For an e-commerce business, marketing is everything. To boost your online reputation and ascend a search engine ranking list you need to put some extra effort. This usually comes hand in hand with an increase in expenses which usually leads to expecting results from something you are paying.
However, take a good look at those results from your Google Ads/AdWords efforts and ask yourself whether you are truly satisfied with them. If the answer is ‘no’ or if you are uncertain, you need to find an efficient way to make those efforts push your e-commerce business towards success. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions on how you can improve your Google Ads strategy.
Start with a realistic ROAS
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) is what will show you the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, that is, whether it was worth the money your e-commerce business invested in it. Naturally, if you don’t invest much of your revenue in marketing, you cannot expect miraculous results but nonetheless, you must have a clear idea if something needs to be changed or improved.
You might be tempted to start slow, just to see how it goes, which is only natural but if you wish to expand your business, you shouldn’t play in kiddie sandbox for long. To join the big players’ league, you need to aim as high as your budget allows you and think in terms of 4x return on ad spend because that level of return is the first to start making financial sense.
Analytics and AdWords should work together
For some, this idea has the status of common sense but for inexperienced e-commerce entrepreneurs, this might be a new thought. The AdWords might seem to work in mysterious ways until you pair it up with Google Analytics that bear data of immense importance, which is another element many don’t know how to leverage.
Be that as it may, by implementing the Analytics reports into AdWords you would have exact information on the amount of revenue each campaign, keyword, and ad generate. These pieces of information are essential for assessing your general performance. If you conclude that certain element demands too much investment and brings little profit, then it is best to react as soon as possible. You may decide to substitute it altogether or to adapt it but that would depend on your findings.
Tweak your ad scheduling
Another essential element to improving your Google ads performance is tending to their schedule. If you are one of those experienced people who have everything under control – well done for you. But, as most people tend to, chances are that you might have disregarded scheduling. So, you need to check your latest statistics and see if the current ad scheduling still makes sense. If it doesn’t, make sure you adapt it.
However, sometimes it is difficult to make sense or control the schedule, the effectiveness of campaigns or anything else for that matter since there are so many details to it. This is why many businesses hire an external team of professionals to manage AdWords campaigns for them. Those experts take part in the creation, planning, and monitoring while pouring in their creativity and combining it with strategic planning to ensure beneficial results. If a bit of external help would be beneficial for your business, you should consider it.
Don’t forget the mobile ads
Considering that a large portion of purchases come from smartphones, it would be unwise to ignore them strategically. We stand witness to people bowing their heads towards their phones on the bus, in the waiting rooms or while taking a stroll in a constant search for information or a product. They want to be able to do their shopping and google for answers when they are on the move which is precisely what smartphones have enabled them.
It might be that you are doing only bid adjustments for mobile devices but if you aren’t, you should consider tailoring individual ads for mobile devices. This strategy demands you to adapt your ad text to smartphones but enables monitoring of the performance more precisely in different ad groups. For instance, you might give up on an ad that receives a small number of clicks in a generally popular ad group.
Not all keywords lead to the same results
Your brand-related keywords might bring high ROAS to the picture but you need to be prepared for the generic keywords to bring you less. In addition to that, you need to leverage keyword matching options in your Google Ads strategy, which is something many forget to do. This is associated with choosing the words you wish to trigger your ads and that can be challenging for a beginner.
Regarding keyword matching options, there are four types – broad match, broad match modifier, phrase match, and exact match. Each type has its benefits so it is important to assess which would be the most suitable one. For instance, the broad match would show your ad to a wide audience because it includes different variations such as misspellings and synonyms. Another useful addition are the negative keywords that prevent your ads from appearing in searches with a particular term which can be important in terms of the accurate portrayal of your offer and reputation.
Final thoughts
The biggest benefit of paid advertising is that it can increase traffic in a relatively short period making it one of the most effective methods for online promotion. However, as always, it is not about the tool but it is about knowing how to use it that makes it effective. The above-mentioned tactics can help you but if you are having trouble managing your Google Ads, it is better to consult with experts to ensure you get your money’s worth. All things considered, Google Ads should be an inseparable part of your marketing efforts.
