Are you wasting money on Adwords? What digital marketer hasn’t wondered that? Sure, you might see some positive ROI, but what about the waste? Are you getting the best results? Are you making the most of every click, every dollar, every impression?
Even though AdWords is one of the most popularly used ad platforms on the Internet (with approximately 2.5 million users), a lot of businesses waste money on it. And I mean a lot! Believe me. I talk to these business owners, look at their ad spend, and occasionally facepalm in disbelief.
That’s right; there’s no ceiling to your earning potential on Google AdWords, unless you’re wasting money on common mistakes. So, what about you? You can determine the effectiveness of your AdWords strategy by asking nine important questions.
1. Are you tracking your data obsessively?
First, let me talk numbers. Here’s what you need to know: Data is important.
All those graphs, analytics, and tools (both in AdWords and external) have a purpose. They help quantify your efforts, and if you’re not getting a good return on your ad campaigns, they need to be reworked.
Oli Gardner at Unbounce estimates 98% of your paid ads are a waste of money, and it’s hard to disagree. Google AdWords is a large platform, and you need targeted marketing to match your message to the eyes and ears it needs to reach in order to convert qualified leads.
2. Are you using negative keywords?
Keywords are important, but so are negative keywords. Even Google advocates the usage of negative keywords to refine results.
For example, if you sell laptops and want to attract customers, you certainly don’t want to include people seeking free laptops. Using the negative keyword “free” filters out the deadbeats and attracts those looking to become paying customers.
3. Are you using ad groups?
Another useful targeting method is the usage of ad groups. By grouping together your keywords by landing page, you’ll have a much easier time making changes. This is the foundation for an evolving AdWords campaign.
Making changes can be tedious, but grouping gives you a quick overview that makes it much easier. Ad groups can be viewed as folders to hold all your valuable ad files.
4. Are you targeting long-tail keywords?
While it would be nice to be the top result for popular searches, experts estimate long-tail keywords make up 70 percent of all web searches.
You simply can’t afford to target every popular search, but you can create hundreds of long-tail PPC campaigns that will generate more qualified traffic as a whole, even though individual ads appear less useful than the big fish.
5. Are you only using Adwords to research terms?
While AdWords does have some great features, even Google has more sophisticated search tools. Don’t stick to just one research tool.
In the academic world, it takes at least 3-5 reputable sources to form a legitimate opinion and the business world is no different. Tools like SEMRush and social networks can help provide more in-depth PPC keyword targeting strategies.
6. Are you advertising your own brand?
More than anything, AdWords is an ad platform. People understand the difference between organic and sponsored results (which are made very clear in Google’s SERPs).
Make sure you treat AdWords as exactly what it is — an advertising platform for paid ads. It still needs to be supplemented with marketing and promotional efforts, both online and off, to be sustainably successful.
7. Are you testing ad positions?
Don’t just randomly trust that you set everything up right. Test out your ad position by performing a few searches to see where you rank. If you’re not showing up, you may need to raise your bid.
AdWords does include a test and diagnostic tool, which is helpful as well. Don’t be afraid to waste a few dollars advertising to yourself. Every reputable cook tastes their own food.
8. Are you following up?
Don’t just set up a static AdWords campaign and expect great results. It takes several rounds of tweaking and continuous monitoring to stay up on the latest trends in your industry.
What if the terminology changes and you’re advertising UAVs while everyone else is pawing over drones?
Always follow up on your PPC campaigns to track the progress, cut or update non-performing ads, and find new search channels to bring in more traffic and revenue.
9. Are you watching the competition?
Just because you’re doing well now doesn’t mean that’ll always be the case. At one point, Blockbuster was the pinnacle of the video rental industry, but
Keeping your eyes on the competition allows you to see market changes before you’re crushed under them. Had the taxi industry kept an eye on tech, Uber and Lyft wouldn’t have disrupted its bottom line.
Conclusion
Although Adwords works as a great supplement to other off- and online marketing campaigns, blindly throwing money at it isn’t the way to do it.
If you’re not seeing at least the average results as a return on your investment, it may be time to retool your strategy entirely. Ask the tough questions. Demand the best results. Learn all you can. Eventually, you’ll start seeing the kind of ROI you want.
What money-wasting mistakes have you made with Adwords?
