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Evolving Technology
EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY BY ASH YOUNG Our tech expert on getting more click-savvy with Google Ads
TOP TIPS TO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR GOOGLE ADS BUDGET
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Many advertisers think Google Ads is a simple auction and position is down solely to your bid. It’s more complicated than that... your ads can show above your competitors whilst you’re paying less for a click than they are!
Each keyword you bid on is subject to Google’s Quality Score algorithm, determining the relevance of your keywords and PPC ads, and therefore how much a click will cost.
Three main factors determine your Quality Score (QS):
⚫ Expected click-through rate
⚫ Ad relevance
⚫ Landing page experience
The score is between 1-10, and a high QS means Google deems that your ad and landing page are relevant and useful to the searcher.
Maximum CPC X Quality Score = Ad Rank.
Effectively, a higher QS means you pay less to maintain your position versus your next competitor.
Below are my top tips on how to improve your QS and make even more sales from your Google Ads budget:
1 Keyword inclusion. Include your keyword in the headline, as a searcher’s eyes are drawn to the keyword they are looking for. It’s great to split test your headlines and choose the best one to run with.
The ad URL also draws attention, and while you can’t change your domain name, you can choose the ending of the URL. Including your keywords in the URL means they’ll be highlighted in bold, helping to attract more clicks.
2 Fast page speed loading. When someone clicks on a search result, they want this to load within a couple of seconds – this is key to a good user experience.
Check your page speed on Google’s PageSpeed Insights – this analyses your web page and generates suggestions to help make that page load faster.
Implementing these should help to improve your page speed and, therefore, your quality score.
3 Optimise for mobile. Google reviews performance across all devices. Add all of the mobile-friendly extensions available to improve the user experience, for example:
Click-to-text (CTR) extensions so it’s easy to contact you via mobile.
Call extensions – these can increase CTR by 4-5%. Searchers can then call your business directly and connect with you instantly.
In fact, it’s best practice to use all the relevant ad extensions, so your ad takes up as much space as possible.
You can also use expanded text ads, which are designed for optimal performance on mobile.
4 Relevant landing page. Consider the best landing page for your ads, so you direct traffic towards a good user experience and a short conversion path.
Your landing page should mirror the call-to-action in your ad and should be clear on the page. If your paid ad included an offer, display this prominently on your landing page, too.
