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Originally Posted On: https://snapseo.ca/blog/ppc/10-common-google-ads-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/

 

There are many things you can do to boost your business and bring in more customers. But none are quite as effective as focusing on Google Ads.

 

In short, Google Ads help potential customers find your website over competitors through their search results. When you purchase these spaces, your advertisement shows up at the top of the search results, helping your product or service be extra visible.

It’s a simple concept but being very strategic in your ads will help you draw the most traffic. We’ve compiled a list of the top ten Google Ads mistakes you should avoid in order to have the best results.

1. Keeping Things Too Broad

The key to a successful Google Ads strategy is using strong keywords. But oftentimes companies will make their advertisements too broad.

No matter what your business offers, there is definitely a wide range of keywords that will fit to boost your traffic. It’s a big mistake to just combine all the words that generally work instead of making a very specific grouping. The broader the Google Ad and keywords, the broader the audience that sees it. This often means less reliable traffic.

Instead, try to make each of your ads specifically targeted to one aspect of your business to bring in those who are looking for exactly what you’re offering. This helps you find those who truly want to purchase your products.

2. Too Many Options

As with any business project, it’s important to set a budget and then stick with it. Companies that try to do too much often go over their marketing budgets, which has a negative effect on their results.

The main reason that these marketing strategies go over budget is that the team is trying to do too many things at once.

It’s tempting to place as many Google Ads and utilize all of the keywords at the same time. But that can be costly and not yield the kind of results you’re looking for. Instead, you can hone in on a few ads at a time to make sure they get the full attention and resources necessary.

A consultant can help you find the right plan of attack that works within your set marketing budget.

3. Only Having One Strategy

It’s also important to remember that not every potential customer is coming from the same experience. Many companies make the mistake of creating one type of ad and calling that good enough for all platforms. But this can have serious negative effects on the success rate of your ads.

There is a big difference between mobile and desktop advertising and they both should be treated differently.

Consuming the ad is fairly similar between the two types of devices, the difference comes in the actions afterwards. If you’re going to make your ads available on mobile devices (you have the option to turn that off) then you have to be sure your site is completely mobile-friendly to make it as easy as possible for the visitor.

Where your visitor is coming from will have a profound effect on their actions, taking that into consideration can make all the difference.

4. Forgetting to Monitor

There is very little reason to try to implement any Google Ads strategy if you’re not going to monitor what happens afterward.

Marketing strategies aren’t something you can do once and see immediate results. Even the best plans made with proper research don’t always turn out exactly as we think they will. Monitoring allows you to get real-time results to see what’s working or not. From there you can make changes based on your results.

Monitoring can include the number of clicks, purchases, and also the demographics of visitors. This is an important step for ongoing research for the whole company, every department can benefit from monitoring.

You’ll be able to tell what products are working, what advertisements grab attention, and if your website is set up for success.

5. Targeting the Wrong Group

Not all traffic is created equally. Businesses who cater their digital marketing strategy to the masses miss out on meaningful customer relations.

An important aspect of any business venture is narrowing down your potential ideal customer to a very specific group. This allows you to make decisions that will do more for your overall goals. Instead of using your keywords to reach every person, you reach the people who are most likely to buy your products, eliminating wasted resources.

One way to narrow down your advertising is to find out what about your product is appealing to the target customer and focusing on highlighting that portion. This can even be applied to the keywords you choose to add.

6. Eliminating Negative Words

Some people who are working on boosting their Google Ads forget to create a negative keyword list. This list is all the words that might be a partial match to your ad but won’t necessarily bring in someone actually interested in what you’re selling. These words might drive traffic but don’t result in meaningful interaction (purchases).

When you create a negative keyword list for your ads, it doesn’t allow the ad to show up as a result in searches containing those words.

Not only should you create this list when developing the ad, but it should also be continually added to as you monitor the search results. This negative words list is an important part of finding your target audience and making your ad find the right people who are more likely to make a purchase.

7. Trying to Do it On Your Own

Managing a Google Ads strategy is a big job. It’s a different type of marketing tool that takes concentrated effort to make it successful. Google Ads are unique in that they can be continually changed based on the data coming in.

Not every marketing team has the time or resources available to dedicate the time it takes to make a Google Ad push really successful. And that’s where working with a professional to delegate these tasks comes in handy. Hiring out the creation and management of this marketing tool allows you to focus on other areas and your ads to get the attention they need.

Many companies make the mistake of trying to figure out and manage their Google ads and SEO efforts on their own, thinking they are simple tasks. But these tactics are actually very intricate with a delicate science behind them. It’s best to let a professional handle it for you to get the best results.

8. Focus on the Copy

Even though it’s tempting to spend your time and effort on the backend of your Google Ads (keywords and the like), it’s critical to make sure your copy is also at the right level.

Copy in advertising is what drives people to action. It convinces you to purchase, sign-up for a newsletter, or to do more research.

The right kind of copy, no matter how short, will draw the reader in, pique their interest, and bind them to the brand.

9. Avoiding New Tactics

Once you’ve identified your target audience and are ready to focus in on that group, it’s tempting to only run one type of ad for them. It seems like sticking to one thing will minimize your costs and make the most of the budget.

But running experiments is a helpful way to see what’s working, what’s not, and what might be better.

Companies that run several ads for their specific group can continually hone-in their strategies to make them as effective as possible. As well as gaining a better understanding of their target audience overall. When you change the copy or the keywords slightly, you can see how that affects your search reports, clicks, and purchases and then alter your strategies accordingly.

10. Pay Close Attention

The best way to achieve success with a Google Ads strategy is to pay close attention. To see the best results it can’t be a back burner project.

It needs a dedicated team that’s focused on finding the balance of keywords to show up in the right searches. They need to create copy that’s to the point and engaging. And, most importantly, they need to monitor the results to find ways to improve the whole strategy.

Companies who set up their digital marketing and then move on to other areas miss out on a lot of valuable information, which can result in lost revenue. This newer area of marketing is a treasure trove for whole businesses and should be taken very seriously.

Avoid These Google Ads Mistakes

One of the keys to a successful business is getting as many eyes on your product or service as you can. Avoiding these Google Ad mistakes will help you do just that.

Next time you’re setting your marketing goals and developing the plans to reach them, don’t forget to utilize Google Ads for a full range of options.

If you’re interested in learning more about Google Ads and how to implement them into your marketing tools, contact us today for a consultation!