Learn how to maximise your money and get more conversions

Google Ads are a strong way to bring traffic to your site, but they only work well when you know how to manage them. Have you found that you’re getting very few clicks or sales, despite having a Google Ads account? Here are our top five reasons your Google Ads aren’t working, and some helpful tips on how to get them polished.

Your keywords are too broad

Think about the keywords you’ve chosen. Are they general keywords that could have some overlap with other industries? You want to avoid using keywords that can often attract customers from other target markets. By using more refined or niche keywords, it will be easier to find genuine customers who are looking for a business like yours.

For example:

You are a small business owner who sells customisable dog leashes and collars.

Don’t use ‘Dog leashes’. Instead, try ‘Custom dog leashes’.

Small changes like this filter out shoppers who are looking for off-the-rack stock and bring you people specifically looking for your product.

You’re not using the right keywords

You also need to make sure your target market is regularly searching for your keywords. Otherwise, your Google Ads can cost you money with zero ROI.

Research keywords

Google’s Keyword Planner or SEMrush are both great platforms for keyword research. Keyword Planner is free – start by inputting your current keywords and taking note of their traffic or click rate. Then begin exploring the platforms’ related or suggested keywords. Find the ones that best suit your brand while also offering high click rates. These are your magic keywords – implement these into your Google Ads campaign.

Your ads don’t have enough information

You need to ensure you’re getting your message across as efficiently and effectively as possible. Sit down and have a brainstorm about what your target market needs to know before clicking through to your website. The services you offer, like fast delivery or 24/7 support? Your ‘unique selling propositions’ or ‘USPs’? Once you’ve got these sorted, pop them into a list and make sure to include as many as possible in your copy.

Incorporate your keywords alongside a call to action. Hook readers by having their search keywords in the copy then push them to click through by using words like:

– Shop online now

– Sign up today

– Learn more

If possible, include a value proposition for your target market – like ‘Free shipping over $100’.

Sweat the small stuff

In your 90-word description, aim to give approximately 10 words to each of the following: USP, keywords and CTA, and value proposition. Of course, you also have your headline to play with – here you should be prioritising what is most important to your customers.

Don’t forget about seasonal content, too: think Black Friday, Christmas, New Year and end of financial year sales. These allow you to target shoppers looking for the best deals.

Your ads don’t have the right tone

A large part of writing Google Ads copy comes from knowing your target market combined with research on the latest trends. Tone and grammar are vital ingredients in your copy concoction. When your target market is choosing between potential businesses, you need to be perfect. Web users are unforgiving and will be quick to leave your ad behind if it puts a foot wrong, or is just kind of…blah.

Explore the community of your users

It’s important to know your audience and write for the kind of people they are – this is the most effective way to ensure your tone is appropriate.

If your brand has user profiles or buyer personas, this is a great place to start. Think about who they are, how their community interacts, and how they like to shop. Research here is also important – look into online groups or forums where your target market engages to explore the language they use, what entices them and brands they currently like.

Combine your findings and write for them, using on-trend words and prioritising keywords you know they’ll be searching for.

You don’t monitor your Ads often enough

Lack of monitoring is by far the most common cause of unsuccessful ads. The landscape of the digital world is changing daily, so make sure you are switching things up and keeping on top of trends. You can’t simply set up an account and leave it to run.

When starting a fresh Google Ads campaign, let it run for around two weeks to gather enough data. Then choose your best performing ads and push those harder. The next steps are where the real discipline comes in.

Check more often than not

For a campaign with five or fewer ads, you should be checking three times a week and altering keywords and phrases according to what Google’s data is telling you about their performance. For larger campaigns, check daily.

Great results can be yours

While this might seem like a lot of work at first, once you get into the groove it can happen like clockwork. Remember to use keywords relevant to your audience and make them niche to cut out market overlaps. Adjust the tone for your user profiles, place the right amount of enticing information into your headline and description, and finally, keep on top of it. These small changes, implemented consistently, are the fastest way to get those extra bangs from your social-ad buck.