Tips from bootcamp: 5 tips to nail your Google ads

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Do you know what the terms SEO, keywords, bid strategy and conversion rates mean and why they matter for your small business? Marketing in the digital age is nothing short of complex. Not sure where to start? No fear—Startup Alleghenies is here to help. Be on the lookout for expert articles that will feature key takeaways from the 90–120-minute Bootcamp sessions. Check out Startup Alleghenies for the full videos.

Crafting the right message is key in creating the copy of your ad.

Knowing how and when to move to a paid ad strategy can be hard. As with any good campaign, there are some basic principles to follow to drive success.

Identify your goal

You can gauge what information to include to reach the desired result by first identifying your goal. Here are 4 examples of goals you could focus on in your ad:

• Leads- get leads and other conversions by encouraging customers to act
• Sales- drive sales online, in-app, by phone or in store
• Website traffic- get the right people to visit your website
• Brand awareness- reach a broad audience and build awareness

Break apart your branded and unbranded terms

Branded terms are those keywords that are specific to your individual business. Unbranded terms are keywords you can buy, but they are not tied directly to your business. You don’t want branded and unbranded terms in the same ad group. Here’s why:

• Branded terms are going to cost much less than unbranded terms
• When blended, you can’t make strategic decisions about your paid efforts

Review your ad score and fix suggestions

Crafting the right message is key in creating the copy of your ad. Google Ads gives you an ad score and recommendations for improvement. A good or great score is the perfect starting point for your campaign. Each ad can have 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Using different combinations gives an opportunity to gauge what phrasing resonates with your audience. Here are 5 suggestions on how to improve your ads:

• Add more headlines
• Include purchased keywords in your headlines and descriptions and make sure they are also on the homepage
• Make your headlines more unique
• Make your descriptions more unique
• Every month, eliminate the bottom 4 performing headlines and replace them with new headlines

Always have a CTA and extensions

You always want to engage your audience to complete the next desired action. 

• Always include a call-to-action (or callout) 
• Have 4 good CTAs to use with your ads
• Consider having 3-4 site link extensions per ad that will increase the opportunity for someone to click through to your site

Start small, build expertise and mastery over a core group of keywords

Your paid search and paid ad campaigns must be actively managed. This can be daunting if you are a small business. Potts had this advice:

• “Start small, build expertise and mastery over a core group of keywords—some brand keywords and top keywords for an area of your business—then move on to another area.” 

Interested in learning more? Check out Startup Alleghenies for the full video.

Startup Alleghenies helps startup and emerging small businesses succeed by providing free coaching to entrepreneurs in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon and Somerset counties. To access personal, one-on-one support from a coach in your county, including guidance, resources, tools and networking opportunities, sign up at startupalleghenies.com.