Google Ads remain one of the most powerful and predictable forms of digital marketing available to businesses in 2024 (and, by all accounts, Google Ads will likely remain one of the most powerful and predictable marketing techniques for years to come). Chances are, you fall into one of three “camps” when it comes to Google Ads:

1.) You’ve never tried it – It seems too expensive and you’re not certain you would see benefits from the money spent. Or, you’ve never tried it because the platform seems confusing and daunting (take it from us – Google Ads specialists – this is a very valid feeling)!

2.) You tried it, and it didn’t work well – Maybe you set up the ads yourself, or maybe an agency managed them for you. In either case, you didn’t see a return on your investment, and you’re not sure why when it seems like they work for other companies.

3.) You’ve tried it, and it’s making big, positive impacts on your business – Okay – if you fall into this category, you’re probably not reading this post. But, since you probably fall into one of the first two camps, take heart that this category exists, and it’s exactly what we help our clients achieve.

What keeps all businesses who advertise on Google from falling into the third category? Let’s look at some of the most common culprits below.

1.) Undefined or Poorly Defined Goals

The first step in a well-run PPC campaign is defining your overall goals. What are you looking to get out of the ads? Boosting web traffic – generating sales – generating leads – generating awareness for a new service or product? Each of these goals (and the many other goals you may have) result in running your campaigns differently. All of the components of your ads – the ad copy, the ad designs and placements, the bidding strategies, and more – depend on your ultimate goals. If we can identify the big goal, and define it in a measurable context, we’re far more likely to reach the goals.

2.) Lacking Keyword Research

Keywords are the foundation of Google Ads. If your ads aren’t showing up for relevant search queries, it’s likely due to inadequate keyword research. It’s essential to take the time to identify the keywords your target audience is using when searching for products or services similar to yours. To do this, there are a variety of tools you can use to help you identify relevant keywords, their volume, and competition levels. Google’s Keyword Planner is an excellent and free starting point. For our clients, we also use a variety of paid tools like SEMrush, SpyFu, and WordStream.

3.) Landing Page Issues

A landing page is the website page that a visitor “lands on” when they click on your ad. Of course, we’re hoping the visitor will take a certain action once they’re on your website – like filling out a contact form, purchasing a product, or signing up for your email newsletter. An excellent ad can help ensure the visitor is intrigued, and lands on the web page, but it’s equally important that your landing page is clear, organized, and compelling. Landing pages need to be optimized for speed, mobile responsiveness, and have clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons to encourage visitors to take the desired action. Without these components, your landing page may hinder your conversion rates. They are so essential to ad performance, that we include landing page evaluation and recommendations as part of our end-to-end approach to paid ads management.

4.) Less-Than Stellar Ad Copy

Your ad copy plays a significant role in attracting clicks and driving conversions. If your ad copy fails to resonate with your target audience or doesn’t clearly communicate the value proposition of your offering, users are less likely to engage with your ads. That’s why your ad copy need to be tailored to address the pain points and desires of your target audience while highlighting what sets your product or service apart from the competition. Writing Ad copy for Google Ads is part creative, and part strategy. The varying portions of Google ads each have different character limits, so excellent ad copy factors in keyword research and industry-best practice calls to action, while also meeting character limitations.

5.) Budget Mismanagement

Effective budget management is crucial for the success of your Google Ads campaigns. Overspending on underperforming keywords or ad placements can drain your budget without delivering meaningful results, while failing to allocate enough budget to ads with potential based on relevant keyword research can also be detrimental. Regularly monitoring your campaign performance and adjusting your budget allocation based on the performance of individual keywords, ad groups, and campaigns is the best approach. It’s helpful to experiment with the different available bidding strategies in order to maximze your ROAS (return on ad spend).

6.) Failing to Test & Optimize

A set-it-and-forget-it approach rarely yields optimal results in Google Ads. Continuous testing and optimization are essential for improving campaign performance over time. We recommend experimenting with different ad creatives, targeting options, and bidding strategies to identify what resonates best with your audience. It’s also important to monitor key performance metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and cost per acquisition (CPA), and make data-driven adjustments accordingly.

7.) Ignoring Quality Score

Google assigns a Quality Score to each keyword in your campaign, which is based on factors such as ad relevance, landing page experience, and expected click-through rate. Ignoring an ad’s Quality Score can result in higher costs and lower ad positions (meaning your ad shows up lower down the SERP – search engine results page). You can focus on improving Quality Score by optimizing ad relevance, refining keyword targeting, and improving landing page experiences to lower your overall advertising costs and improve ad performance.

8.) Lacking CRM or Lead Follow Up Procedures

Okay, we’re going to be really honest here (and we hope that’s exactly what you expect from us!): well-performing ads can be perceived as low performing if a company doesn’t have the correct processes and procedures in place to manage the results they will see from their ads. If you’re running Google Ads, we always recommend having a CRM (customer relationship management) or OM (order management) system in place to track your inquiries or product orders, and be sure you’re following up or processing them on in a timely manner. You don’t need a costly system – even a well-organized Google Sheet or Asana project template will work – you just need something to help you keep all of your leads/orders and follow-up systems in one place. As part of our end-to-end paid ads management, we include CRM/pipeline consulting in our ads management process, to ensure your team is ready and able to manage the positive results you’ll see from your ads.

Evernorth Marketing is a boutique digital marketing studio specialzing in paid ads management, SEO and Content Marketing Roadmaps. If you’re looking for help with managing your Google Ads? Reach out to us today!