Hey there!
I'm Benjamin from Loves Data.
In this video you'll learn 9 common AdWords mistakes that you need to avoid when managing
your account and your campaigns.
This video follows on from my original 'Biggest AdWords Mistakes' video.
By avoiding these AdWords mistakes, you'll optimize the performance of your campaigns
(and their results).
And even if you don't have time to apply all of the tips to your own campaigns today, even
a small change can have a positive impact on the performance of your account.
And here's a quick disclaimer...
Although these are common mistakes, we will be covering some more advanced options available
in Google AdWords, so if you're just getting started, then check out the links to my beginner
resources in the description below this video.
Now let's jump in and cover the 9 common AdWords mistakes!
You'll be rocking AdWords in no time!
Mistake number 1 is - forgetting ad extensions.
Ad extensions allow you to enhance your ads, by adding additional information and functionality.
For example, you can use Sitelink Ad Extensions to include additional links with your ads.
This gives people additional opportunities to click through to your website from your
ads.
Apart from additional links, you can also include your phone number, address details,
include products and services, and more.
It can be easy to overlook ad extensions so that's why it's mistake number 1.
And don't forget to review your existing ad extensions when you're optimizing your account,
campaigns and ad groups.
You want to improve them, just like your ad variations.
For details on all the different types of ad extensions, check out the resources in
the description below this video.
Mistake number 2 is - avoiding duplicate keywords.
If you have a keyword in multiple ad groups, then you might be increasing the amount you
spend.
For example, if you have a keyword in one ad group with a bid of $2 and then that keyword
is duplicated in another ad group with a bid of $4, then it's likely that the higher bid
will be used to display your ads.
This means you could be spending more than you realize on clicks.
Now there are times when there might be a good reason to have a keyword duplicated in
your account.
For example, if the keyword is in campaigns that use different geographic targets.
This is perfectly okay, since the keywords will not be competing against each other.
Mistake number 3 is - not using remarketing.
Even if you're not running display campaigns it's important to be set up remarketing audience
lists for people who've been to your website.
This allows you to target your ads and adjust your bids if people are included in an audience
list.
For example, using a remarketing with your search campaigns allows you to increase your
bids if someone has been to your website, but hasn't converted yet.
This allows you to bid more competitively for competitive keywords to increase your
visibility.
And of course, remarketing is also the perfect way to start advertising on the Google Display
Network.
By targeting people who've already engaged with your website and brand, you're more likely
to drive conversions from your display campaigns.
Mistake number 4 is - skipping bid adjustments.
If you're not using bid adjustments with your campaigns, then you might not be maximizing
the results from your campaigns.
Think of bid adjustments as a way to define the sweet-spots for your campaigns.
Use them as a way to ensure your ads are seen by the right people at the right time.
Bid adjustments allow you to increase or decrease your bids based on a person's geographic location,
the device they're using and the time and day of week.
For example, if you know that people located in Vancouver, using mobile devices between
10am and 12pm on a weekday are more likely to convert, then you can use this to increase
your bids to ensure your ads are visible based on the insights from your analytics.
Mistake number 5 is - not grouping keywords.
It's important to use good keyword grouping for your search campaigns.
This allows you to show really targeted ads based on the keywords contained in the ad
group.
A good guide is to check that each of your ad groups contain a maximum of 5 to 10 keywords
each.
If there are more keywords than that in an ad group, it can indicate that they're aren't
as closely related as they could be.
When keywords aren't closely related, it means that you have to have more generic (or general)
ads, which can then mean the results aren't as strong from your campaign.
You might even find that you have a handful of really important keywords.
If you have a keyword that is important and that you're investing heavily in, then you
might even want to consider putting it in it's own dedicated ad group, so you can ensure
you have the best possible ads showing for the term.
Mistake number 6 is - drawing conclusions too quickly.
This can actually relate to a few different areas when it comes to managing your account.
Maybe you've launched a new campaign, testing a landing page or maybe you're running an
AdWords experiment.
Whenever you're trying something new or testing it's important to make sure there is enough
data available before making a decision and taking action.
It can be tempting to jump to a conclusion based on initial results, but this can be
a mistake, since you might find the results change once you've waited two or three weeks.
By waiting you will be collecting more information which provides more reliable results for you
to action in your account.
So try not to jump to a conclusion too fast.
Mistake number 7 is - not optimizing your landing pages for conversions.
There are different ways that you can optimize your landing pages for your AdWords campaigns,
but one of the best ways to improve your results is to run conversion tests.
This is where you create a new version of your landing page and send some traffic to
the new version, and some traffic to the existing version and then review the results.
By improving your landing pages, you'll also be improving the performance of your campaigns
and increasing the ROI from AdWords.
A great way to run conversion tests on your website is to use Google Optimize.
You can find a link to my getting started tutorial in the description below this video.
Mistake number 8 is - not linking Google Analytics or Google Search console to AdWords.
By linking products, you'll have a better understanding of how your campaigns perform.
When you link Google Analytics, it means you can understand how people engage with your
website after clicking on your ads.
You can see where they travel to and how engaged they are.
You can even pull some basic metrics, like bounce rate from Google Analytics back into
your Google AdWords account.
To do this just click on 'Configuration', then 'Linked Accounts', select 'Google Analytics',
then select your analytics property and enable the option for 'Import Site Metrics'.
And by linking Google Search Console you will be able to compare the performance of your
paid and organic performance right within AdWords.
Mistake number 9 is - targeting search and display in the same campaign.
This is where you create a search campaign and select the option for 'Display Expansion'.
It means that campaign can show ads on both the Google Search Network and the Google Display
Network.
Now AdWords is likely to spend most of your budget showing your ads on search, but overall,
you'll achieve better results if you create separate search and display campaigns.
It give you more control and makes reporting easier.
So although you can combine targeting in a single campaign, it's not recommended.
So they're the 9 common AdWords mistakes that you need to avoid when managing your campaigns
and account.
If you don't have time to apply all of these tips today, don't worry, even applying a few
of these tips will help improve your campaigns.
You'll find that even taking small steps to optimize your campaigns can provide measurable
results.
And here's an extra tip...
When you run a search campaign always consider the relationship between the keyword you are
targeting, your ads and the landing page you are sending people to.
The better the relationship between these three elements, the better the performance
of your campaigns.
By considering these element each and every time you create and manage your campaigns,
you'll be considering the complete experience of someone searching and this will ensure
your campaigns are a success.
So what's stopping you?
Load up your account, if you haven't already and put a big tick next to each of these common
pitfalls and rock your account!
You can (and will) succeed at getting the clicks and conversions you're aiming for!
Do you have any tips you'd like to add?
Let me know in the comments below!
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like this.
See you next time!