The new financial year brings an air of excitement as business owners map out and forecast their budgets for the year ahead.
It is a time to seek out new opportunities, reassess current investments and be strategic on the best ways to increase growth over the next 12 months.
For many small business owners, this is a time when digital marketing goes under the microscope – determining what platforms are performing well in terms of Return on Investment (ROI) and how to best maximize conversions for the year ahead.
One platform that has the ability to really supercharge a business is Google Ads.
Often thrown into the “too hard” basket, Google Ads is a marketing platform that captures consumer demand by showing ads to people when they’re actively looking for a solution.
And it’s not going away any time soon. Google expects ad revenue to increase by 9.5% in 2023, it’s a billion dollar platform worth paying attention to.
So, whether you’re new to Google Ads or interested in revisiting your current Google Ads strategy – here are some helpful tips on how to optimise your Google Ads to create some seriously profitable results.
Make sure your conversion tracking is set up correctly
Conversion tracking involves placing code on your website so that when someone completes the desired action – usually placing an order or filling in a form – this code will communicate to Google Ads and attribute the conversion to the campaign that caused it.
This means that conversion tracking allows you to see how much you’re spending each month and how many leads or sales you’re getting. Without it, there’s no way for you to know whether your ads are helping to scale your business (or just sending more money down the drain).
Most big agencies set this up poorly, so if you’ve paid an expert to do it for you – maybe get a second set of eyes across the account.
Check the conversion rate on your website
Ads are not a miracle worker. If your website is struggling to convert, then ads will only highlight this issue. Be sure to do an audit and assess every touch point on your website. Is the navigation easy? Do you have compelling, high quality imagery? Do all your links work? If these fundamental elements of your website are not up to scratch, then it is time to revisit these before dabbling in Google Ads.
Don’t be afraid to test smart bidding strategies
Google is no longer a game of tweaking bids. Google’s powerful machine learning has made big leaps in recent years and if you’re still setting your own keyword bids, it’s time to test a smart bid strategy like Maximise conversions or Maximise conversion value.
Conversion focused bid strategies are a powerful way to tap into a more profitable set of customers, and reduce manual bid optimisation (win, win!)
Re-test Performance Max
Traditional shopping campaigns have been eclipsed for the most part by Performance Max. If you’ve been avoiding this catch-all campaign in the past, it’s time to start experimenting. Try adding your best products to the campaign and test on a low daily budget and keep a close eye on performance.
Invest in upskilling
Upskill! Whether you’re new to Google Ads or keen to build your knowledge in this space, upskilling is a great way to navigate around Google Ads.
No-one has time to be fumbling around a system, especially when you’re wearing multiple business hats. Upskilling not only helps you understand the platform, but it also helps down the track if you are in the position to outsource and hire an agency.
Even if you’re proficient with Google Ads the platform changes all the time, so regular training is recommended to stay ahead of the eight ball.
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