1. Choose the right keywords
Google Ads are now known as Responsive Ads, and this means that Google will automatically adjust Ads’ size, appearance, and format to fit available Ad spaces. In the article Google Ads with Strato MarketingRadar you can find more on how to create Ads campaigns, but how to create an effective campaign depends on more factors such as keywords, budget, region and assets.
When you set up your Google Ads campaign, you have the possibility to choose which keywords you want for your Ads to be displayed.
Selecting the right keywords for your campaign has nothing to do with choosing keywords for your SEO strategy. You will have to pay each time someone clicks on your Ads, and if you do not want to waste your money and if you want to maximize the number of conversions, you have to make sure that users clicking on your Ads are truly interested in purchasing your products or services. Customers will search for your products using the keywords that describe your service or product.
For example, if you’re selling cars, and your keyword is “car”, your Ads will be displayed for anyone typing the word “car” in the search bar. However, some users might want to know what new car brands will be launching this year. You are therefore very likely to get a high number of clicks from people that never intended to buy a car, but are interested in the car industry in general. This means you are spending money for visitors without any conversions.
In order to better target your audience, you have to be more specific. For example, you should pick keywords like “buying a car” or “where to buy a car” to make sure you only target potential buyers. The same goes if you are only selling one type of product. Let’s say you only sell BMW cars. Then, the keywords “car” or “where to buy a car” won’t drive to your website the users you are looking for. You should go for keywords like “buying a BMW car” or “where to buy a BMW”.
The keywords list for your Google Ads can always be changed and updated in the Google Ads campaign settings.
When hovering over the keyword you will have the option to see the monthly search volume, position and estimated cost per click. This information will help you define your daily budget, and how much you would like to spend a day.
2. Add negative keywords
Choosing the right keywords is not only about adding the words your customers will most likely use to find you. In the Google Ads setting inside the Strato MarketingRadar you have the option to add negative keywords and brand keywords. When setting up negative keywords, think about it as a list of the keywords that will let you exclude certain search terms from your campaigns, and bring you just the customer who will actually click on the ad and engage with the content.
If you sell brand new cars, you might want to add used cars in your negative keywords list. This will eliminate all customers who look to buy used cars and you will get only clicks and cost for the customers looking for a new car.
The goal of using negative keywords is to make sure your Ads are displayed only to interested customers and that you do not waste your daily budget and clicks.
To add negative keywords in the Strato MarketingRadar Ads campaign, click the Google Ads- Keywords tab, add the keywords separated by comma and save the changes.
3. Add brand keywords
Same as negative keywords, brand keywords can also be added in the Google Ads keywords settings. Branded keywords are phrases associated with your brand name or products you sell. For example, Strato MarketingRadar brand keywords can be: Strato MarketingRadar, Strato MarketingRadar SEO, Strato MarketingRadar app.
Brand keywords are usually discovered in social media searches and that is why it is important you use them across the Ads as well as the social media posts.
Once you add your brand keyword you will also be able to see the search volume and position on the specific brand keyword.
All keywords, general, negative and brand can be changed or removed by clicking on the icon next to it.
4. Set a daily budget
How much should I spend and how many clicks will I get? This is one of the most common questions. Setting up a daily budget in Strato MarketingRadar gives you an estimate of the clicks you might get with a certain budget you set.
The daily budget is set during the campaign setup, and the amount you set will determine your impressions, clicks and conversions.
A small budget will give you less clicks. The more money you invest, the more clicks you get. But keep in mind that the results also depend on your keywords.
Some keywords are more expensive than others. General keywords, used by a lot of other companies will have a higher cost per click. This means that if you have a small budget, it can be spent in just a few clicks and not so many people will have a chance to see the Ad. If you target general keywords such as one from our example - car, the cost will be higher and that means that it is suggested to also increase your daily budget to maximize your chances of being visible.
If you have only chosen expensive keywords, keywords that are popular and used by a lot of companies, and your budget is low, your Ads won’t be displayed as much and your budget will be quickly spent. This means that you won’t get a lot of traffic on your website and therefore, not many conversions. When setting up the budget take in consideration how many clicks you will get and how much you want to spend a day.
Please note that the payment of your Ads campaign is done via prepaid credit.
5. Target region
Defining your target region can be a challenging part depending on the type of business you’re operating. Your operating area in the account setup determines your target region in the Ads. If you operate on a national level, this means that the entire country will be able to see the Ads. But what if you work just in a local area or you do not want the entire country to see the Ads. In this case, defining your target region is what you need to do.
Think how far you would be willing to go to get products or services like yours. If you have a local business, most of your customers probably come from a limited radius. Therefore, you have to choose a realistic target area around your location when you set up your Ads campaign.
There is no point in having your Ads displayed across the whole country. Yes, the number of impressions might go up, but the cost of clicks will be higher and conversions will not happen as you are too far for the customers to actually visit you or make a purchase.
You can set up your target region in the initial campaign setup or in the Ads settings later on. Just click to Google Ads - Campaign - Target region.
6. Add Ads assets
Your Google Ads should also show as much as possible details of your business so customers can easily contact you, and locate you or the product.
This feature of the Ads is called Ads Assets.
Ads Assets show additional information about your business such as phone number, webpage, link to product, and address.
Ads assets help deliver as much information as possible to potential customers and give them more reasons and options to click on. Also, Ad assets typically improve Click Through Rates by several percentage points.
Once your campaign is active and running you can make changes to it and activate the assets.
7. Schedule your Ads
Your Ads assets feature also allows you to schedule your Ads. If you do not want customers to see your Ads outside working hours click on the option Ads scheduling.
By default, the scheduling is disabled, so your Ads will be shown 24/7, and Ad schedules are set based on your account’s time zone.
You can switch on the scheduling at any time to show the Ads within your defined opening/business hours.
You now have everything you need to easily create a targeted Ads campaign that will bring traffic to your website and ensure conversions!