Tips for reducing Google Ads Cost per Conversion

TL;DR

• Take advantage of negative keyword lists
• Focus on top-performing keywords
• Experiment with different bidding types
• Experiment with various targeting & campaign types
• Follow the data month-to-month

Take Advantage of Negative Keyword Lists

This is a fairly straightforward and simple exercise you can do on your own (and probably already have). Ask yourself: what type of clients do I not want and what are they searching for?

(Protip: adding "free", "cheap", and "pro bono" to your negative keyword list is helpful 99% of the time). Here are a few examples:

You're a contractor that only wants to do $100,000+ renovations.

Your negative keywords list might look like this:

• bathroom reno
• cheap renos
• budget renos
• DIY home renovations

A dentist who is tired of teeth whitening.

Negative Keywords:

• teeth whitening
• how to get whiter teeth
• professional teeth whitening

A lawyer who only practices criminal law, with exception of speeding tickets.

Negative keywords:

• personal injury
• estate lawyer
• divorce attorney
• speeding ticket lawyer
• how to get out of a speeding ticket

Focus on Top-performing Keywords

I see this a lot with existing campaigns I take over. Notice the two highlighted search terms in the above screenshot ("full mouth dental implants" & "cost of full mouth dental implants"). Similar search terms with wildly different results.

Full mouth dental implants most likely is searched by individuals starting out their buying journey, someone in a research and information gathering stage. The cost of full mouth dental implants would be searched by patients more likely to buy. Or, at least further along in their buying journey.

By removing the generic "full mouth dental implant" search term, we can free up some budget to focus on keywords that produce conversions, aka: phone calls, emails, online bookings, online chats, PDF downloads, etc...

If you find "full mouth dental implants" still useful as an initial touchpoint for prospective patients, you could at least manually dial back the budget. Conversely, increase the budget for the "cost of mull mouth dental implants" search term.

Experiment with Different Bidding Types

CPA, ROAS, max conversions, max conversion value, enhanced cost per click, maximize clicks, focus on visibility... the list goes on. I will link to an official Google guide that defines and breakdowns all the bidding types.

Google Bid Strategy Breakdown

The short answer here is, make sure that your bidding strategy lines up with your business goals. A few examples;

Ecommerce usually use ROAS (return on ad spend) to make sure they are getting a positive ROI on their budget.

New start-ups often uses a mix of focus on visibility and max clicks to get brand awareness and drive traffic.

Max conversions can be used to drive phone calls, emails, online chats, and any behavior you define as a conversion.

Experiment with Various Targeting & Campaign Types

Do you know your main client's/customer's archetype? You can leverage this info with Google Ads! (Protip: if you don't know this, you can set up Google Analytics to harvest this information for you - see screenshot above).

You can reach users based on a multitude of different targeting and audience selection. If you know a vast majority of your users/clients are sports fans - Google ads can get your display ads on Sport & Active Living websites.

In-market segment allows you target to users based on their recent purchase intent. For example, people that searched for a popcorn machine will probably be searching popcorn kernels next.

Remarketing allows you to advertise to individuals that have interacted with your business recently.

For a complete breakdown, check out the Google Offical Support page on Audience and Campaign breakdown.

Follow the Data Month-to-Month

A big mistake I often see in Google Ads legacy accounts is a set-it-and-forget-it attitude. There's gold in them thar hills!

A monthly review of Google Ads performance, Google automated recommendations, keyword reports, and don't forget - your landing pages - can provide valuable insight. Keeping your Google Ad account, keyword, and ad copy up to date ensures the best execution and reduces marketing dollar waste.