Are Your Google Ads Working?
A strategy is absolutely necessary to get the results that you want from Google Ads. This marketing channel won’t be successful with a “set it and forget it” type of approach. So for many local businesses, it’s easy to create an account, start a campaign, blow through your budget, give up, and claim that Google Ads doesn’t work. While that’s the easier decision to make, you could be missing out on a lot of opportunities to reach the right prospects online. Let’s delve deeper into how to best use Google Ads. I’m going to reveal the main reasons why people like yourself stray away from ads and then give you ways to rethink for a better strategy.
5 Arguments Against Using Google Ads & How to Rethink Your Approach
1. My ads are too expensive.
Have you decided to give up on Google ads because you were spending too much money? Well, no matter what channel you use, money will need to be allocated to your marketing activities. You certainly don’t want to waste time on underperforming campaigns, however, here’s why your ads could be too expensive.
- Learning Curve. It’s impossible to run Google Ads and then cross your fingers in hopes that they’ll perform the way you want them too. The #1 reason that people are wasting money on Google Ads is they don’t know how it works. Unfortunately, it isn’t an easy-to-use platform that you can turn on and forget about. There’s a science behind the success. If you’re willing to take on the challenge, spend time researching and understanding account structure, match types, keywords, bidding, and strategies.
- Broad Match Types. If your keywords and match types are too broad, you could be attracting the wrong prospects. Broader match types are likely to attract a much larger audience. While it sounds nice, you’ll be wasting money on unqualified clicks. Although you shouldn’t stop using broad match keywords, you should set up negative keywords so that you’re blocking out irrelevant searches and exact keywords so that you’re getting more qualified clicks.
- Budget and Bidding. Your budget and bidding should be set at a realistic price point so that you’re not throwing away money. Allocate a certain amount to each campaign and set a daily budget accordingly. To have the most control over your account, you can bid manually instead of automatically.
- High Spend. Without tracking your spend, it could get completely out of control. Whether your keywords are triggering unqualified clicks or you’re using automated bidding, you need to be checking your ad spend regularly to regulate any common mistakes like those.
2. It’s too hard to compete with big companies.
Competing with large companies could be a reason you are excessively spending on Google Ads. However, with the right parameters set up, you might not have to compete. Local businesses should be targeting local prospects anyways. With the proper framework, you won’t have to compete with irrelevant businesses.
3. Our SEO is great so we don’t need PPC.
SEO and PPC actually make great teammates. Combining these two strategies is a great way to increase your online visibility. For example, if a homeowner searches for a service and see your search ad along with your website appear on the same page of their Google results, you’ll be able to create a sense of authority around that keyword. Don’t miss out on combining your SEO and PPC strategies for more powerful results.
4. My Google Ads traffic doesn’t convert.
While there might not be a simple fix to this problem, there are certainly many factors that affect conversions.
- Account Structure. Often times Google Ads users aren’t seeing conversions because their account is unorganized. You may not realize this but the way your account is structured correlates directly to achieving results with paid search. Your account structure allows you to control how you want your ads to be triggered and when and where you want them to appear.
- Relevant Ad Copy and Landing Page. You’ll have the highest chance of converting traffic when you write persuasive ad copy that asks and answers a researchers question. Once prospects are attracted to your copy, they’ll be led to a landing page that needs to be just as enticing. The information on your landing page should match a prospects’ intent.
- Remarketing. If you’re not remarketing, you’re missing out on the opportunity to show your ad to someone who has checked out your business before. It doesn’t hurt to remind a prospect about your brand and the services that you offer. They will most likely convert after a reminder or two.
5. I don’t have time to manage it.
Managing a Google Ads account is a time commitment. If you’re not dedicating the proper amount of time to evaluate, track, and tweak your campaign, you won’t find success. It’s not a set it and forget it type of marketing channel. However, Google Ads does work when you’re putting the effort into it. If you don’t have the time, the Surefire Local Marketing Platform is a great way to start saving on time, productivity, and ROI.
Rethink Your Marketing Strategy
Google Ads are in fact a great way to reach qualified prospects. With the right strategy, Google Ads can deliver a strong ROI, while helping you grow your business’ revenue. Studies show that when you combine multiple marketing campaigns, they’ll enhance each other and you’ll see the greatest return.
The Surefire Local Marketing Platform is the technology you need to achieve your goals. The platform was designed so that small businesses can have their entire online presence in one place. If you’re running Google Ads, you can connect your account to the platform and access and easier dashboard that will indicate if your campaigns are successful or not.
