How Do You Know If Your Google Ads Are Working? Here’s What You Need to Know, According to a Google Ads Agency

Ever find yourself wondering whether your Google Ads are genuinely getting results? You’re certainly not the only one. Many business owners find themselves puzzled, gazing at complex dashboards and mulling over whether their investment into Google Ads management was worth it. In this blog, we will provide you with some clear steps you can take to make sure that your Google Ads clicks are translating into actual customers. From setting precise goals, to keeping tabs on conversions, and all that’s in between.

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The Benefits of Google Ads for Businesses

Google Ads is a fantastic tool that offers a wealth of opportunities for businesses of all sizes. If you are thinking about boosting your business with online advertising, let’s dive into some of the key benefits of using Google Ads to get your brand noticed:

1. Increased Visibility

Google Ads places your business at the top of Google’s search results, ensuring that potential customers see your brand first when they search for related products or services. This heightened visibility can help drive more traffic to your website.

2. Targeted Advertising

Google Ads allows for precise targeting based on demographics, location, interests, and behaviours. This ensures that your ads reach the most relevant audience, increasing the likelihood of conversions. Google is always watching!

3. Measurable Results

Google Ads provides detailed analytics and reporting, allowing businesses to track the performance of their campaigns in real time. This data helps you to understand which ads are effective and enables continuous optimisation for better results.

4. Cost-Effective Marketing

With Google Ads, businesses can control their advertising budget by setting daily or campaign-specific spending limits. The pay-per-click model ensures that you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making it a cost-effective marketing strategy.

What Makes for a Good Google Ad?

A good Google Ad has several key elements. Firstly, it uses highly relevant keywords that align with the search intent of the target audience. The headline should be compelling and concise, featuring a strong call-to-action (CTA) to grab attention. The ad copy must be engaging, highlighting the benefits and features that matter most to users. Incorporating ad extensions, such as site links and callouts, can enhance visibility and provide additional information. The landing page that the ad leads to should be directly relevant to the ad content, offering a seamless user experience (UX). Lastly, optimising for mobile devices, conducting A/B testing, and using analytics to track performance and continually refine the ad are essential for ad success.

Our Marketing Your Brand Google Ads strategists know a thing or two about creating effective Google Ads. We offer comprehensive Google Ads packages tailored to meet your specific business needs, ensuring your ads stand out and drive results.

Signs That Your Google Ads Aren’t Working

Clients often come to us after struggling with Google Ads. Whether you’ve been using them for a while or have just started a new Google Ads account, it’s crucial to recognise when your ads aren’t performing as they should.

If you are experiencing any of these common tell-tale signs, it’s time to consult a Google Ads agency:

• Low click-through rate – A low CTR suggests that your ads aren’t compelling enough to prompt users to click. This could be due to irrelevant ad copy, poor targeting, or unattractive headlines and descriptions.
• High Bounce Rate – If users are clicking on your ads but leaving your landing page quickly without taking any action, it indicates a high bounce rate. This often points to a mismatch between the ad content and the landing page, or a poorly designed landing page.
• Low Conversion Rate – A low conversion rate means that even though people are clicking on your ads, they are not completing the desired actions (e.g., making a purchase, filling out a form). This could be due to issues with your landing page, the offer itself, or the user experience.
• High Cost Per Conversion – If you’re spending a lot of money on clicks but not seeing a corresponding increase in conversions, your cost per conversion will be high. This suggests inefficiencies in your campaign that need to be addressed.
• Irrelevant Traffic – If you’re receiving traffic that doesn’t convert, it could be a sign that your targeting is off. You may be attracting users who are not interested in your product or service. Or it could be a sign of something more sinister like click fraud!
• Low Quality Score – Google assigns a Quality Score to your keywords, which affects your ad ranking and cost per click. A low Quality Score can indicate that your ads, keywords, and landing pages are not relevant or useful to users.
• Poor Ad Position – If your ads are consistently appearing in low positions, they may not be getting enough visibility to generate clicks and conversions. This could be due to low bids, poor Quality Scores, or highly competitive keywords.
• Insufficient Ad Impressions – If your ads are not being shown often enough, it could be due to budget limitations, low bids, or targeting settings that are too restrictive.
• Negative ROI – If your return on investment (ROI) is negative, it means you’re spending more on ads than you’re earning from conversions. This is a clear sign that your campaigns need optimisation.
• Lack of Engagement Metrics – Low engagement metrics such as time on site, pages per session, and goal completions indicate that users are not interacting with your site as expected after clicking on your ads. This is a tell-tale sign that your website and/or landing page needs an overhaul.

These are only a handful of issues that might be affecting your Google Ads performance. If you feel that your ads are not performing as expected, chances are you’re right. Get a helping hand from our comprehensive Google Ads Management packages and let our experts optimise your campaigns for better results.

