Search Engine Management (SEM) uses paid advertisements to gain leads and conversions. When written and managed correctly, your ads can travel to the top of Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) which has a higher likelihood of being seen and/or clicked by the user.
To get your ad on the limited real estate of search engines like Google, you must identify the right keywords, create tailored content, link an intriguing landing page, and more. Let us help by identifying four common mistakes and how to fix them.
1. Improper Ad Group Structure
Your ad group structure can maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns. Google Ads has a three-tier structure for its ad groups: an account, campaigns, and ad groups. *Consider the picture below as we dive into the importance of proper structure.
Proper structuring allows for tailored content and improved relevance within each ad group. This will help your click-through rate, quality ranking, and ad strength. With higher scores for these three items, Google will push your ad toward the top of SERPs. Do you see the ripple effect?
2. Imbalance of Short & Long-Tailed Keywords
Balance is key when choosing short and long-tailed keywords for your SEM campaign. Broad-match keywords may get your ad seen in front of a plethora of users, but you’ll have minimal conversions. Exact-match keywords may get your ad in front of interested parties but you will have a higher cost-per-click. It’s vital to bid on the right keywords so your SEM campaign can perform well. Here are a few things to consider when bidding on keywords:
- Keyword Difficulty
- Average Cost Per Click (CPC) for the Chosen Keyword
- Negative Keywords
- Your Quality Score
Is your campaign receiving unqualified leads? It’s time to audit your Search Terms. Identify which keywords led to conversions and which search terms are irrelevant to your company. Make changes to reflect your findings. (Here’s how we can help!)
3. Poor Ad Strength & Generic Copy
Google will score your ad based on the diversity, relevance, and quality of your copy. Your ad will fall under one of five Google scores: incomplete, poor, average, good, and excellent. The ads rated “excellent” will show up at the top of SERP results while the incomplete or poor ads are lost in the abyss of SERPs.
The best way to improve your ad strength is by ditching your generic, broad content and replacing it with relevant, unique content. Google is an electronic problem solver, so to speak. It wants to provide the exact solution to its user’s search queries. Help Google produce the right solution by writing accurate and intriguing ad content. Your ad copy must address three things:
- Who you are
- What you offer
- Who it’s for
If your ad copy misses any of these three points, it is ineffective and you’re wasting money.
4. Irrelevant Landing Page
Think of your ad campaign as a two-part journey: 1) the viewer sees your ad, and 2) acts on your landing page. Your landing page must pick up where the ad left off to complete the user’s journey. An irrelevant landing page with no call-to-action or tailored content will force the user to look elsewhere.
Is your landing page the problem? If you have a healthy number of clicks, and a high click-through rate (CTR), but a low conversion rate, your landing page may need to be revamped.
Partner With M&R Marketing for Your Search Engine Marketing Needs! Call us at 478-621-4491
If your interest is piqued, make sure you read a few of our past articles all about SEM:
- How SEM Strategy Can Help You Beat the Competition
- Accelerate Business Growth with SEM
- Everything Your Business Needs to Know about Search Engine Marketing
- Using Search Engine Marketing to Boost New Services
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We are obsessing over search engine marketing and all its benefits. Make sure you stay tuned for parts two and three of this series:
- Common SEM Pain Points and How to Fix Them
- Do Microsoft Ads Work? Reasons Microsoft Ads Can’t Be Ignored
- How Your Business Can Leverage Google Local Service Ads to Generate Leads