3 Pillars of a Successful Google Ads Campaign

Every day, millions of internet users across the globe search for answers: Where can I find a dinner restaurant in my area? How do I fix a flat tire? What is the best accounting platform for my business?

Digital marketers can use Google Ads to catch consumers’ attention while they search, matching personalized brand content to specific search queries. It’s an automation-friendly tactic that takes your audience’s problems directly to your business’ solution.

Is Google Ads Worth It?

Google Ads aren’t a silver bullet to conversions, but when you get it right, they can significantly increase traffic to your website. The good news is that you only pay for the clicks you get. But with money attached, it’s essential to have a game plan before launching the campaign. 

The 3 Pillars of a Successful Google Ads Campaign

If you haven’t run your first campaign yet, don’t worry—our experts at 10x digital have outlined the three core pillars to guide a successful Google Ads campaign and your game plan.

Pillar 1: Pre-Launch Preparation

An effective Google Ads campaign is only as good as your preparation beforehand. Though each campaign may vary based on its intended outcomes, we recommend following this preparation checklist before launch:

• Landing page: a dedicated landing page for your ad campaigns with a specific call-to-action is highly recommended. Funneling ad traffic to your homepage won’t produce the results a dedicated landing page will and your quality scores will suffer.

• Audience research: perform a thorough analysis of your intended audience, outlining their demographics, psychographics, and behaviors. This persona snapshot will help frame the work you do leading up to your campaign and drive the actual message of your search content.

• SEO research: without research, Google Ads is a complete gamble. For example, you may think that your audience is searching for the phrase, “best restaurant in my area,” but with keyword research, you may learn that “restaurants with outdoor seating” has ten times the number of inquiries. If your restaurant has an outdoor patio, you’d be better off using the latter string of keywords.

• Content development: it may seem like writing Google Ad copy is easy—fewer words, less work, right? Wrong! Every word matters when you only have a few characters to convey your message. Set aside time to develop various copy options before landing on the perfect message that connects with your audience, addresses your core keywords, and conveys your brand solution.

• Budget planning: with Google Ads, you only pay for actual clicks. This system works in your favor, but that doesn’t mean you should walk in blindly. Set a specific campaign budget and decide your target number of clicks for that budget. This metric is called your “cost per click” or “cost per conversion” and can be a useful measure of your campaign’s success.

• Testing: don’t be afraid to run initial testing on your message before sending it to the masses! If you’ve got a few ideas running around, why not run an A/B test of both? Google Ads campaigns are never “one and done.” Be open to trying new things!

Pillar 2: Launch Strategy

When launching your campaign, make sure you have a reactive strategy for whatever happens. Monitor your conversions from these clicks, and create automated content marketing follow-ups for highly-engaged viewers. Run regular “heat map” tests to gather data on where users go on your website once they’ve clicked the search result.

What matters most is that you don’t press  “launch” and walk away. Google Ads will benefit you and your marketing team more if you cultivate leads and gather data throughout the campaign.

Pillar 3: Post-Launch Optimization

Now that your campaign is launched, your job still isn’t done. Continuous monitoring will give you the best results. However, it’s important to let the data speak for itself and give your campaigns at least 30 days (and we usually recommend 90 days!) before making major changes. If you are constantly tweaking bid strategies, budget and ad copy – you won’t have consistent data. It’s good to perform the following after you have data to interpret: 

• Benchmark analysis: measure the gap between your goals and actual results. Where did you succeed? Where did you fall short? What can you learn from this analysis?

• Pivot strategy: create a document with insights on how the next campaign could be more successful. Outline ways you can pivot your campaign to meet new or better goals.

• Re-launch: go for it again! Thanks to the nature of Google Ads “set your own budget” approach, there’s no limit to the number of campaigns you can run. However, keep in mind constantly pausing/unpausing/relaunching campaigns can affect your performance and the algorithm. It’s best to make small changes over time.

Google Ads: An Essential Tool in Your Marketing Mix

If you’re still unsure how to run a Google Ads campaign or want the guidance of experts as you run initial tests, our team of experts at 10x digital is here to help. Contact us today, and we’ll help plan an effective Google Ads strategy that reaches your ideal consumer and drives results.