Google AdWords is perhaps an uncharted territory for many B2B marketers. With investments that can range from subtle to astronomical, how do you create an effective AdWords strategy to monetize your efforts, and realize your goals?
ROI
Perhaps the simplest of metrics, but one that counts the most. AdWords ROI is conversions and cost/conversion. Getting sidetracked by your click through rate will derail your true effectiveness. You can send all the traffic in the world to your site, but if they are not converting, you are not making money.
To track your ROI, make sure you have conversion tracking set up, both in AdWords and in Google Analytics. If you can factor cost attribution in Google Analytics, you will have hard values associated with each conversion.
Ad Text
It’s no surprise that the way you word an ad, and the images you choose to accompany your ad can both help and hurt your campaign. Additionally, historical interaction with your ads, among other factors, can reflect in your quality score, which can help reduce your costs and improve your ad placement. If done well, you can see an avalanche of improvement on your campaign. This is why A/B testing is so important, especially in how your ads read.
Landing Pages
The all important element of your campaign. As well chosen as your keywords might be, and as persuasive as your ads read, once the visitor gets to the landing page, you need to capture their interest, be relatable to their need, and offer a compelling call to action that is measurable. Too many times businesses simply point their ads to their home page. This can be extremely frustrating to the visitor. Make sure you are taking full advantage of relevant landing pages for each ad or groups of ads in your ad groups. Specific landing pages also can improve your quality score.
Keywords
The way you word your ads, and the keywords you use, can be a reflection of different phases in the sales cycle for your customer. Knowing which words are research oriented, and which ones are for intent to purchase can have a dramatic effect on your conversion rate. By differentiating ad groups for each of these sales cycles, you can adjust you bids and language accordingly.
Ad Extensions
Utilizing this tool, you can create site links to two to three other relevant pages on your site, for an added opportunity for conversions. You can also create call extensions to add your toll free number to the ad itself. Other extension include social media and inks to mobile.
