Overview
When done right, PPC brings in twice the traffic that SEO does. But you can't just get it right the first time, launch a campaign, and sit back while the leads pour in.
A successful ad campaign must be set up correctly a well-optimized one.
In this article, we'll cover a host of Google Adwords optimization techniques categorized by one-time, daily, weekly, and monthly efforts.
Common Google Ads Optimizations
Google Adwords optimization is the act of reviewing, analyzing, and modifying your account data to achieve optimal performance.
Because the digital marketing environment changes so frequently, what ensured ideal performance last month may work against optimal performance today.
Routine optimization is the best-practice approach to guarantee improved performance.
While you're optimizing your campaign, you will also learn about the secondary impacts your keywords and settings have.
Initial Ad Optimizations
Ad optimization saves you money in the long term by increasing ad performance and cutting down on current extraneous expenditures in the present.
Each of the following low-cost optimization techniques works to either stretch your budget or increase performance:
- Vanity metrics
- Search strategy refinement
- Exact match keywords
- In-market segmentation
- Impression to Conversion
If you want to better understand the costs of running a Google Ads campaign, go here.
1. Ditch the Vanity Metrics
Cutbacks in PPC spending mean making every dollar (and minute) count. Remove data columns that you don't utilize on a regular basis or don't provide value. Concentrate on metrics that you can genuinely change, such as your click-through rate (CTR).
2. Refine Your Initial Search Strategy
Google updates mean continuously refining your overall search strategy. Most importantly, make sure that you're only targeting keywords with a high degree of purchase intent. For instance, if you're selling an employee scheduling software you'll want to target the keywords, "employee scheduling software" as opposed to "employee scheduling".
3. Use Exact Match Keywords
Adding more precise keywords entails looking for lengthier search phrases to include (long-tail keywords). These have fewer competitors, cheaper bids, and help with crafting highly relevant ad copy.
How to Find Viable Exact Match Keywords
Google Search Console is an excellent free keyword research tool. Use it to identify which keywords bring visitors to your site. Next, include them in your search advertising campaign.
You can also use Google Search Console to discover search phrases that your site ranks for in the search engine results page (SERP) but don't actually generate traffic.
Keyword Length
How long should your exact match keywords be? 2-5 words is the optimal range. One-word keywords are typically either too expensive or too low in conversion rates. Keywords with more than five words are likely to have a low search volume and receive very little traffic.
4. Create In-Market Auidence Segments in Google Analytics
First, link your Google account with Google Analytics. You'll find that Google has already classified your website's visitors based on what they are looking for.
By further analyzing GA, you'll be able to segment your audience.
In-Market Segment Strategy
In-market segments help ensure that higher bids correspond to viewers that are more likely to convert. Once you've determined who these high-intent viewers are, you can increase your bids accordingly (because they're worth it).
5. Add an Impression to Conversion (ITC) Metric
Impression to Conversion ratio (%) = Conversions / Impressions. Creating a custom column for ITC can greatly simplify your optimization efforts.
Why Add ITC?
Some ads with a high CVR will have a low CTR, while others with a high CTR will have a low CVR. What is the best way to prioritize your Google Ads?
ITC allows us to see your overall ad success in one column to determine which ads are doing the best.
How to Create an ITC Column
In your Google Ads account, select "Columns." Next, at the bottom of the screen choose "Custom columns". Simply add the conversions/impressions calculation. Last, add the column to your dashboard and save it.
One-Time Google Ads Optimization Techniques
One-time improvements can have a significant impact on the condition of your account. Our chosen one-time optimization techniques include the following:
- SKAGS
- RLSAs
- Display Ads
- CTA intent
- Search partners
6. Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs)
With SKAGs you can configure your PPC campaigns for complete control. Whenever you have a 1:1 keyword-to-ad ratio, create a group of advertisements with that identical term in the headlines at least once.
If you want to read more about optimizing with SKAGs, check out our post on B2B targeting on Google search ads.
7. Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSAs)
RLSAs are a Google product that allows you to add audience targeting from a remarketing list to your search campaigns. Furthermore, it lets you limit your keyword traffic to searchers who have already visited your site. This provides you with greater leeway in terms of keyword broadness.
