How to keep Google Ads cheap but still effective?
1941 – Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov first used the word “robotics” to describe the technology of robots and predicted the rise of a powerful robot industry.
Google Ads uses a complex set of algorithms and machine learning techniques to manage and optimize ad campaigns. However, these algorithms are not open-source and are proprietary to Google. As a result, the online businesses face the implicit display of the Machine learning techniques. And that gives a wide range of improvements.
While Google does not make the source code for these algorithms publicly available, it does provide advertisers with access to various machine learning tools and features within the Google Ads platform, such as automated bidding, smart campaigns, and audience targeting. Many in one: one platform with many tools. The grade of performance costs a lot.
There are just a few straightforward strategies that can help you keep your Google Ads campaigns both cheap and still effective. CPC (Cost Per Click) traffic generated by Google Ads and organic traffic are two different types of traffic sources, but they can be used together in a complementary way to achieve specific goals. CPC traffic refers to traffic that comes from paid advertising campaigns. When you run a Google Ads campaign, you pay each time a user clicks on your ad or visits your website or makes a purchase (that could be considered as ‘conversion’. CPC traffic can be an effective way to get traffic quickly, especially if you are targeting high-intent keywords or a specific audience.
While Google Ads can be highly effective, there are potential disadvantages to consider.
While Google Ads can be highly effective, there are potential disadvantages to consider. It’s important to carefully plan your budget, resources, and competition before deciding whether to invest into Google Ads.
Additionally, ongoing monitoring and optimization are necessary to ensure that your campaigns are effective and generating a positive ROI. The grade of this positiveness could be quite different if the best practice is not implemented.
I. Use properly targeted keywords: Make sure that the keywords you’re targeting in your ads are highly relevant to your business, product, or service. This will help you attract potential customers who are more likely to convert.
You might want to use Google Keyword Planner to generate new semantic ideas!
Google’s article about keyword targeting
Why do we need to generate good targeted keywords for Google Ads?
Generating targeted keywords is essential for the success of your Google Ads campaigns. Here are some strategies for generating effective keywords:
• Brainstorm relevant keywords: Start by brainstorming a list of relevant keywords related to your business, product, or service. Use a thesaurus or keyword research tools to expand the list.
• Use keyword research tools: Utilize keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to identify keywords that are relevant, have high search volume, and low competition.
• Analyze competitors’ keywords: Analyze your competitors’ websites and Google Ads campaigns to identify keywords that they are targeting. This can help you find new keyword ideas and identify gaps in your own targeting.
Why do we need to generate good targeted keywords for Google Ads?
Use long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are phrases that are more specific and have a lower search volume but higher intent to purchase. Consider incorporating long-tail keywords into your campaign to attract more qualified leads. Long-tail keywords are specific keyword phrases that are typically longer and more detailed than traditional, broader keywords. They are usually more specific to a particular product or service and are often used by people who are further along in the purchasing process. For example, instead of using a broad keyword like “shoes,” a long-tail keyword would be “women’s black leather boots with high heels.” Long-tail keywords can help to attract more qualified leads, as people searching for these terms are often closer to making a purchase.
• Consider negative keywords: Negative keywords are terms that you don’t want your ads to appear for. This helps you to avoid irrelevant clicks and save on your advertising budget. Use tools like Google Ads’ search terms report to identify irrelevant search terms and add them as negative keywords.
The best negative keywords in Google Ads are those that prevent your ads from appearing for irrelevant or low-intent searches, which can help you save money and improve your campaign’s performance. Here are some examples of negative keywords that you might consider using:
Free – If your product or service is not free, you may want to add “free” as a negative keyword to avoid attracting clicks from people looking for free alternatives.
Here are the steps to set up audience targeting in Google Ads:
Cheap – If you don’t want to attract people looking for the cheapest options, you may want to add “cheap” as a negative keyword.
Jobs – If you don’t offer job listings, you may want to add “jobs” as a negative keyword to avoid clicks from job seekers who could surf to your Website just for that.
Reviews – If you don’t want to attract clicks from people who are looking for reviews of your product or service, you may want to add “reviews” as a negative keyword.
Used – If you only sell new products, you may want to add “used” as a negative keyword to avoid clicks from people looking for used items.
Remember to regularly review your search terms report to identify new negative keywords to add to your campaign. By using negative keywords effectively, you can help ensure that your ads are shown to the right audience and improve your campaign’s performance.
