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My #1 tip is to spy on your competitors to see if they\u2019re running search engine ads and what\u2019s their strategy<\/strong>. I like to do this through a quick search on Google to see what type of messaging they\u2019re using and if they are running search engine ads. If they are then chances are these ads are working for them and it\u2019s a good sign they can work for you,\u00a0too.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n
Google\u2019s default settings are quietly working against you<\/strong>. Initially, I didn\u2019t question things like \u201cSearch Partners\u201d or \u201cDisplay Expansion.\u201d When I turned those off and narrowed our targeting to exact match keywords only, we noticed a significant difference – conversion rates increased by 40% and bounce rates went down overnight. And here\u2019s my number one piece of advice for anyone starting out with search ads: create a negative keyword list before spending any money. After adding over 500 negative keywords, we stopped spending advertising budgets on people who were never going to convert.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Branded search keywords must have their own campaigns with separate budgets.<\/strong> I began by mixing branded and general search keywords, making measuring performance nearly impossible. Branded terms will always convert higher and cheaper, skewing the data and concealing the actual performance of non-branded keywords. (\u2026) Track calls from day one with call tracking numbers. <\/strong>Search ads that look like underperformers may be your best performers when call conversions are correctly attributed. We added call tracking and found these so-called \u201cfailing\u201d campaigns produced twice as many phone leads as our \u201csuccessful\u201d campaigns \u2014 leads that closed at a 40% higher rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Long-tail keywords often outperform short-tail ones.<\/p>\n
The most expensive keyword isn\u2019t always the most profitable<\/strong>. At our company, we used to chase high-volume, high cost-per-click (CPC) short tail, buzz keywords thinking they\u2019d convert best. The truth is that long-tail, high-intent queries converted more often \u2014 and they cost us less than many short-tail, high-volume keywords.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n Regular optimizations can improve conversion rates.<\/p>\n
The amount of tuning and tweaking that goes into these campaigns is one thing I wish I had known sooner<\/strong>. For instance, we observed a 20% decrease in cost-per-click and a 25% rise in click-through rates following modifications to our ad wording and testing of various bidding tactics. What suits one company may not suit another, so do not be scared to try new things and make adjustments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Audience layering<\/strong>: instead of only relying on keywords, integrating first-party data, customer lists, and remarketing audiences to increase efficiency. Seriously, targeting past customers or website visitors can cut acquisition costs by\u00a030-50%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n
Paid ads can be used to qualify your [SaaS] onboarding funnel<\/strong> if the CPC is low enough. It\u2019s a faster way to get people to try your product than by doing\u00a0SEO.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Whenever you\u2019re contacted by a Google Ads rep, don\u2019t make any large changes while you\u2019re on the call with them<\/strong>, note everything down instead with the intention to look at it later and always do your own research before making any changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n