5 Google Ads Mistakes You Might Be Making and How You Can Fix Them
On this page, we’ll cover five common Google Ads mistakes that companies make and provide you with details on how to fix these mistakes. If you need help improving your Google Ads campaign, call us today at 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist.
Traffic attracted through PPC advertising yields 50% more conversions than organic advertising.
Are you leveraging PPC in your marketing efforts? Let’s get started.
View the Guide
1. Poor keyword research
Poor keyword research impacts your PPC campaign. If you aren’t choosing valuable keywords for your campaign, you won’t drive the right leads to your business.
Many companies make the mistake of using too many short-tail keywords that have high bid amounts. Short-tail keywords only contain one or two words. They’re generic keywords like “water bottle” and “denim shorts.”
These keywords are broad, so they attract a wide variety of users. There is also an abundance of competition for these keywords, especially from large corporations, so the cost-per-click (CPC) is high.
If you’re using short-tail keywords that have a high CPC, it’s time to fix this common PPC mistake.
How to fix this Google Ads mistake: To find the right keywords for your PPC ad, start with conducting keyword research. Keyword research will help you generate a list of valuable keywords for your campaign. You’ll want to have a few keyword ideas in mind so you can expand upon them and find more keywords.
When you conduct keyword research, focus on long-tail keywords. These are keywords that contain three or more words. Long-tail keywords are better for your PPC campaign because they help drive the most interested leads to your page.
For instance, let’s say you sell drinkware. One of your products is an insulated water bottle. When you conduct keyword research, you’ll find some related keywords to the keyword “insulated water bottle.”
It may be something as simple as “insulated water bottle with a straw.” This is a long-tail keyword that specific leads will search to find your product. It’s a valuable keyword that will help you obtain leads interested in your products.
By picking long-tail keywords, you’ll drive more interested leads to your page. This will help you obtain valuable leads that help your business grow.
2. Not using the right keyword matches
When you run your Google Ads campaign and have your keywords, it’s crucial that you use the right form of keywords for your ad intention.
There are three main types of keyword matches:
- Broad match: Broad match keywords display regardless of the order of the words in the search string. So, if someone is selling using the keyword “insulated water bottles,” they can appear in searches for “water bottle insulated, best insulated water bottles.” As long as those keywords are in the query, the ad will appear in the results.
- Phrase match: With phrase match, the keyword “insulated water bottle” has to stay in the same order, but additional words can be added to the query. A phrase match keyword is “best insulated water bottle.” Phrase matches expand upon the original keyword and don’t change the order.
- Exact match: As the name infers, exact match keywords trigger your ad to only appear in search results when someone types in your exact keyword. In this case, if you were ranking for “insulated water bottles,” you would only appear when someone searches that exact phrase. You wouldn’t appear in search results if someone wrote the words out of order or added additional words.
Google allows you to run PPC ads with all of these keyword matches, so it’s crucial that you use the right type of keyword in the right situation.
Many companies make the mistake of using the wrong type of keywords for certain situations. They end up using a broad keyword, but don’t receive the conversions they want. They don’t match the right keywords with their ad intentions.
How to fix this Google Ads mistake: The best way to fix this is to know your ad intentions. When you know the intention of your ad, you can choose the right type of keyword for your campaign.
If you’re looking for brand exposure and impressions, broad match keywords are your best option. Since the phrasing order doesn’t matter, you’re going to reach dozens of people searching different versions of your keyword. These keywords will help you gain impressions if that is your goal.
On the other hand, conversion-focused campaigns should use phrase match and exact match. These will help you reach leads searching for exact keywords related to your business. It’s the best option to help you earn more conversions.
When you know your campaign’s direction, you can use keywords that are better suited to your campaign.
3. Lack of ad extensions
Ad extensions help enhance your campaign’s performance. Many businesses neglect to use these ad extensions, despite the fact that they drive more leads to interact with your PPC ad. Ad extensions provide extra tidbits of information that can be the driving factor to getting your audience to click on your ad.
Here are a few ad extensions that Google offers:
- Location extensions: Location extensions allow you to input your business’s address in your ad. This makes it easy for your audience to know where you are located and if you fit in their geographical target ad zone. It also helps drive leads directly into your business because they can find your address easily and input it into their GPS devices.
- Sitelink extensions:These extensions enable you to add additional links to your page. You can direct leads to specific product or service pages based on their interests. It’s a great way to earn conversions because you direct leads straight to your page.
- Call extensions: Call extensions allow you to input your business’s phone number into your ad. When users search for a local business on their phones, it’s easy to contact your business when the phone number is listed on your ad.
- Callout extensions: The callout extension allows you to add descriptive elements about your business. You can include phrases like “customer focused,” “fast shipping,” “handmade products.” These descriptive elements give leads insight into your business and entice people to click on your ad.
- Structured snippets: Structured snippets allow you to add information about products or services. You can include information that describes different services you want to highlight or your best products. It’s a great way to draw people in when you offer a product or service they need.
These are just a few of the most popular Ad extensions you can incorporate into your ad campaign. Each of them will help you drive more valuable leads for your business.
How to fix this Google Ads mistake: This is a simple fix — just add the ad extensions into your campaign. You simply must go into your Google Ads account and find the section where you can add extensions. It’s a simple and easy fix that will drive better results for your business.
4. Creating only one ad version
The first ad you create isn’t going to be the best version of your ad. Some companies make the mistake of only creating one version of their ad and sticking to it. The issue lies in the fact that your first ad may not drive the best results for your business.
It’s important to test different versions of your ad to see which version drives the best results. You may think that one version of your ad will carry the most success, but testing your ads out may help you see that it’s another version that’s driving people to your page.
When you don’t test your ads, you don’t help your campaign evolve to meet your audience’s needs. Your audience’s likes will change over time, so it’s essential to constantly test your ad to see if there is a newer and better version that will help you earn more leads and conversions.
How to fix this Google Ads mistake: Create multiple versions of your Google ad. Change different elements, like the headings, photos, word placement, and more. Each time you test your ad, make small changes, so you can accurately measure the results for your campaign.
Testing one element at a time will keep your results pure and help you identify if elements are positively or negatively impacting your ad campaign. This gives you better insight into how to create the ideal ad for your audience.
WebFX will help you improve your Google Ads campaign
If you find yourself making some common Google Ads mistakes, it’s not too late to fix them. You can improve your Google Ads campaign to start helping your business earn more leads and conversions. At WebFX, we have over 28 years of experience optimizing Google Ads campaigns.
We’re a full-service digital marketing company that specializes in custom PPC campaigns. We have a team of over 500 experts that will bring their knowledge and expertise to your campaign. We’ll help you create a campaign that helps your business grow.
If you’re looking for a company that drives results, look no further than WebFX. In the last five years, we’ve driven over $6 billion in sales and over 24 million leads for our clients. We focus on helping our clients achieve results that help their business grow.
Don’t believe us? Just ask our clients! Check out our 1,100+ client testimonials that attest to the great work we do for our clients!
Improve your Google Ads campaign today
If you’re ready to start improving your Google Ads campaign, contact us online or call us today at 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist.
We look forward to helping your business reach new heights!