AdWords is a great way to market your business and drive traffic to your website. Unfortunately, when not executed correctly, it can also be a huge drain on your marketing budget. This is especially true if AdWords is your principal marketing method.
If you want to launch an AdWords campaign and are expecting a big ROI, you are going to have to manage that campaign. What follows is a list of the things you need to pay particular attention to if you want your AdWords campaign to be successful and cost-effective.
1. Keyword Matches. Picking the wrong keyword match type is a surefire way to obtain poor results. There are three keyword match types—broad, phrase and exact. Each type will produce different conversion rates and search values so you must do your research before choosing which type is best for your purposes.
2. Negative Keywords. Targeting keywords is only one part of the AdWords equation. Using negative keywords will save money on clicks that have no chance of converting. Your ads also will receive better quality scores and enjoy higher click-through rates.
3. Landing Pages. If your ad gets people to your landing page your work has just begun. In order to convert, your landing page needs a great headline, a clear call-to-action and compelling copy. It also must be mobile-friendly. If your landing page doesn’t contain all of these elements, it won’t matter how successfully your ads are performing.
4. Product Pages. If you are a jewelry store sending someone looking for pearl earrings to your home page you are very likely to lose that sale. Direct matches are your best chance to convert sales. Failing to do so is a costly mistake that can be easily avoided.
5. A/B Testing. When it comes to your ad copy and landing pages, you must always be testing. No matter how successful your ad copy or landing page currently is, it can always be more successful. Many people are surprised to learn how just a slight change to a landing page can drive up conversion rates. It also is important to keep in mind that you are not testing just for the sake of testing. Instead, you want to use your results so that you have the correct data and analysis to support any changes.
An AdWords campaign can do wonders for your business but only if it is well executed. While a successful AdWords campaign is never a sure thing, paying attention to the most crucial aspects of your campaign will greatly increase the likelihood of its success.