Tip 4: Always Be Testing
When you launch your ads, make sure you have at least two ad variations in every Ad Group and let AdWords rotate those ads evenly. Over time, you’ll see which ad performs the best so that you can use that newfound knowledge to create even better ads.
But don’t just test your ads..
You can also test different landing pages. The landing page is the page your prospects “land” on after clicking your ads. Make sure you’re always testing new pages to improve performance even further.
Finally, test all of your ad targeting options. Test time of day, location, devices, and demographics. All of these variables play a critical role in the performance of your campaign.
Tip 5: Optimize for Conversions, Not Clicks
Watching the clicks and impressions pile up can be thrilling if you’re new to Google AdWords. Remember, though, that the goal of online advertising isn’t to get clicks — it’s to get leads and sales.
That’s why in tip No. 2 I recommended setting up conversion tracking. Then once you start to collect conversion data, it’s important to use that data to improve performance.
For example, you can increase bids on the keywords that are driving more conversions. Conversely, you can decrease bids or pause completely the keywords that are not driving conversions.
Tip 6: Leverage Remarketing
Remarketing is an AdWords feature that puts your ads in front of Web users who’ve already visited your site. Why is this valuable? Think about it — if people have already expressed interest in your product or service by visiting your website, then they’re more likely to click on your ads and ultimately make a purchase.
Remarketing gives you a second chance to bring prospects back to your website.
Conclusion
Google AdWords is a great advertising platform for small business owners. Advertising on AdWords isn’t free, but the payoff is more immediate than organic SEO strategies. With patience and attentiveness, you can eventually build quality ad campaigns that expand your reach and boost your bottom line. Just take it one step at a time.
Want more Google AdWords tips? Click here to grab your copy of the Ultimate Google AdWords checklist.
Thanks Phil. Adwords tracking works nicely when you land people back on your site, send them through your eCommerce site and end with a Thank You page (with Adwords tracking code installed that reports back the revenue and items purchased) but what do you recommend for financial institutions that sned leads to a third party loan origination site then the app is “decisioned”, approved apps feed to the core banking system and then to the CRM. How do I report the “approved loan amounts” to upper management? To say adwords “works” I need amount spent on adwords and amount generated in funded loans. Otherwise it’s just “nice that we’re trying it.”