Google AdWords can be a tough nut to crack, but a little bit of know-how goes a long way.
PPC advertising (per per click) has become a relatively popular strategy for companies looking to increase website traffic, test out new keywords for their SEO (search engine optimization) strategy or to run special promotions or introduce new products or services. Pay per click advertising can be a low risk, high reward venture since you only pay for the ad when it’s clicked on.
One of the biggest PPC options out there is Google AdWords. Google AdWords places its ads at the bottom, top and to the sides of each Google search results page and has become one of Google’s main sources of revenue. A key benefit is you can focus your campaign in Ottawa or branch further out into Eastern Ontario. If you plan on using AdWords for your online marketing campaign, then keep the following tips in mind to ensure that you’re using it as effectively as possible.
1. Get Those Keywords Right
In order for your Google AdWords campaign to be successful, you’ll have to choose the right keywords. Poorly chosen keywords can either be too vague, too common (resulting in too much competition) or simply target the wrong type of audience (resulting in clicks by visitors who are never going to buy your product or service). The following are some of the things to consider when choosing your keyword:
- Does it have search volume? – If nobody is searching the phrase you have chosen, then you’re not going to be reaching anyone with your ad. What’s the point of advertising on keywords that aren’t being used?
- Does it target the right audience? – You need to know who your buyer persona is so that you can target your keywords to your target audience. For example, if your buyer persona is an upper income middle-aged male, then you probably don’t want to use words such as “affordable,” or “cheap” in your keyword phrases as this will attract a different type of audience.
2. 2 + 2 = 5?
When finalizing your keyword list, one of the things you must do is decide whether your keywords have a chance of being profitable and whether you can afford them. To do this, you’ll want to calculate your max CPC (cost per click) and compare it to the estimated keyword CPC. Your max CPC is determined by the profit per customer, the website conversion rate and the target advertising profit margin.
3. Create a Strong USP
The USP (Unique Seeling Proposition) is what convinces your prospects to use your services or products instead of those of your competitors. Making sure that you have a strong USP for your AdWords campaign will help to generate more traffic from prospects that are qualified a swell as prevent clicks from unwanted leads. Stronger USPs will also ensure a better sales conversion rate and help to eliminate price comparison shopping.
4. Make an Offer (They Can’t Refuse)
Because Google Adwords campaigns are focused on ads, you need to provide what every successful ad provides – a great offer. Without an offer that provides believable value, your ad is less likely to get many clicks. In addition to having an offer of value, you’ll need to provide a convincing call of action that incites the lead to click on your ad for more information about taking advantage of your offer.
5. Make Sure There’s Somewhere to Go
One of the biggest mistakes a company can make when using AdWords is to send leads to their homepage instead of to a landing page. When a lead clicks on your ad’s call to action and it takes them to your homepage, they’re going to have no idea what to do next. You should have separate landing pages for each AdWord campaign that matches its keywords as well as the ad, thereby helping to bring the lead through the sales process. For example, if you are offering a promotion on a new product, then the landing page should provide the lead with information on how to take advantage of that promotion and purchase that new product.
6. Crunch the Numbers
Using analytics is an absolute must. AdWords will provide reports that you should absolutely use in order to judge the effectiveness of every component of your ad campaign and to adjust accordingly for better results in future campaigns.
Keep these 6 tips in mind in order to create a more effective Google AdWords campaign.
