Google Ads works by surfacing your ad when users search for certain keywords. Your ads might appear along with the organic search results or they can appear on third-party sites owned by Google or Google partners. Ad placement is determined by your bid (the maximum amount you’ll pay per click, although the actual cost per click is often less) and your ad’s quality score (calculated based on factors like the expected click through rate and relevance).
Stay current on program updates
We live in a fast-paced world, and Google Ads is no exception to that. Google updates its program regularly to stay current and innovative, and you need to stay informed about these updates so that you can adjust your strategy appropriately. For example, back when expanded text ads rolled out, it was essential for SEM marketers to know they could now say more than ever in PPC ads. This allowed them to not only say more, but take advantage of more search engine results page (SERP) real estate… pushing competitors even further down than before.
Get to know the bidding process
Your bid (aka the maximum amount you’re willing to spend for a keyword click) is a key factor in determining your Ad Rank, which is how Google determines which ads will appear where and the order in which they’ll appear. As a result, a lot rides on this number. With that in mind, there’s a lot of strategy that can go into formulating your bid to maximize value without breaking bank. Know the bidding process, know it well, and use that knowledge to develop an appropriate bid based on factors like campaign goals, priority, competition, etc.
Understand what factors into your Quality Score
Your Quality Score is another key factor in determining your Ad Rank, so, similar to the bidding process, it’s important to know how Google calculates this score. The main three factors that Google analyzes to calculate this score are ad relevance to target keywords, expected click through rate and the landing page experience. Upon calculating a score, Google will also provide a diagnosis. Reviewing this diagnosis can help you make improvements and boost the results of your efforts.
Monitor your metrics
Google Ads provides reporting on campaign performance, and you’d be remiss not to use this insight to your advantage in improving future campaigns. You can also look at Ads Reporting in conjunction with Google Analytics to get a more complete picture of what you’re doing well and what you can do to improve in areas like bidding and messaging. As with any reporting endeavor, it’s important to define which metrics will be important to you, analyze those metrics based on context and determine how you can use the insight derived from those metrics to spur action.