Here’s How You Can Ascertain How Well Your Google Ads Are Doing

Use Google Analytics

Integrate Google Analytics with your Google Ads account to track user behaviour on your website. Here’s how:

1. Link Your Accounts: Go to the Google Analytics admin panel, select ‘Property Settings,’ and click ‘Google Ads Linking.’ Follow the prompts to link your accounts.
2. Import Goals and Transactions: Once linked, import your goals and transactions from Analytics to Ads for conversion tracking.
3. Analyse User Behaviour: Use reports like ‘Acquisition’ to see how users interact with your site after clicking on your ads. Look for metrics like bounce rate, session duration, and pages per session to identify areas for improvement.

Set Up Conversion Tracking

Implement conversion tracking to measure the specific actions users take after clicking on your ads, such as purchases, sign-ups, or form submissions. This helps you determine the effectiveness of your ads in driving valuable actions. Here’s how:

1. Create a Conversion Action: In Google Ads, navigate to ‘Tools & Settings’ > ‘Conversions.’ Click the ‘+’ button to create a new conversion action.
2. Define the Conversion: Choose the type of conversion you want to track (e.g., website, app, phone calls). Provide details such as the category, value, and count.
3. Install the Tracking Tag: Google Ads will generate a tracking tag. Install this tag on your website’s relevant pages (e.g., confirmation or thank-you pages).

Monitor Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Keep an eye on important KPIs such as click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS). These metrics provide a clear picture of your ad performance and areas needing optimisation. To do this:

1. Customise Your Dashboard: Use the ‘Columns’ feature in Google Ads to add KPIs like CTR, CPC, and ROAS to your dashboard.
2. Set Benchmarks: Establish benchmarks for each KPI based on industry standards or past performance to gauge success.
3. Regularly Review Performance: Schedule regular reviews of your KPIs to identify trends and areas for improvement.

Perform A/B Testing

Regularly test different ad creatives, headlines, and landing pages to see what works best. A/B testing allows you to make data-driven decisions and continually improve your ad campaigns. Here’s how:

1. Create Variations: Develop multiple versions of your ads with different headlines, copy, and visuals.
2. Run the Test: Use Google Ads’ ‘Drafts & Experiments’ feature to split your traffic between the original and variation ads.
3. Analyse Results: Compare the performance of each variation using metrics like CTR and conversion rate. Implement the winning version for better results.

Analyse Your Quality Score

Pay attention to your Quality Score, which Google uses to measure the relevance and quality of your keywords, ads, and landing pages. A high Quality Score can lead to lower costs and better ad positions. To improve your Quality Score:

1. Improve Ad Relevance: Ensure your ad copy closely matches the keywords you are bidding on.
2. Enhance Landing Page Experience: Make sure your landing page content is relevant to your ad and provides a good user experience.
3. Boost Expected CTR: Use compelling headlines and CTAs to increase the likelihood of clicks.

Evaluate Your Ad Extensions

Utilise ad extensions to provide additional information and improve the visibility of your ads. Track the performance of these extensions to see how they impact your overall campaign effectiveness. Here’s how:

1. Add Extensions: In Google Ads, navigate to the ‘Ads & Extensions’ tab and click ‘+ Extension.’ Choose from options like site links, callouts, and structured snippets.
2. Monitor Performance: Use the ‘Extensions’ report to track metrics such as CTR and conversion rate for each extension.
3. Optimise Extensions: Regularly update and refine your extensions based on performance data.

Review Your Audience Targeting

Ensure your ads are reaching the right audience by regularly reviewing and refining your targeting settings. This includes adjusting demographics, locations, interests, and behaviours to better align with your ideal customer profile. To do this:

1. Analyse Audience Insights: Use the ‘Audience Manager’ in Google Ads to review data on your current audience segments.
2. Refine Targeting Criteria: Adjust your targeting settings based on insights, such as excluding underperforming demographics or focusing on high-converting locations.
3. Implement Remarketing: Use remarketing lists to target users who have previously interacted with your site or ads, increasing the chances of conversion.

Inspect Your Landing Page Performance

Your landing page and website play a critical role in converting ad clicks into customers. Use tools like heatmaps and user recordings to identify any usability issues and make necessary improvements to enhance the user experience. Here’s how:

1. Use Heatmap Tools: Tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg can show you where users are clicking, scrolling, and spending the most time on your landing page.
2. Analyse User Recordings: Review session recordings to see how users navigate your landing page and identify any obstacles they encounter.
3. Implement Changes: Make data-driven changes to your landing page design, content, and layout to improve the user experience and increase conversions.

Still Unsure? Overwhelmed? Ready for Google Ads That Convert? Our Google Adwords Agency Is Here to Help!

If your current Google Ads campaigns aren’t delivering the results you need, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Our Google Ads management services are designed to help you get the most out of your advertising budget and achieve your business goals. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you improve your Google Ads performance and drive more conversions. From Google Ads setup to ongoing optimisation and technical investigations, we do it all. Our expertise lies in strategically selecting keywords that align perfectly with your business, ensuring that your ads reach people precisely when they’re looking for what you offer.

Google Ads is not just about getting seen – it’s about getting noticed by the right people at the right time for their search intent. Whether you aim to drive more traffic to your website, increase sales, or get customers through the door, our tailored Google Ads strategies are designed to meet your specific goals.

Looking for an honest, reliable, and experienced Google Ads partner? Our Google Ads specialist Australia team is ready to help.