We’ve got a lot of experience under our belts as Managers of Google Adwords Accounts and we’ve given advice to those who handle their own campaigns. Adwords can be quite daunting but there’s a few simple tips that will lower your costs and make your campaigns more manageable. The below list are a few simple things often overlooked by those to to Adwords, so take a look and give them a try!
1. Research, Research and then do some more research
Google give’s us all the tools that can help us structure an effective campaign. Use the Keyword Tool (Remember to switch it to UK) to find keywords (Balance amount of searches with competition, look for opportunities, don’t always go for the most common keywords with high competition, there could be lower competition keywords with good levels of searches that can save you a fortune.) Use Google Insights to understand trends and when you keywords will perform the best / worst.
2. Get Google Analytics set up correctly
You need to make decisions based on data. With GA you can see what keywords delivered visitors and how they responded when they landed on your website. If they “Bounced” off the site straight away, you need to look at your landing page. There’s LOADS of great info available that will allow you to optimise your campaign to get the best out of it.
3. Ad Groups & ads
Use them! Set up very targeted ad groups, don’t just throw every possible keyword into an ad group, put a select few highly relevant keywords in there and use them in your ad if possible. If you have an ad about “Red Pencils” don’t put it in an ad group with keywords “Purple Pencils” or “stationary” Keep ad groups well defined and simple, even if that means making dozens of them.
4. Create Multiple Ads
Start with 3-4 with different wordings (include your keywords) give it a few days and see which performs the best. The more you refine it, the better your ads will continue to peform.
5. Landing Pages
Don’t just link all of your ads to your homepage, Link your “Red Pencils” add to a page selling Red Pencils for example. Remember – Relevancy, it will increase your “Quality Score” and lower your Cost Per Click.
6. Campaign Settings
If your new to Adwords, don’t bother with the display network, just opt for “Google Search” under the networks option. Display network is great, but at this stage just concentrate on the Search Advertising until you find your feet.
7. BE NEGATIVE!
Make sure you add terms that you don’t want your add to appear for as a “Negative Keyword” this will prevent wasted clicks.
8. See Search Terms and Match Type
After you have a few days of data, look at the option “See Search Terms” it will tell you exactly what terms triggered your ads and may give you some new ideas when it comes to keywords. Don’t just think because you have the term “Red Pencils” that’s the only term, if its a broad match you’ll get hits for terms like Red and White Pencils, Coloured Pencils if you Phrase match, I.E adding ” before and at the end of a term you’ll get terms like: “Free Red Pencils” or “Red Pencils and Green Pens” and finally with Exact Match you’ll get exactly “Red Pencils”. So think about what match type may work best and experiment!
9. Bad Spelling
Use the keyword tool and test bad spellings of keywords your interested in, they can be a gold mine with low cost and high Click Through Rates.
10. Get a free trial
You can pretty much grab a £50 Adwords Voucher from anywhere (including us if your nice to us) so try that first and get to grips with it before wasting your money, or even give Google a ring and they’ll help you set it up – Yes they will actually do that for free!
