Paid Search campaigns are an effective tool for driving website traffic, generating leads, and increasing sales. But achieving a high return on investment (ROI) requires much more effort than setting up your ads and letting them run—we know that optimisation is the answer.
Define clear goals
Before launching a new campaign, we like to establish clear and measurable goals to guide our strategy—this could be increasing website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales. By doing this, we can ensure that our clients’ money is being used efficiently to achieve success.
Thorough keyword research
Keywords are at the core of any Paid Search campaign. A mix of broad, exact, and long-tail keywords allows us to capture a wide audience while also targeting specific high-intent queries.
Tip: Be very careful with using broad keywords, even when Google tells you you should!
Compelling ad copy
For ad copy, we follow the 3 Cs:
- Clear
- Concise
- Compelling
In your ad copy, highlight your Unique Selling Point (USP), include strong Calls To Action (CTAs), and ensure it aligns with your keywords and landing page.
We strongly recommend A/B testing different versions of your ad copy to help determine what resonates best with your audience.
Optimised landing pages
After the “click” on your ads, your landing page needs to be optimised to convert your visitors. This means a clear headline, persuasive copy, and a user-friendly design. From a technical perspective, fast load times and mobile friendliness are critical for reducing bounce rates and, therefore, increasing conversions.
Ad extensions
Ad extensions are a great way to enhance your ads by providing additional information and increasing visibility.
Different types of ad extensions include:
- Sitelink extensions can direct your users to specific pages on your website.
- Callout extensions can highlight specific offers that you have running.
- Location extensions are perfect for directing foot traffic to your physical store.
These extensions can significantly improve your ad’s performance and click-through rate (CTR).
Negative keywords
In our opinion, negative keywords are just as important as targeting keywords because they prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant search queries, which saves you money on wasted clicks. We regularly update negative keyword lists based on the search query reports, refining our targeting to reach the most relevant audience.
Bid strategies
Automated bid strategies, such as target CPA or ROAS, are the way forward, as they can help you optimise your spending based on your goals:
- Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) – get as many conversions as possible for the price you want to pay
- Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) – maximise conversion value while getting the right return on your investment
- Maximise Clicks – get the most clicks for your budget
- Maximise Conversions – to maximise the number of conversions
Data analysis
We track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in our Paid Search campaigns, such as CTR, Conversion Rate, Cost per Acquisition, and Cost per Conversion. Analytics tools allow us to gather insights to make data-driven decisions. By regularly reviewing our data, we can identify trends and troubleshoot issues to make the changes necessary to improve campaign performance.
Remarketing
Remarketing is an effective tool we use to re-engage our clients’ website users who have visited their site but did not convert. By showing targeted ads specifically designed for this group, you can stay top-of-mind and encourage them to convert in the future.
Staying updated on industry trends
We actively keep updated with the latest trends, algorithm changes, and best practices in Paid Search. To do this, we join industry forums, attend webinars and in-person events, and follow other top voices in
the industry.
In summary
Optimising Paid Search is an ongoing process which requires attention to detail and strategic planning. By continuously refining our clients’ campaigns using the above mentioned methods, we can maximise ROI and ensure that their Paid Search contributes significantly to growing their business.
The ExtraDigital team take pride in creating and managing high-performing Paid Search campaigns. Contact us today to learn how we can help you utilise Paid Search to achieve your marketing goals.
