We’ve all heard it – Google AdWords doesn’t work, it’s too expensive, too complicated, etc.
That’s not surprising considering every year thousands of business owners tackle AdWords without a solid (or even a basic) understanding of the fundamentals. A recent study finds small businesses unnecessarily waste 25% of their PPC marketing budget
It’s not difficult but it is time-consuming. Most entrepreneurs have their hands full just running their business. Finding additional time for Google AdWords, SEO, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ can seem almost impossible.
The topic today is the 8 common AdWords mistakes that are easily avoided with as little as 2 hours of your time and attention. Learn now to avoid these 8 common but deadly Google AdWords mistakes:
1. Sending traffic to your home page – Doing this can negatively affect both your conversion rate and your AdWords quality score. Send users to the most relevant section of your website to ensure the conversion process is as easy as possible.
Here’s an example ad:
Lavender Dog Shampoo
Pure, Soothing, Lavender Dog Shampoo
15% Off + Free Shipping. Order Today!
The searcher who clicks on this ad is looking specifically for lavender dog shampoo. They will (rightfully) be expecting to find the product and information along with a 15% discount and free shipping as soon as they arrive on your website.
If instead, they land on a home page with generic information about your pet supply company and a bewildering array of unrelated offers, chances are high they’ll abandon you. Seconds later they are back to the search results looking for a more relevant website (your competitor) to fulfill their need. Always lead the searcher to product- specific pages for better conversions (sales).
2. Competing for too many keywords – 80% of your conversions are created by just 20% of your keywords. The rest are a waste of time, energy, and money. Unproductive Keywords deplete your monthly budget but provide no tangible ROI. Finding the most effective keywords is as simple as using conversion tracking. Use conversion tracking to locate the keywords that are costing you money and simply pause them in favor of the rest.
3. Competing for the top spot when your budget won’t allow it – Many advertisers like to see their ad show up in the number one or two positions when someone searches for their product or service. That’s all well and good if you have a budget that allows it, but most small business owners are simply undermining their ability to reach as many shoppers as possible. Instead, focus your attention on qualified traffic and conversions.
A well-optimized ad campaign with compelling offers will create more traffic in a lower ranking position but cost much less than ads in the top position. So you have to decide which strategy is more important; being seen in the top spot or cutting costs and squeezing every last drop of success from your AdWords budget.
4. Ignoring conversion tracking – Conversion tracking is a free snippet of code that you place on your website so google can track which keywords turn into customers. Therefore you can bid more for those keywords that create conversions and pause the ones that don’t. Without it, you are driving blindly through a dark and unknown abyss with no way to understand where you’ve been or where you’ll end up.
5. Ignoring google analytics – Another free snippet of code added to your website that provides useful insight into visitor movement, allowing you to make adjustments and further test your changes. Google analytics is a free account which also allows you to connect conversion tracking to your analytics account. Analytics is a true gem for managing a successful AdWords campaign.
You can track keywords, visitor movement habits throughout your site, time spent on each page, and many other information-rich aspects of visitor intent.
6. Creating lackluster ad copy and /or not taking advantage of Google’s new Expanded Text ads– Each ad contains a limited number of characters so you have very little space to grab the searcher’s attention. Your ads must be compelling and relevant by focusing on individual aspects of your customer’s needs. Each ad should massage a different need and offer solutions to these needs. Be descriptive and focused, offering enticing coupons or discounts to quickly grab their attention. Then tell them exactly what to do next with a strong call- to-action.
7. Ignoring Phone Call Tracking – Track and manage your phone leads. Not only does it increase your sales and revenue but also allows you the opportunity to improve how phone leads are handled and how to improve so you can turn more leads into sales. In addition, discover which ads, campaigns, and keywords are driving phone call conversions. Use call tracking to maximize your investment and improve ROI.
8. Ignoring Live Chat – Improve business and effectiveness with live chat customer service support. Questions are answered 24/7/365 in real-time on each of your landing pages with precision by trained live chat specialists.
The benefits of live chat:
- More User-friendly – Convenient for customers & Cuts down on expenses
- Increases Sales
- Gives you an edge over your competition
- Tap into customer pain points – eliminate frustration
P.S. Get your free copy of https://tripleyourclicks.com/when-it-comes-to-email-leads-dont-take-five/ You need to read this eye-opening article before you respond to your next email lead. They have a crazy-short shelf life.
Question: Would your customers respond better using this method rather than your typical approach? What else works well for you? Share your comments now