Use audience targeting: Consider targeting keywords based on your desired audience. For example, if you are targeting a local audience, consider including location-based keywords in your campaign.
Audience targeting is an essential part of any Google Ads campaign, as it helps you reach your desired audience more effectively. Here are the steps to set up audience targeting in Google Ads:
Identify your target audience: Before setting up audience targeting, you need to determine who your target audience is. Consider factors such as demographics, interests, behaviors, and buying habits of your ideal customers.
Choose an audience targeting method: Google Ads offers several targeting methods, including demographic targeting, location targeting, device targeting, audience targeting, and keyword targeting. Select ONLY the appropriate targeting method that aligns with your marketing objectives and audience preferences. Try to avoid unnecessary.
Create and test a new audience: If you choose audience targeting, create a new audience in Google Ads. You can either create a custom audience by importing your customer list or create a lookalike audience based on your existing customer data.
Set your targeting criteria: Once you have created your audience, select the targeting criteria, such as demographics, interests, behaviors, and location, that you want to apply to your audience.
Apply audience targeting to your campaigns: Apply the audience targeting to your campaigns by selecting the audience option and choosing the audience you want to target.
Monitor and optimize your campaigns: Keep an eye on your campaign performance regularly and make necessary changes to improve your targeting strategy. Adjust your targeting criteria as needed to maximize the impact of your campaigns.
By following these steps, you can set up effective audience targeting in your Google Ads campaigns and reach your desired audience more efficiently.
II. Verify the Google Merchant Center feed and product list for any eventual errors. The errors in the Google Merchant Center can mean that the products in question would no longer participate in the Google Ads advertising campaigns.
Errors in the Google Merchant Center can significantly impact the effectiveness of Google Ads campaigns in several independent or combined ways. Errors in the Google Merchant Center may affect the total effectiveness of Google Ads and even stop the business performance:
Limited visibility: If there are errors in your product feed, Google may disapprove your products, which means your products will not be shown in search results. This limits your visibility, and potential customers may not be able to find your products.
Lower quality score: Google Ads considers the quality of your product feed when determining the quality score of your ads. If your product feed has errors, it may negatively impact your quality score, resulting in higher costs and lower ad positions.
Higher cost-per-click (CPC): A lower quality score may lead to higher CPCs as Google Ads may penalize you for lower quality ads. This can increase your advertising costs and make it difficult to compete in the market.
Negative impact on conversion rates: If your product feed has errors, it may lead to incorrect or incomplete information about your products, which can result in negative impact on conversion rates. Potential customers may not trust your products, leading to lower sales and revenue.
Time-consuming to fix: Errors in the Google Merchant Center can be time-consuming to fix, especially if there are multiple errors or if the feed has many products. This can delay the launch of your ads and impact your advertising timeline.
There are several common errors that can occur in the Google Merchant Center. Here are some of the most common errors:
Missing or invalid data: This is the most common type of error and occurs when required product data is missing or invalid, such as product ID, title, description, price, image, or availability. These errors can cause Google to disapprove your products, which means they will not appear in Google Shopping results.
Policy violations: Google has strict policies around what products are allowed in Google Shopping. Policy violations can occur if your products contain restricted items or if your product data does not meet Google’s requirements. Policy violations can result in product disapprovals or account suspensions.
Image issues: Google has specific requirements for product images, such as size, resolution, and format. Image issues can occur if your images are blurry, low-quality, or not in the correct format. These errors can cause Google to disapprove your products.
Landing page errors: Google requires that the landing page for each product in your feed must be functioning, relevant, and lead to a safe and secure page. Landing page errors can occur if your landing pages are broken, redirect to unrelated pages, or are not secure.
Feed formatting issues: Google requires that your product data feed meets specific formatting requirements. Feed formatting issues can occur if your feed contains incorrect syntax, missing required attributes, or exceeds the maximum allowed characters.
Account and website verification issues: Google requires account and website verification to ensure that your business is legitimate and your website is safe and secure. Verification issues can occur if your account or website information is incorrect or incomplete.
By regularly checking your Google Merchant Center for these common errors and fixing them promptly, you can ensure that your products are approved and appear in Google Shopping results, leading to higher visibility and potential sales.
Here is an example of how a very bad Google Merchant Feed may look like:
Policy violations in the Google Merchant Center can be challenging to correct, as they require you to understand Google’s policies and make changes to your product data feed or website. Here are some steps you can take to correct policy violations in your Google Merchant Center:
Identify the policy violation: Log in to your Google Merchant Center account and go to the Products page. Look for the products that have been disapproved due to policy violations, and identify the specific policy that has been violated.
