Only he who does nothing does not make mistakes. I completely agree with this thesis. However, I also know that there are mistakes that can be very costly, especially for the owner of an online store or other business making money, thanks to customers acquired from the search engine. That’s why I invite you – learn about the most common mistakes made in Google Ads campaigns. You will gain knowledge of how to avoid them, and more importantly, you will use the full potential of this advertising channel, so you will earn faster and more.
The most common mistakes in Google Ads campaigns
Imagine being able to avoid the mistakes most often made by people who run their Google Ads campaigns on their own. Being able to learn from others’ mistakes is a pure time and money saver.
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Lack of strategy and improvisation
A Google Ads campaign, if it is to earn well, requires proper preparation, which cannot be limited to analyzing the technical aspects of ad setup. It is primarily about:
- Defining the purpose of the campaign;
- Analysis of competitor performance;
- Identify customer needs and expectations;
- Verification of the strengths of the offer and ways to emphasize them;
- Preparation of an action plan.
Lack of patience
A Google Ads campaign produces results practically immediately, because as soon as it is launched, it is visible to search engine and ad network users. However, you must remember that a good quality campaign, requires attention, analysis of statistics and results, regular modifications, testing new solutions. And all this takes time.
Poorly chosen keywords
Selecting them for Google Ads campaigns should be based on facts and figures, so the Keyword Planner is the foundation you need to know. Other tools like Senuto or SemStorm are also useful. They will tell you how many potential customers are looking for your products or services and what impressions your advertisement is worth showing. To avoid mistakes when choosing key phrases, read this blog article.
Sign up and try Semstorm!
No exclusionary keywords
They are very important because they allow you to attract only the kind of traffic to your site that gives you the highest possible probability of making a sale or acquiring a valuable lead. Example? It is worth excluding words with the term “free”, “for free”, “free”. Unless you are giving something away for free. For more on this topic and a detailed tutorial, see the post on word exclusion in Google Ads.
Limiting yourself to a single keyword match
There are several types of matches to choose from, and it is worth testing all of them to find the most effective one for you.
Source: Google Support
No use of automatic rate-setting strategies
Of course, the campaign can be run and optimized manually. However, it’s worth knowing and remembering that Google provides the ability to intelligently – automatically set click-through rates. With them, you clearly specify the goal of the campaign and have a dramatically simplified way to achieve it. You can choose, among other things. Optimize rates to maximize clicks, maximize conversions within budget to maximize ROAS or to increase conversion value.
Not using ad extensions
These are the elements that provide users with more information about your products and company, and thus more strongly attract attention and attract clicks from customers more strongly interested in just your offer. Ad extensions translate into more and higher-value traffic to the site, and also allow customers to take quicker actions like calling your company.
Targeting ads to all locations and users
This is a considerable waste of budget and advertising potential. It’s worth adjusting the reach of advertising according to the actual reach of the business. While in the case of online stores, mail order or remotely provided services, advertising broadcast across the country is a mainstay. It’s in the case of local businesses, such as a barber shop or restaurant, that it’s a good idea to narrow the targeting of ads to the city or neighborhood from which customers realistically reach you. This way you will save budget and get valuable, because converting ad clicks.
Poor or misaligned landing page
It is a big mistake to drive traffic from ads to a page that does not directly relate to the content used in the ad. It is not only customers who pay attention to the landing page, but also the Google Ads system. That’s why it’s so important that it’s tailored to the content of the ads and accurately answers the questions posed by search engine users. What’s more, it’s the use of the right solutions – such as CTAs or appropriate exposure of contact information to the company that will help you achieve your campaign’s business goal.
Summary
The above mistakes do not at all exhaust the list of places in the Google Ads system where mistakes can be made. If you want to run a campaign yourself give yourself time to learn all the ins and outs of this system and test the solutions that will be most profitable for your business. There is another solution – for quick and financially and business-profitable advertising: using a Google Ads specialist. If you are interested in the latter possibility – feel free to contact me!
