groups, and write compelling ads (usually three per group) for every one. It is time consuming but it will result in a better grade and lower cost.
I use a spreadsheet to organize my keywords, ad groups, ad copy and landing pages URL’s before I sign in to set up the next campaign.
2. Write Specific Landing Pages
Speaking of landing page URL’s… Create targeted landing pages for every single ad group. Again, this is time consuming, but if you are paying to push people to your website, you need to ensure the message is clear and related to the ad. The keyword and intent of your ad should be clearly reflected in the URL, title tag, headline, sub-header, and body copy.
3. Always Include CTA’s
In every single landing page, you’ll need to include a call-to-action and capture form. Now that you’ve got them here, entice them with a simple request to complete a form. Whether it is for a handout, a demo, or to sign up for a newsletter, be sure to ask for their information.
I’ve found that when I do this upfront content planning and work, my Adwords campaigns get betting quality scores, lower costs per click, and higher ad placements/rankings. It also expedites the actual setup once you login to Adwords because everything is ready to go.