Google Ads accounts are very complex and there are a huge range of factors that can affect the performance of an advertisers campaign. If your Google Ads account is not delivering the results that you’re looking for, you may be making some of the most common mistakes which can easily be rectified.
1. Ignoring top performing search terms
Keywords are the heart and soul of Google Ads. They determine what searches your ads are showing up for when then determines who is going to see your ads.
One of the most important things to understand when advertising on Google is the relationship between keywords and search terms. People type in search terms which match to keywords and then cause your ads to show. However, it is very important to remember that your keyword and the search term it’s showing up for are not always the same. In fact, depending on the match type that you are using, the majority of the searches your ads show for will be similar to, but not the same as, the keywords you typed in.
The good news is that these searches that you’re matching with provide you with a massive collection of new potential keywords. By going through the searches that your ads are showing for, you can see exactly what people are searching for and use that as the basis for new keywords or add them as negative keywords. It is important to remember that Google Ads is an auction-based platform and the shorter the keyword phrase, the more people are bidding on it. If your audience is searching for something more specific than you’re bidding on, it means there is a much less competitive auction where you could be winning customers at a much lower price.
2. Not implementing negative keywords regularly
Negative keywords are simply keywords in reverse. Keywords tell Google what you want to show up for but negative keywords tell them what you do not want to show for.
One of the most common mistakes to be made in a Google Ads account is not adding negative keywords to the account on a regular basis. Most advertisers know that they need to add negatives when they start, but it is also paramount to monitor the search terms report to keep on the lookout for irrelevant terms. Search marketing is a dynamic field and what people are searching for changes every day. Over 20% of daily Google searches are entirely new. That means that every day, one of out every five searches that you’re showing up for are searches that nobody has seen before.
To prevent yourself from wasting your search budget on irrelevant clicks from unqualified visitors, you need to know what searches you’re showing up for. Then, you will need to implement negative keywords to the account to prevent yourself from showing for them in future.
3. Neglecting location targeting options
Although keywords are vital to ensuring that your ads are showing up to the correct audience, it is important to remember other targeting options which can impact your campaigns.
Location targeting is a hugely important factor in campaign settings. It allows your ads to be tailored to specific locations where they are relevant. For example, if you are looking for a hairdresser in London, you would not expect to be seeing ads for hairdressers in Manchester. Therefore, by using location targeting to make sure that ads are exclusively shown to people in your desired locations, you can target your audience more efficiently.
It is important to also ensure that the location options are set correctly. For example, you have the option to target only those situated in your chosen location, those searching for your location or you can target them and also users who are interested in your targeted location.
4. Over-engineered ad groups
One of the most common issues with under-performing Google Ads accounts is having too many keywords per ad group.
The keywords in an ad group determine which ad is shown when that keyword is triggered. If you have too many keywords in an ad group, the ads that you are showing will be too general and people won’t click on them because they won’t feel that your ads are relevant. Far too often, you will see ad groups with excessive numbers of keywords which makes it incredibly difficult to write ads that are relevant to every keyword used. Relevancy is one of the most important things to Google and having high relevancy will significantly improve your quality scores.users are on Google because they are searching for something in particular and, if they’re going to click on your ads, they will need to know that you are providing/selling exactly what they are looking for.
Want to find out what other factors may be harming the performance of your Google Ads account? We offer a free audit service designed to provide you with an insight into the positives and negatives of your campaigns. Request your FREE Google Ads audit today!