8. Display Ads
People at the bottom of the funnel are very close to closing the transaction. Google display advertisements are good at capturing this type of intent.
Some ways you can run a Google Display Ads campaign include:
- In-market list targeting
- Bespoke audience targeting
- Similar-to targeting
- Affinity targeting
If you're interested to learn what the different kinds of Google Ads are and how to use them, go here.
9. Call to Action (CTA) Intent
Each stage of the conversion cycle has a distinct "temperature" of intent. Colder intentions are often matched with colder CTAs. However, the warmer your visitor is, the warmer their conversion intent, and hence the warmer your CTA temperature level.
10. Search Partners
Even if your landing page performs an outstanding job of weeding out false leads, you'll still get some, generally in the form of bots. Deactivate Search Partners with unqualified, irrelevant, or lousy traffic.
Daily Optimization Techniques
Everyday improvements entail plenty of monitoring and revisions. Here we'll share optimization techniques in the following categories:
- Performance monitoring
- Budget trends
- Disapproval alerts
- Bid strategy monitoring
11. Performance Monitoring
Pay special attention to changes and fluctuations. That said, don't be alarmed if an element's performance varies by 10-15% every day.
However, if a keyword's expenditure increases from $10 to $1,000 per day, then you've got a more serious issue.
12. Budget Trends
Reduce or raise the daily budgets allotted to your campaigns if you're pacing too fast or slow.
Pacing too slowly could mean that something is wrong with your offers.
13. Disapproval Alerts
It's not uncommon for 30% of advertising or ad extensions to be rejected. Check your email for disapproval warnings, or use a "disapproved advertising" filter to swiftly identify any concerns.
Remember to verify your extensions, such as site links, because you won't receive notifications if they are denied.
14. Bid Strategy Monitoring
Examine your bids and bidding techniques. If you're using a manual bidding approach or eCPC, be sure your bids aren't sliding too much below the predicted first-page bid.
If you don't want to check manually, set up an automatic rule to raise keywords to the first-page bid.
Weekly Optimization Techniques
Weekly or biweekly optimizations entail additional modifications that are designed to have a bigger impact than daily optimization.
In essence, you're pinching and tucking areas of performance where you perceive room for improvement.
If you look back after a week and notice that your modifications are making an impact, but it would need more time to be definite, then biweekly is the way to go.
Here's what we'll cover for weekly (or biweekly) optimization:
- Negative keywords
- Bid adjustments
- Keyword list updates
15. Negative Keywords
Search terms and keywords can be drastically different. Google expands outside of the keywords you're targeting pulling in searches that could be irrelevant or lack purchase intent. For instance, if you're targeting the keyword, "horse property for sale" you could pull "horse for sale" if you aren't careful (even with exact match keywords!).
Examine the search phrases that are receiving clicks or extremely high impressions to discover if there are any that are irrelevant.
If you find irrelevant clicks you definitely want to add the search term as a negative keyword at either the ad group, campaign, campaign list, or account levels.
If you want to learn more about negative keywords, check out our post on conducting an effective Google Ads lead generation campaign.
16. Bid Adjustments
Advertisers alter bids based on audiences, locations, and devices. These are the areas to target.
Simply adjust your bids and add any necessary negative keywords based on performance in the aforementioned categories.
However, it helps to make these adjustments separately, that way it'll be easier to correlate results to the appropriate adjustment.
17. Keyword List Updates
Just because your competitor's site ranks for a keyword doesn't mean it's bringing in qualified traffic. Positive ROI requires fine-tuning your keyword list.
A search terms report provides conversion statistics derived from the search keywords that prompted your ad.
Monthly Optimization Techniques
If you can't spend time every day or week monitoring the performance of your customers' websites, then monthly optimization may be the best way to go. Any monthly improvements could require additional work or may result in greater potential performance changes that will take longer to analyze.
Here's what we cover for monthly optimization techniques:
- Ad testing
- Geolocation strategy and budget
- Demographic review
- Conversion data evaluation
- Bid adjustment modification
- Monthly campaign evaluation
18. Ad Testing
Test each ad for at least a month to get an accurate picture of its capabilities. Google advertising normally favors the original ads for a short period of time until it has the opportunity to offer updated messaging more frequently.