Review Google’s policies: Review the policies that have been violated to understand why your products have been disapproved. You can find Google’s policies in the Google Merchant Center or by searching Google’s Help Center.
Make necessary changes: Once you have identified the policy violation, make necessary changes to your product data feed or website to ensure that you comply with Google’s policies. For example, if your products are disapproved due to inaccurate pricing information, update the pricing information in your product data feed.
Submit for review: After you have made changes to your product data feed or website, resubmit your products for review in the Google Merchant Center. Go to the Products page, select the disapproved products, and click “Resubmit for review” in the “Issues” column.
Monitor your account: After submitting for review, monitor your Google Merchant Center account regularly to ensure that the policy violations have been resolved, and your products are approved. If there are still issues, you may need to make further adjustments to your product data feed or website.
It’s essential to be proactive in ensuring that your products comply with Google’s policies to avoid policy violations and product disapprovals as these disapproved products would not be participating in the advertising Campaigns.
Another important and common issue could be the missing GTIN.
If you have missing GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers) in your Google Merchant Center, you can follow these steps to fix the error:
Identify the products with missing GTINs: Log in to your Google Merchant Center account and go to the Products page. Look for the products with the missing GTINs by checking the status column.
Check your product data feed: Once you have identified the products with missing GTINs, check your product data feed to ensure that you have included the correct GTINs for each product. The GTIN is typically found on the product packaging or barcode.
Apply for exemption: If the product does not have a GTIN or the GTIN is not applicable, you can apply for exemption from the GTIN requirement. You can request an exemption in your Google Merchant Center account by going to the Products page, selecting the product with missing GTIN, and clicking “Request exemption” in the “Issues” column.
Request a review: After you have fixed the missing GTINs or applied for exemption, request a review of your product data feed in your Google Merchant Center account. Go to the Products page, select the products with missing GTINs, and click “Request review” in the “Issues” column.
Monitor your account: After requesting a review, monitor your Google Merchant Center account regularly to ensure that the errors have been resolved, and your products are approved. If there are still issues, you may need to make further adjustments to your product data feed.
III. Monitor your ad performance: Keep an eye on your ad performance metrics, such as click-through rates and conversion rates, to identify areas for improvement. This will help you optimize your campaigns and maximize your return on investment.
Use the Google Ads dashboard: The Google Ads dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of your campaigns, including metrics such as clicks, impressions, conversions, and cost. You can customize the dashboard to focus on the metrics that matter most to you, and you can also view performance by campaign, ad group, or individual ad.
Set up conversion tracking: Conversion tracking allows you to see which clicks on your ads lead to valuable actions on your website, such as a purchase or a form submission. By setting up conversion tracking, you can see which campaigns, ad groups, or ads are driving the most conversions and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Monitor your budget: Keep a close eye on your budget to ensure that you’re not overspending on your campaigns. If you notice that you’re consistently spending more than your daily budget, you may need to adjust your bids or target a narrower audience to stay within budget.
Check your ad position: Your ad position can have a significant impact on your campaign’s performance. Aim to achieve a high ad position for your most important keywords to maximize visibility and clicks.
Monitor your ad copy: Your ad copy is the first thing potential customers see when they encounter your ads, so it’s important to regularly review and optimize your ad copy for maximum impact. Test different headlines, descriptions, and calls-to-action to see what resonates best with your target audience.
Review your search terms: Regularly review the search terms that trigger your ads to ensure that they’re relevant to your business and driving the right kind of traffic. If you notice irrelevant or low-performing search terms, add them as negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing for those searches in the future.
Often you would need to pull data from the Google Ads API using R language tools, you can follow these steps as a ‘ready-to-do’ example:
1. Set up a Google Ads account: You’ll need to have an active Google Ads account to access the API. If you don’t have an account, you can sign up for one at https://ads.google.com/.
2. Create a developer account: Once you have a Google Ads account, you’ll need to create a developer account and set up your API credentials. You can do this by following the instructions at https://developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/first-call/overview.
