Struggling to get your Google AdWords working for you? or not so sure where to start? Read on….

AdWords is the most popular paid search solution in the world!

In 2015, 83.9% of Google revenue were generated from advertising.

Despite its popularity it can still be intimidating. For many, the Google paid search system can be confusing and complicated. This is especially true if you don’t have much knowledge and experience in optimising a campaign – and getting results – using this PPC or in simpler terms, pay-per-click platform.

When used smartly and strategically, AdWords can bring a remarkable increase in your revenue. But when used without the right direction, it can cost your business a lot of time and money.

To make sure you are maximising the best of what AdWords can offer, consider the following best practices:

Choose specific keyword phrases

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High-traffic, low-competition keywords are your best bet. However, you’ll face many other situations wherein your ideal configuration is not always possible.

Thus, you’ll need more than just the use of the Google Keyword Planner (or other similar tools that help you do your keyword research). It’s also important to have a good understanding of your audience, so you can gauge which keywords will get you the most number of qualified traffic to your site.

Optimise your quality score.

Your quality score as defined by Google is “an estimate of the quality of your ads and landing pages triggered by them.”

If you have a high quality score, you can enjoy lower cost per click and a higher position for your ad. Using branded keywords and remarketing can help improve your quality score.

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Test, test, test!

It’s important to keep evaluating the strength of your campaigns because what works today may be useless tomorrow.

Make it a constant practice to test your ads to see what works best for you and what doesn’t. This way, you can continue to fine-tune your strategy to achieve better results.

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Outsmart your competitors

Learn from your best rivals. Analyze their ads – learn from their mistakes and get inspiration from their best work.

Utilise tools such as SEMrush.com and SpyFu.com to see your competitor’s keyword performance. Use what you learn to ensure your ads will perform better.

Make it mobile-friendly

People who access the web via a mobile device have now outnumbered people who are just using their desktop device to go online. It thus makes sense to build ads that are optimised for mobile if you want to remain visible to your target audience.

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Create compelling copy

Online advertisements occupy limited space and viewers today have short attention spans. So you have to make your copy enticing and easy to read and understand.

Use subheadings to convey meaning fast and break up content into easily digestible components to get your message across to your target audience.

Conclusion

If you’re wondering whether Google AdWords is the right fit for you, it can be an effective paid search solution if it is managed strategically.

First and foremost, you need to create interesting and noteworthy ad copy to attract your target market.

To attain results from your AdWords campaign, focus on improving your quality score and testing various elements of your ad. Fine tuning these elements is what will differentiate your ad from competitors.

The increased usage of mobile devices makes it important to capture mobile users and appeal to this large market.

If you need assistance in running a Google AdWords campaign, get in touch with us here.