How to Generate More Leads from Google AdWords

Daniela Penkova   •   March 8, 2018

In the brave new world of online marketing, Google AdWords has become one of the most effective tools available. According to ComScore, Google owns 66.7% of the search market share. This means Google AdWords could be a valuable investment for your business, so long as your campaign is organized and managed correctly. To ensure your AdWords campaign isn’t a waste of money and time, here’s a handy guide to developing a successful strategy.

What is Google AdWords?

Google AdWords is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising service in which companies pay to display brief advertising copy, product listings, and video content to web users within the Google Display Network. With the aim of directing search traffic to individual websites, each click can become a potential customer or direct sale, but there are ways to increase the odds and even lower the cost-per-click (CPC) through a high Quality Score.

The five most important components of an effective AdWords campaign are:

  • Account structure
  • Tracked conversions
  • Keywords
  • Ad copy
  • Landing page

Below we’ll show you how to make the most of each component.

Structure Your Account for Success

Well-structured accounts result in campaigns that are easier to manage and optimize, so it’s a good idea to start with a visual roadmap on AdWords Editor or Excel. The structure also has a significant impact on the campaign’s Quality Score, which is largely determined by the click-through-rate (CTR). The more your keywords and ads relate to each other and your business, the more likely a user is to click on your ad during a search. And the higher your Quality Score, the less you pay per click.

Another decision to make in the structuring process is your campaign’s priorities – prioritizing by budget, product/service, or location often yield the best results.

Always Track Conversions

If you don’t track the results of your campaign, you won’t be able to measure the return of your AdWords investment and further optimize its performance. Some of the most popular ways to track conversions include AdWords tracking code, importing Google Analytics goals into AdWords, or using a third-party web analytics tracking platform.

From a PPC perspective, linking AdWords to your Analytics account is especially valuable, as it provides insights into what visitors do on your website after clicking on your ad. Conversely, linking AdWords data to Analytics can illuminate reasons why some visitors are not converting and how you can improve your ad or landing page.

Select the Right Keywords

Researching the most relevant keywords that people use to search for your products or services is crucial to the success of your campaign. You can research keywords on your own, or use a popular tool like Google AdWords Keyword Planner.

When planning your keyword strategy, keep in mind that the most competitive keywords are usually more expensive and require a large budget to be used effectively, and while they might bring a boost in traffic, they tend to result in fewer conversions. Instead of targeting the most popular keywords in your industry, target words and phrases with the highest purchase intent, including “buy,” “get a quote,” “free shipping,” “same day dentist appointment,” “special offer,” and so on.

Additionally, you can achieve a better CTR, a higher Quality Score, and lower CPC by breaking your keywords down into relevant ad groups.

Filter Out Negative Keywords

Sometimes it’s what you don’t say that matters. Profitable AdWords campaigns not only include valuable keywords, but they also exclude related words that lead to irrelevant searches. For example, a criminal lawyer in San Diego looking for new clients would filter out “job” or “salary” from their keyword list, preventing the ads from being displayed to searchers outside their target audience.

One way to identify new negative keywords is to frequently check your search query report and filter out irrelevant words as needed, or check Google’s suggestions at the bottom of the page.

Create Appealing Ads

It should go without saying that your ad text needs to be appealing enough for users to click on it. But it can be tricky to ensure your ad contains keywords from the corresponding ad group?which helps with the relevance and Quality Score?without sounding clunky.

When you write the text for your ads, start with a descriptive headline that does a lot of work with few words. Specifically, the headline needs to:
Show why you are better than your competitors
Point out the benefits for users
Include a call to action

Ad text is a great way to promote your products and services, so be sure to take advantage of all options such as ad extensions to include the location of your store or office, a link to specific pages of your website, and callout extensions to highlight your value add.

Direct to a Relevant Landing Page

The landing page of your AdWords campaign is where conversions happen, so the relevance of that page plays a huge role in calculating your Quality Score. Landing pages should be appealing and engaging, and it’s especially important to have a continuity of information between the page and the ad so there’s no confusion for potential customers.

An ideal PPC landing page will include:

  • A relevant headline containing the keyword phrase
  • A list of benefits for the clients
  • A clear call to action button with contrasting color
  • A simple lead capture form
  • Customer testimonials

Need Help Managing Your AdWords Campaign?

Reader Digital offers management services for Google AdWords campaigns, whether you need an effective optimization of an existing account or an entirely new campaign strategy. Our PPC specialists have experience with managing campaigns for a wide range of industries, including dental, medical, legal, beauty, and more.

Our search engine marketing (SEM) strategy features various methods to ensure an excellent return on investment and the best possible results for our clients. If you have more questions, give us a call to set up a consultation.