Campaign Settings:
The foundation of your campaign lies in its settings. While some are pre-selected by default, it’s essential to review and customize them for optimal results. Remember, your choices here dictate how and where your ads appear, so choose wisely.
Here are the major points in detail:
Search Network Partners: By default, Google’s search partners are included under the Search Network. Stick to this option unless you have compelling data suggesting otherwise. However, if you have a limited budget, you may opt-out, as ‘Google Search’ already drives quality traffic.
Ad Delivery Method: You might be tempted to avoid the ‘Accelerated’ delivery method, fearing an early budget depletion. However, this option can be ideal for businesses operating during specific hours. Standard delivery spreads your budget evenly throughout the day, while Accelerated delivery shows your ad continuously until the daily budget exhausts.
Ad Scheduling: By default, ads run indefinitely. For promotions or campaigns tied to specific periods, set an end date to avoid unnecessary clicks when you forget to pause the campaign.
Ad Rotation: The ‘Rotate evenly’ option displays your ads equally for at least 90 days before optimizing for clicks or conversions. On the other hand, ‘Rotate indefinitely’ keeps your ads running without optimization. Choose wisely based on your goals and the performance of your ad variations.
Location Settings: Default location settings match your ad’s country of origin. While suitable for larger companies with a nationwide reach, local businesses should avoid spending on non-operational areas.
Advanced Location Targeting: Default settings display ads to people searching for your target location, even if they aren’t physically there. Consider selecting ‘People in my targeted location’ for a more focused and relevant audience.
Standard Campaign Features: By default, campaigns use standard features, limiting your access to diverse options. Opt for ‘All Features’ to fully leverage campaign settings.
Keywords: Your search campaign’s success hinges on the choice of keywords. Selecting relevant target keywords and negative keywords ensures you attract valuable traffic to your business.
Here are the major points in detail:
Adding Negative Keywords: Include relevant negative keywords to prevent your budget from being wasted on irrelevant traffic.
Keyword Match Types: Review and confirm that your target keywords have appropriate match types. For instance, use phrase match for specific terms like “dog food” to avoid unwanted clicks for broader queries like “what food dog eats.”
Using Broad Match Keywords Carefully: Be cautious with broad match keywords, as they can trigger your ad for a wide range of search queries. Ensure they align with your ad’s intent.
Check Your Quality Score: Take action on keywords with low Quality Scores by either improving or removing them. Move keywords with high Quality Scores to an independent ad group for better performance.
Add 5-10 Keywords: While you can add more keywords, relevance to your ad’s intent is crucial. Focus on keywords that align with your ad message.
Create Separate Ad Groups for Branded and Non-Branded Keywords: Grouping related terms separately ensures the ad’s intent remains clear.
Bidding & Budget: Your bidding strategy and competitive budget are key factors in achieving campaign objectives and outperforming your competition.
Here are the major points in detail:
Use Appropriate Bidding Strategy: Select the bidding strategy that best aligns with your campaign goals. Options like Target CPA, Target ROAS, Enhanced CPC, and Maximize Conversions offer different approaches to bidding.
Use Bid Adjustments: Micromanage your bidding by adjusting bids for specific topics, locations, times, devices, etc. This allows you to focus on your preferred options. For example, increase bid adjustments for mobile if you target a mobile audience.
Set a Competitive Budget: A competitive budget ensures your ad is triggered more frequently, giving your competitors a run for their money. Additionally, optimize your budget by adding negative keywords and adjusting bids based on device, time, day, and location.
Ads: Compelling ad messaging with proper grammar and punctuation is essential for making a strong impression.
Here are the major points in detail:
Verify Ad’s Landing Page: Ensure your landing page is functional and relevant to your ad messaging and target keywords. Check that the Display URL uses the right keyword combination.
Follow Ad Guidelines: Adhere to Ads’ guidelines to create ad copies that comply with their standards.
Use Keywords in Ad Copy: Including keywords in your ad copy enhances user connection and relevance.
Spell Check Your Ads: Avoid losing potential customers due to poorly written or phrased ads. Double-check for any spelling errors.
Insert a Call-to-Action: Craft a compelling ad with a relevant call-to-action to boost engagement and brand perception.
Tracking: Track and evaluate your campaign’s performance to make informed decisions for the future.
Here are the major points in detail:
Conversion Tracking Tags: Enable the Ad conversion tracking code on your website to monitor your campaign’s success.
Verify Your Remarketing Code and Remarketing List: Ensure the remarketing tag is correctly placed on your website and that the remarketing list is actively collecting visitors. Tracking your list’s evolution since setup provides valuable insights.
Ad Extensions: Enhance your ad’s message with specific ad extensions that add value to your campaign.
Check for the following ad extensions:
Call Extensions: Ensure your call extensions are scheduled during business operational hours for better response rates.
Sitelink Extensions: Add at least four sitelink extensions to improve your ad’s rank and visibility.