20 Proven Strategies for Maximizing Your Google Ads Campaigns: Insights from a 20-Year Digital Marketing Expert

Google Ads can be a massive revenue producer for businesses when managed properly and combined with a proactive website conversion rate optimization strategy (CRO). As an experienced digital marketer with over 20 years of experience managing hundreds of successful Google Ads campaigns, I've cracked the code on how to achieve great results. But I know that for most businesses, getting the most out of Google Ads is a major challenge. Often times, their agency or inhouse staff simply lack the right techniques and experience. That's why in this article, I'll share 20 tips to help businesses optimize their Google Ads campaigns and improve their website's conversion rates, leading to better overall performance. So let's dive in and take your Google Ads game to the next level!

1. Daily Keyword Management: Daily and weekly keyword management is crucial for optimizing your Google Ads campaigns properly. By reviewing and optimizing your keyword list based on factors such as conversions, cost per conversion, ROAS, and conversion value, you can ensure that your budget is being spent on the most relevant and effective keywords. The average cost per click on each keyword phrase is also important to track and lower over time.
2. Monitor the Search Terms Report: Checking the "search terms report" is a crucial task in managing your Google Ads campaigns. This report, which is separate from your keyword list, should be reviewed daily, especially for broad and phrase match keywords. By identifying irrelevant or low-performing search terms that your ads are triggering for, you can add them as negative keywords to avoid wasting your ad spend. For instance, a home improvement company could monitor the search terms report to add "DIY" as a negative keyword if they only offer professional services.
3. Creating Headlines and Descriptions with Chat GPT: AI is revolutionizing the way businesses create Google Ads copy, enabling them to create more intelligent and high-converting ads. With AI-powered ad copy optimization, businesses can leverage cutting-edge technology to deliver messages that resonate with their audience and drive results. In a nutshell, use it as a tool to help write more persuasive ad copy.
4. Use Manual CPC Bidding: Manual CPC (enhanced) bidding is often more effective for high-cost keywords as it allows businesses to control the cost per click per keyword and prevent overspending. For example, a law firm could use manual CPC bidding for highly competitive legal keywords to maintain their budget. A lot of businesses' budgets get killed without controlling the cost per click average.
5. Regularly Monitor Google Ads Performance: Monitoring Google Ads performance regularly helps identify any changes in performance and make necessary adjustments. For example, an e-commerce store could monitor their performance to identify any sudden changes in conversion rates and adjust their ads accordingly. If your sales or leads drop one day you might have a website issue that needs to be fixed or addressed.
6. Set Realistic Goals: Setting realistic goals for the Google Ads campaign and regularly tracking progress can ensure that the campaign is meeting its objectives. For example, a nonprofit organization could set a goal to increase donations through their Google Ads campaign and track progress toward that goal.
7. Use Ad Scheduling: Ad scheduling can be used to show ads during peak hours when the target audience is most likely to be online. For example, a pizza delivery company could schedule their ads to display during lunch and dinner hours. This is another great way to maximize the budget.
8. Regularly Conduct Competitor Analysis: Conducting competitor analysis can help monitor competitors' ads and bidding strategies to adjust campaigns as necessary and maintain a competitive edge. For example, a software company could analyze their competitors' ads to identify opportunities to differentiate their products.
9. Use Target CPA Bidding: Target CPA bidding can help optimize bids for conversions and achieve a specific cost per acquisition (CPA) goal. For example, an insurance company could use Target CPA bidding to optimize their bids for leads generated through contact forms.Note: Bid strategies need to be tested to see which ones work best for the brand or account. Sometimes, with automated bidding strategies the cost per click on some phrases could rocket to unreasonable levels, therefore max cost per click ceilings should be put into place to control the CPC rate.
10. Leverage Ad Extensions: Ad extensions can provide additional information and options to potential customers, leading to increased click-through rates and conversions. For example, a beauty salon could use callout extensions to promote their services like "free consultations" and "walk-ins welcome".
11. Use Dynamic Search Ads: Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) can help businesses reach a wider audience by dynamically generating ads based on the content of the website. For example, a travel agency could use DSAs to target users searching for specific travel destinations.
12. Implement Remarketing: Remarketing allows businesses to target users who have previously interacted with their website or ads, increasing the likelihood of conversion. For example, an e-commerce store could use remarketing to show ads to users who abandoned their shopping cart.
13. Utilize Negative Keywords: Adding negative keywords to campaigns helps prevent ads from showing for irrelevant search queries, ultimately reducing wasted ad spend and increasing ROI. For example, a photography studio could add "stock photos" as a negative keyword if they only offer custom photography services. Adding negative keywords from the Search Terms report on a weekly basis is a must. On a daily basis if the keywords on phrase match or broad match.
14. Focus on Quality Score: Quality Score is a metric that determines the quality and relevance of ads and keywords, ultimately affecting ad placement and cost per click. Improving Quality Score can lead to higher ad positions and lower costs per click. For example, a law firm could improve their Quality Score by creating ads and landing pages that are highly relevant to specific legal services.
15. Utilize Automated Bidding Strategies: Automated bidding strategies such as Target CPA and Target ROAS can help optimize bids based on specific goals and objectives, ultimately leading to increased conversions and ROI. For example, a real estate agent could use Target CPA bidding to optimize bids for leads generated through contact forms.
16. Implement Ad Customizers: Ad customizers allow businesses to dynamically insert text into ad copy based on specific attributes such as location or product type, increasing relevance and engagement. For example, a retailer could use ad customizers to insert the name of a specific product into the ad copy.
17. Test Different Ad Formats: Testing different ad formats such as video ads, responsive search ads, and image ads can provide insights into which formats perform best for a particular business and audience. For example, a clothing retailer could test different ad formats to determine which format results in the highest click-through rate.
18. Implement Ad Schedule Bid Adjustments: Ad schedule bid adjustments can help optimize bids for specific times of the day or week. For example, a dental office could adjust their bids for ads during peak hours when users are most likely to be searching for dental services.
19. Use Location Targeting: Location targeting can help businesses reach users in specific geographic areas. For example, a landscaping company could target users within a certain radius of their business location. Even on a national basis, your business may convert better in certain cities vs. others.
20. Optimize Landing Pages: Optimizing landing pages and the website overall will help improve the overall user experience and increase conversion rates. For example, an online retailer could optimize their product pages with high-quality images and detailed descriptions to encourage users to make a purchase. There are many tools and strategies that can be increase your conversion rate. I'm happy to give you CRO review. Proactive CRO is a must for maximizing your Google Ads account!

Conclusion: Optimizing your Google Ads campaigns is crucial for driving targeted traffic to your website and achieving your business goals. By implementing the 20 tips outlined in this article, you can improve your campaign performance, increase your ROI, and ultimately drive more business. As an experienced digital marketer with over 20 years of experience managing Google Ads campaigns, I know firsthand the importance of regular optimization and monitoring.

If you need help with your Google Ads campaigns or want a free audit of your current setup to see if its being managed properly, please don't hesitate to reach out. I would be happy to offer my expertise and help you achieve better results from your Google Ads campaigns.