3. Install the necessary packages: To access the Google Ads API from R, you’ll need to install the googleAuthR and googleAdsR packages. You can install these packages using the following commands:
install.packages ('GoogleAuthR')
install.packages ('GoogleAdsR')4. Set up your API credentials: You’ll need to set up your API credentials in R using the following code:
- Write your R-code: Once you have your API credentials set up, you can write code to pull data from the Google Ads API using the googleAdsR package. For example, the following code retrieves data on the number of clicks and impressions for a specific ad group:
- Analyze and visualize your Google Ads data, especially if there are voluminous and include historical data for multiple years: Once you have your data pulled and stored in a database, you can analyze it to get insights from your Google Ads campaigns. Use the data to identify areas where you can optimize your campaigns, for instance by adjusting bids, targeting different keywords, or refining your ads.
IV. Set a budget and bid strategically: Determine a budget that you’re comfortable with and bid strategically to ensure that you’re getting the most value for your money. Consider using automated bidding strategies to help you achieve your desired outcomes while keeping costs low.
- Determine your goals: Define what you want to achieve through your Google Ads campaign. Are you looking to increase website traffic, generate leads, boost sales, or build brand awareness? Knowing your goals will help you set a budget that aligns with your business objectives.
- Conduct keyword research: Identify the relevant keywords that your target audience is using to search for products or services similar to what you offer. This will help you estimate the cost of each click and determine the potential return on investment (ROI) for your campaign.
- Determine your target audience: Identify your ideal customers, their demographics, interests, and online behavior. This will help you create targeted ads that resonate with your audience and generate higher engagement rates.
- Set a realistic budget: Based on your goals, keyword research, and target audience, set a budget that you can afford. Be realistic about your expectations and consider starting with a lower budget that you can increase later as your campaign generates results.
- Allocate your budget: Distribute your budget across different ad groups and campaigns based on their performance and ROI. Focus on the campaigns and keywords that generate the most clicks, conversions, and revenue.
- Use appropriate bid strategies: Use automated bidding strategies, such as Target CPA or Target ROAS, to optimize your bids and get the most out of your budget. These bidding strategies adjust your bids automatically based on the likelihood of conversion and help you achieve your goals within your budget.
- Permanently monitor your campaign performance: Regularly track your campaign performance, analyze your data, and adjust your budget and bidding strategies accordingly. Use your data to identify areas for improvement and optimize your campaign to achieve your business objectives.
V. Test and iterate: Experiment with different ad formats, targeting options, and messaging to identify what works best for your business. Continuously launch tests and iterate but also refine your campaigns to improve their effectiveness over time.
Testing and iterating your Google Ads campaign is crucial to its success. Here are some steps to follow, the list is not exhaustive:
- Define your testing goals: Identify what you want to test and why. This could be anything from ad copy to targeting to bidding strategies.
- Choose your testing methodology: There are different testing methodologies you can use, such as A/B testing, multivariate testing, and split testing. Choose the method that best fits your testing goals.
- Create your test: Create your test by making changes to your ads, targeting, bidding strategies, or other elements you want to test. Ensure that you only change one element at a time, so you can accurately measure its impact.
- Run your test: Run your test for a set period, such as one to two weeks, to collect enough data to make informed decisions.
- Analyze your results: Analyze the data you collected during your test and compare it to your baseline performance. Determine whether the changes you made had a positive, negative, or no impact on your campaign performance.
- Iterate and refine: Based on your analysis, make changes to your campaign and repeat the testing process. Continuously refine your campaign to optimize performance and achieve your goals.
- Monitor and adjust: Monitor your campaign performance regularly and adjust your targeting, bidding strategies, and other elements as needed. Use the data you collect to make informed decisions and continuously improve your campaign.
VI. Keep the Google Ads clean by controlling the expenses, ad competition, Ad fatigue and fraudulent clicks.
- Cost: Google Ads can be expensive, especially if you are targeting competitive keywords or running campaigns that require significant budget. The cost-per-click (CPC) can vary widely depending on the industry, and it can be challenging to generate a positive return on investment (ROI) if you’re not careful.
- Competition: Depending on your industry, there may be a lot of competition for ad space on Google. This can lead to higher CPCs and make it harder for your ads to get noticed by potential customers.
- Ad fatigue: Over time, customers may become fatigued by seeing the same ads repeatedly, which can lead to a decline in performance. It’s important to regularly update your ad copy and creative to keep your campaigns fresh and engaging.
- Ad blockers: Some users may use ad blockers to prevent ads from displaying, which can limit the reach of your campaigns.
- Fraudulent clicks: Click fraud can be a problem in Google Ads, where competitors or bots click on your ads to exhaust your budget or reduce your ad position. Google has measures in place to prevent this, but it can still be a concern for some advertisers.