5 Tips to Boost ROI on Google AdWords

Get More Bang for Your Buck on Search Ads

As Apple is obsessed with design, Google is obsessed with its search engine results. And, who wouldn't be? Google controls a clear majority of search engine volume in the U.S.

But how does that affect your business? Whether B2B or B2C, your customers are using Google to find products, services and the latest news. Your business can rise to the top of the queue with properly executed Google AdWords search ads.

What is Google AdWords?

Google AdWords is Google's advertising inventory on its search engine and on partner websites and search engines. Business owners have the option of using display (banners), shopping, video, app, or search ads. This guide focuses on search ads: the ones you see alongside your search results on Google.

1. Know Your Match Types - Keywords are the backbones of any AdWords campaign. Spend time researching and testing terms and know the differences between broad, phrase and exact match. Ditch single-word keywords like "jeans" in favor of key phrases that more accurately describe your product like "distressed jeans." This phrase match will show your ad to people searching "distressed jeans in Brooklyn" or "buy distressed jeans." Using the proper keyword match types will lower your costs-per-action and reduce traffic from outside of your target market.
    
2. It's Okay to Be Negative - On the other hand, negative keywords and phrases can be very important to your campaign. You should know upfront that there are certain searches that you don't want to advertise on. If we extend our example, you may want to eliminate "how-to" from your search if you're a jean retailer since you're not teaching people to how to distress their own jeans.
    
3. Always Use Ad Extensions - Utilizing the ad extension feature increases the chances that someone will click on your ad. It makes your ad physically larger while giving customers options to skip your home or landing page and go directly to the products and services they need. The less a user needs to click around your website, the lower your bounce rate will be. For an advanced tip, enable call extensions only during your business hours when someone will be there to pick up.
    
4. Increase Your Quality Score - Quality score is a Google algorithm that estimates the quality of your ads, keywords and landing pages. While we don't know the exact algorithm, we do know that higher quality ads will display towards the top of searches and cost the advertiser less money. To increase your score, optimize your landing page for both mobile devices and quick load times while including relevant keywords in your site copy. Further, use your keywords in your ad text when it makes sense.
    
5. Optimize, Optimize, Optimize - Google does a good job of optimizing your campaigns, but a savvy marketer can generate better results by checking in regularly and doing it themselves. Pause poor performers and test new variations of your top ads. Increase or decrease your bid. Consider pausing ads on weekends and holidays if you're a B2B business. For some ideas, check out the Opportunities page on your account for recommendations from Google. Just don't enable all the keywords they suggest!

I hope these tips help you on your journey from AdWords novice to search engine marketing expert. What tips do you have for optimizing your Google AdWords search campaigns?