Trending
Written by: Ashley Furst
We know you’ve heard it a million times by now: “COVID has dramatically changed the way marketers must do business online.” And while social media and “traditional” digital marketing avenues such as email marketing and website design are certainly important to keep in mind, Google Ads is another avenue you should consider trying out in 2021. COVID has also had an impact on how people are searching for things online, so the way you use Google Ads might (well, really it WILL) have to change as well.
When creating your Google Ads, they are some best practices to keep in mind. Sadly it’s not as simple as creating some compelling text copy to get someone to click! You have to make sure that your ad strikes that oh-so-fine line of being keyword-rich and also readable; that you have a creative landing page built out that the ad directs to; and that you’ve created a bidding strategy so your ads have a chance of making the coveted front page of Google. And that’s just the beginning!
Be sure the text in your ad is optimized for Natural Language Search (NLS). In a nutshell, this involves using text and words in “everyday language,” so basically, how you talk! This is getting more and more popular partly due to the increase in individuals using voice search to search for things online (think “Hey Siri..” or “OK Google…”). Using these long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specific keyword phrases that visitors are more likely to use when they’re closer to a point-of-purchase or when they’re using voice search, will help you in optimizing your Google Ad. Google takes this into account when it prioritizes ads, so your best bet is to combine keywords with high potential for phrase matching with natural language.
It’s also important to make sure that your text for your ad does not repeat keywords (we can say it louder for the people in the back too)! Example of a “bad” ad copy: “Give your team digital marketing analysis tools with our data analytics solution.” It repeats keywords and offers no helpful solution at all, or accurately emphasizes what problem your company could help them solve. A better example would be: “Increase your client’s bottom line by up to 30% with our always evolving data system.” It sounds more natural, doesn’t repeat words, and clearly shows how it can help solve a problem. And, since it’s way easier to talk to your phone than try to type out a long, specific search phrase, natural language search doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon. (Side note: Google Keyword Planner is also a great tool to use when planning your Ad)
Automated Bidding. Love it or hate it, it’s one of the best ways to get to the first page of Google search results. This means that you need a bidding strategy. Surprisingly enough, you’ll set yourself up for more success if your bidding strategy involves automation. This handy graphic from Google Support helps lay the foundation for your bidding strategy.
You might be thinking “Wait, I thought I could just ‘set it and forget it’ like my Crockpot dinner?” So this is kind of the case. You still might want to log in and evaluate the response that your ad is receiving and adjust the text accordingly. This approach has its benefits in that it can help you keep your cost down for the campaign and is an excellent way to get a feel for how Google Ads works. That being said, automated bidding where you start out with a cost-effective maximum spend can also give you the best shot at a well-received ad. In fact, Google offers smart automation for you to use that helps with your bidding.
Design your ads for mobile and desktop users. It might be easy to forget since the majority of us work from a computer, that people do a TON of searching from their phones (70% of all searches are on mobile devices, say what?!). The way a user searches also depends on the device they are using (remember how we talked about NLS above? You don’t really see people talking to their computers to search right?). You want to tailor your ads to the context and device by which you anticipate a user seeing them.
Evoking the “E” word in your ads. You guessed it: EMOTION. We all know it’s well-established and documented that evoking an emotional response in your audience is a MUST to get people to click. Sadly, you don’t have a lot of room to create an emotionally grabbing message in a Google Ad. But, you can still create an impression with the word choice and of course, your call-to-action (CTA). Be sure you are using phrases and words that match your branding. For example, maybe you’re a window cleaning service, so words like “faster,” “cleaner,” “shinier,” would resonate with someone looking for window cleaners. Like with your website, or any social media or email marketing, when you create the text for your CTA, you want to be sure you’re keeping the end-game in mind: what is the desired outcome from your ad? Is it a sign up for a newsletter? Is it a subscription? Is it a phone call? Always keep that in mind when you’re finishing off your Ad copy.
We know, that was a lot to take in and that’s not even the tip of the iceberg! Did you know that here at SocialKNX we can help you create amazing Google Ads to help drive business? Reach out today and let’s get started on making 2021 the year you get found on Google.