20 Best New Google Ads Tricks
Since Google Ads is more competitive than ever before as articulated over at RunRex.com, you need to know some of the tricks and tips that will give you an edge over your competitors. Here are 20 of the best new Googled Ads tricks that should help you do just that.
Optimize your ads for Natural Language Search
Natural Language Search (NLS), which involves expressing search terms in everyday language, is getting more and more popular, which is why the gurus at RunRex.com recommend that your Google Ads should aim to reflect that style. The popularity of NLS is partly because voice search is now accounting for a greater share of overall search traffic, as well as the launch of Google BERT which has given Google a better means of parsing user intent when those users write search terms in natural language. Your best bet is to combine keywords with high potential for phrase match with natural language phrasing.
Turn off Google Partners for instant CTR gains
The Google Partner network typically has got very poor click-through rates compared to Google’s native network. Therefore, disable the partner network to instantly boost your CTR. Just make sure you check that the partner network isn’t converting well before disabling it.
Embrace automated bidding
To get the top slot on Google Ads, you need a bidding strategy. As per RunRex.com, you will put yourself in the best position if that bidding strategy involves some automation. While the manual approach has got its benefits, current trends show a continued increase in total ad spend across industry verticals. This increased spending is likely to lead to more competition in bidding, and for that reason, no company seriously looking at Google advertising can do without an optimized, automated bidding process.
Turn off auto-enabled recommendations
Another Google Ads trick worth mentioning is making sure you turn off auto-enabled recommendations as this will massively reduce wasted spend. Go to All Campaigns > Settings > Account Settings, and make sure Auto Enable recommendations are disabled, otherwise, Google will automatically activate their recommendations such as adding irrelevant keywords to your campaigns.
Tweak your ads for native and mobile
Given that 70% of all web browsing happens on mobile devices, you must have a Google Ads strategy for mobile and native devices. Tailor ads to the time, context, and device by which a user encounters them using IF functions. After you set them, IF functions automatically tailor your ad messaging depending on the device your prospect is using, who they are, and when they are using it.
Change your conversion goals attribution model to position based if relevant
As the subject matter experts over at RunRex.com point out, by default, your conversion goals in Google Ads will use the ‘Last Click’ attribution model. Although this can be beneficial occasionally, position-based attribution typically tells a much better story of how much impact a keyword had in the conversion path.
Evoke emotions in your ads
In digital advertising, evoking an emotional response in your audience is highly effective. However, a Google Ad doesn’t give you a lot of room to let your company’s personality shine through. You can still generate a solid impression of your brand and put them in the right frame of mind for conversion, though, through word choice and with your CTA. When you are planning your CTA, keep your prospect’s ideal outcome in mind. For example, a high-end product analytics service might use the CTA “Subscribe now to take your business to new heights” to evoke the ideal emotional response.
Include a single CTA in your headline
Speaking of CTAs, discussions over at RunRex.com on the same reveal that using a single CTA in your headline is ideal. While this sounds obvious, you will be surprised how many ads don’t mention what they want you to do. If possible, always try to have one headline with a short CTA.
Use negative keywords for your ads
Google won’t show your ads for any search terms that you have set to negative match, which means that making use of negative keywords will help you refine your audience and save money, making sure your ads will be shown to people who will actually convert.
Take a look at your competition every month
Another Google Ads trick is making sure you take a look at your competition every month. Leverage Google’s Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool to check how your ad copy compares to the rest of the competition and make sure your ad is better in every area (headline, descriptions, ad extensions, etc.)
Use all available ad extensions
Speaking of ad extensions, you should also always use all of the available ad extensions. According to the gurus over at RunRex.com, at a minimum, you should utilize Call Outs, Structured Snippets, Locations, Calls, and Sitelinks.
Try a tighter campaign structure
While this is a change you work toward, as it takes a bit of patience and detailed organization to make sure nothing falls through the cracks, an exact match campaign structure is the way to go. The key to an exact match campaign structure is to create tight ad groups with specific ad copy for each one. The payoff comes in better conversions and stronger quality scores.
Check the search term report weekly
As is revealed in discussions on the same over at RunRex.com, this is one Google Ads trick you need to know all about as it has the biggest impact on waste reduction. Check what search terms are wasting spend and add them as a negative keyword.
Segment your ads by product
Another important Googles Ads trick is to segment, which will lead to a tighter campaign structure as already mentioned. A good way to segment your Google campaigns is to segment your ad groups by product. This will give you not only a better chance of reaching your potential customers but converting them as well.
Build a representative landing page
It is no good having well-qualified prospects click through to a poor landing page. The majority of consumers judge a business’s credibility based on how its website looks. Therefore, a well-designed landing page is a crucial component of your Google Ads campaign. Your landing page should use the same keyword and CTA as your ad and create a similar emotional response.
Get granular with your location
As the subject matter experts over at RunRex.com are quick to highlight, many accounts target broad location and never optimize around the data Google provides on locations, which is a huge mistake. You should use the Location report to check what cities or postcodes drive conversions and optimize accordingly.
Use RSAs
Another Google Ads trick is to take advantage of Google’s automatic Ad Copy Testing by implementing Responsive Search Ads (RSAs). Remember, while you are at it, make sure you fill in every available headline and description until your ad hits the ‘Excellent’ score.
Structure your account with tightly themed campaigns and ad groups
From discussions on the same at RunRex.com, you should also structure your account with tightly themed campaigns and ad groups. Make sure your account structure allows your ad copy to be as relevant as possible and that every keyword that isn’t extremely related has its own ad group to get the highest available quality score.
Leverage filters
Another underrated Google Ads trick is the use of filters as they will enable you to find winning and losing keywords. Make sure you set up account-wide filters such as filtering keywords with high clicks and no conversions, or vice versa, to tweak budgets or pause budget burners.
Take advantage of the Auction Insights report
Finally, make sure you are taking full advantage of the Auction Insights report as it will tell you the whole story. This report is a goldmine for checking performance against your competitors especially. You want to check the past 3 months and segment by week to get a good idea of account performance.
As always, if you are looking for more insights on this topic, then look no further than the highly-rated RunRex.com.