For your campaign, it is advised that you enable the "Optimize for the best performing ads" setting.
19. Geolocation Strategy and Budget
If you're targeting the United States or a wide collection of nations or cities, you can't expect them to perform consistently. Increase the competitiveness of your advertising in regions where you see results and save money in exchange for a higher return on investment.
20. Demographic Review
With the reduction of cookie tracking, determining performance by demography might be challenging. Navigate to the "Audiences" page after selecting a campaign. You can switch between age, gender, and family income information.
If you find a chance to eliminate a known group that is overspending and providing you too little in return.
21. Conversion Data Evaluation
Examine your conversion data and daypart to determine if there are any optimal periods for displaying ads. There's no need to show ads 24/7 when they only convert a couple of hours out of the day.
Google's time reports provide data breakdowns based on the time of day, day of the week, and other factors.
22. Bid Adjustment Modification
Bid adjustment evaluation is an excellent opportunity to review your bids and see if there is anything extra you can add or subtract.
23. Monthly Campaign Evaluation
Take an honest hard look at your overall campaign performance once a month. Don't be afraid to retire campaigns you don't need or move on from ones that aren't functioning.
Free Google Ads Account Audit.
We've given you a taste of many different techniques and avenues to optimize your Google Adwords campaign.
Want an expert's opinion? Schedule a free account audit today
Optimization Technique Case Studies
Want to read examples of our Google Ads Optimization process? Check out these case studies from Google Ads Projects we worked on.
- Case Study – Google Ads and Bing Ads for B2B Property Tech SaaS Solution
- Case Study – Google Ads and Bing Ads for B2B SaaS for Senior Living
- Case Study – Google Ads for B2B SaaS PR Solution
- Case Study – Google Ads for B2B Web Design Agency
FAQ: Google Adwords Optimization Techniques
How does routine optimization contribute to the success of Google Adwords campaigns, and why is it important to continuously refine strategies?
- Routine optimization involves reviewing, analyzing, and modifying account data to achieve optimal performance.
- It ensures that campaigns stay aligned with changing digital marketing environments and audience behaviors.
- Continuous refinement helps maximize performance, reduce wasteful spending, and adapt to evolving trends and competition.
What are some low-budget optimization techniques mentioned in the article, and how do they help improve ad performance and save money?
- Ditching vanity metrics focuses attention on actionable metrics like click-through rate (CTR).
- Refining search strategy ensures offerings match searcher intent.
- Adding exact match keywords increases relevancy and reduces competition.
- Using in-market segments targets high-intent viewers likely to convert.
- Implementing an Impression to Conversion (ITC) metric simplifies optimization efforts by providing an overall view of ad success.
Can you explain the concept of Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) and how they can be used to enhance PPC campaigns?
- SKAGs involve creating ad groups with a 1:1 keyword-to-ad ratio, allowing for complete control over campaign configuration.
- They improve relevancy and quality score, leading to higher ad performance and lower costs per click (CPC).
- SKAGs enable highly targeted ad messaging tailored to specific search queries, increasing the likelihood of conversions.
What daily optimization techniques are recommended for monitoring and revising Google Adwords campaigns, and why are they necessary for ongoing success?
- Performance monitoring involves closely tracking changes and fluctuations in campaign metrics to identify and address issues promptly.
- Budget trend analysis helps ensure campaigns are pacing appropriately and adjusts daily budgets accordingly.
- Disapproval alerts notify advertisers of any rejected ads or extensions, allowing for quick resolution to maintain campaign effectiveness.
- Bid strategy monitoring ensures bids and bidding techniques are optimized to achieve desired results and maintain competitiveness.
What are some monthly optimization techniques discussed in the article, and how do they contribute to the overall performance of Google Adwords campaigns over time?
- Monthly optimization techniques include ad testing, geolocation strategy and budget adjustments, demographic review, conversion data evaluation, bid adjustment modification, and overall campaign evaluation.
- These techniques provide opportunities to refine targeting, messaging, and bidding strategies based on long-term performance trends, leading to improved campaign effectiveness and ROI.
