AdWords Tips – Practical AdWords Guide
As a Google AdWords Certified Partner, former Google employee (AdWords Strategist, Trainer & Optimisation Specialist) as well as being Search Scientist’s primary AdWords Consultant, I have compiled a list of the most important, need to know AdWords tips below. Follow these steps to improve your AdWords advertising return on investment and cut wastage. If you have any questions or would like help with your AdWords advertising, comment below, or contact us at info@searchscientist.co.uk.
Follow these steps to AdWords Advertising Success…
1. Keyword Research
Your number one go to tool for keyword research is Google’s Keyword Tool. Use it before adding new keywords. Be sure to be signed in and add the ‘Approximate CPC’ column in order to see how much you’re likely to pay per click for each keyword. Generally, aim for long keywords (e.g. three words or more) that have traffic, are likely to convert and have a reasonable estimated cost per click.
To research search term trends, use Google Trends (formerly Insights for Search).
See what keywords and ads your competitors are using with www.keywordspy.co.uk or www.semrush.com. These tools will help you to advertise on the right keywords at the right time. Always do keyword research before adding keywords to advertise on.
2. Set up Tracking – Conversion Tracking & Analytics
3. Website Optimisation
Optimise your website to improve conversion rate. Small changes can make a big difference. There’s no point spending money on advertising if the chance of that visitor converting is low.
- Review your navigation and checkout process.
- Make it as quick and easy as possible.
- Ask people what they think.
- Run Content Experiments in Google Analytics
- Keep an eye on ‘bounce rates’, ‘time on site’ and ‘conversion rates’ in Google Analytics.
4. Separate Keywords into Tightly Themed Ad Groups
Keywords in each ad group should all generally have at least two words in common within each keyword. Each of those keywords should be completely interchangeable. The keywords and ads within each ad group should be highly relevant, as in the example below.
5. Keyword Match Types
By default, the new keywords you add in AdWords are ‘broad match’. They expand to show your ad when users search for ‘similar’ terms. For example, you might have the broad match keyword, digital camera, but Google expands to show your ad when someone searches for slr camera, or phone camera, or camera reviews.
The other keyword match types allow more control. Find out more about AdWords match types here.
6. Add Negative Keywords
Restrict your ads from showing on irrelevant searches by adding ‘negative keywords’. Block searches that include ‘free’, ‘review’, ‘jobs’ etc from triggering your ad to show.
On your Keywords Tab, scroll down to the bottom and click on ‘Negative Keywords’. You can choose whether you want to block your ad from showing on those terms at the campaign or ad group level.
7. See Search Terms that Triggered your Ads to show
That is, see all the search terms that your keywords expanded to and showed your ads on. With the Keywords Tab selected, choose ‘See Search Terms’.
8. Add Quality Score Column
Google gives keywords a score out of 10 based on relevance and performance, ie. a ‘Quality Score‘. By default, this column is hidden. To show the Quality Score for each of your keywords, when on the Keywords Tab, click on Columns and add the Quality Score attribute.
9. Separate Campaign for Display Network
By default, when you add a new campaign, it’s opted into showing your ads both on the Search Results pages and on the Display Network.
The Display Network is a massive range of websites, from the New York Times to your sister’s blog, that you can place ads on. Unless you want to target your ads to appear on specific Display Network sites (which you’d be best to do in a separate campaign), opt out of the Display Network (in the Campaign Settings, as below).
10. Have 3 Ads Per Ad Group
By default, your ads will rotate and the best performing ad in each ad group will gradually show more often. Try 3 ads in each ad group, each with slightly different messaging. Observe to see which ad performs best and test similar messaging in other ads.
11. Use Keyword Insertion
This formula inserts what the user actually searches for into your ad. Be careful that you’ve restricted your keywords enough to only show your ads on relevant terms. Try it in one of your three ads within an ad group. It tends to improve click through rate.
{KeyWord: _________}
12. Include Calls to Action in your Ads
13. Include Unique Selling Points in your Ads
14. Make Sure Your Prices are Competitive
15. Use Ad Extensions
16. Can’t See Your Ads? Use the Ads Diagnostic Tool
17. See your ads in a different position to that stated in account?
18. Segment your Data
19. Ad Scheduling
20. Geo Targeting
21. Download AdWords Editor
22. Use an AdWords Voucher
23. Still not getting a good AdWords ROI? Get help
- one off AdWords optimisation to get you up to scratch,
- ongoing AdWords Management,
- and AdWords Training (in Northern Ireland).
9 Comments on "AdWords Tips – Practical AdWords Guide"
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Great article. Wish I’d seen this earlier! Will now go through my AdWords account with this page printed out beside me, trying ti improve performance. Wish me luck! Thanks
Cheers for this. Will keep you in mind if still stuck after going through it all.
PS. Now following Search Scientist on Facebook and Pinterest!
Thanks for the comments. If you know anyone who’d find this useful, please share it with them. Thanks, Louise
It is now and again perplexing just to continually be handing out helpful tips that many people might have been selling. And we acknowledge we need the website owner to be grateful to because of that. The screenshots you made, the simple instructions, the useful tips and the relationships you aid to instil, it’s all extraordinary. Thanks for everything!
You’re welcome Shuniex! Glad to be of help – it’s part of the thrill of consultancy
Louise
Hi Louise,
Well written article.
The Google Website Optimizer tool is now defunct.
How do you group your keyword match types? Do you have separate campaigns for each match types, or bundle them all in together, and do you have different bidding strategies for bid types?
Mi Michael,
Hope you’re well. Thanks for the heads up on a mention of Website Optimizer still being in there. I’ve now updated that to Content Experiments in Analytics. I’ll work on a full update of this article when I get a chance. AdWords is always changing.
As for keyword match type bundles, it varies by search traffic, range of relevant search terms, how tight the keyword theme you’re targeting is, competition and word order meaning. One example may be to have exact, phrase match and broad match modifier for all appropriate keywords in each ad group. Then as stats come in that will obviously be refined, expanding and retracting keywords and match types. If your broad match modifier or phrase match keywords for that theme are likely to expand widely, then they may be better placed in separate ad groups to have max control over what search terms lead to your ad appearing. Also beware of the account having too many ad groups if you break out each ad group for separate match types, many likely with little traffic. It can become hard to manage, and not really have enough advantage on balance. It always deserves a bit of thought when planning to advertise new themes.
As for bidding strategies then, do you mean for each keyword match type or the different bidding options (e.g. enhanced, CPA, manual…)?
Hope you find this helpful.
All the best Michael,
Louise