Hello, Nick Ponte here. I specialize in helping small businesses excel in the world of digital marketing. For the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about how Hawaii businesses can use Google’s resources as free or low-cost marketing tools. Today, however, I want to share how small business owners can optimize their Google Adwords budget and avoid mistakes that lead to overspending in this area.
A consumer that clicks an ad believing they’ll land at a website for a local bakery full of warm pastries will likely find disappointment if they land on the homepage of a bakeware shop selling empty muffin pans. How can the owner of that bakeware shop ensure their money goes toward ads embodying the shop’s actual services and products? How can they get this paid ad onto the screens of their ideal customers?
How can business owners steer clear of mistakes that deplete their online marketing budgets?
Also Read: What You Can Expect from Pay-Per-Click Campaigns
Why an Ad Budget Needs Your Attention
Budgets are crucial for small businesses. You don’t want to waste any of your hard-earned resources and end up limiting your organization’s abilities because of an avoidable lack of funds.
Ironing out some of these Google Adwords issues requires a little work and creative problem-solving skills. No one-size-fits-all solution exists for the numerous issues that contribute to a draining ad budget. You may need to collaborate with your clients, reevaluate your strategies, brainstorm with your team, and offer alternatives to regular procedures.
Once you identify obstacles impacting your budget, you can correct and avoid them. You’ll then free up resources for further expanding your business.
Finding particular budget-draining issues takes intentionality and often requires teamwork. You can start by avoiding the following mistakes.
Also Read: The Definitive Guide to Pay-Per-Click Advertising
4 Mistakes to Avoid a Draining Google Ad Budget
Pay attention to these common issues and habits that damage businesses’ financial plans:
- An Overemphasis on Saving Money
If you are too worried about saving money to spend some in order to advance your business, adjust your priorities. Saving money is important, but that’s not the only goal. You need to think about optimizing returns.
You want to invest in a paid advertising program that grows. Find the difference between tightening that line item’s strings and having wisdom in managing a healthy, workable budget. For reference, when I manage digital ads, I try to gain $2 in revenue for each dollar invested into the ad. So, if I fail to invest on the front end, I fail to reap the reward. Fires need fuel to grow!
- Trouble with Landing Pages
Mismatched information between ads and landing pages turns away potential customers. The same goes for landing pages that load too slowly or that don’t lead directly to the ad’s prompt. These issues effect your online credibility, and you don’t want clicks to become barriers to your business—especially since you pay for every click!
For instance, an ad’s link for an event should not lead to a company’s generic homepage where a customer has to search for the information they want.
Also, if your landing page loads slowly, work with your web development team to speed it up. Make these online interactions easy for your ad viewers!
Ads should draw in interested parties, but if your digital front door doesn’t easily open, the customer probably won’t take a second look.
- Too Much Attention to Google Ads Adjustments
Don’t endlessly refine the details of your Adwords campaigns and targeting at the expense of bigger issues. In other words, don’t miss the forest for the trees. While aspects of the account may take time to figure out, too much tinkering will outstrip other important aspects of your marketing.
You’ll notice a difference when you give attention to the big picture and address larger issues, such as landing page problems, above, or pay-per-click complications.
When I manage digital ads, I only change one aspect at a time, and then I wait for 24-48 hours to determine whether it makes the difference I want it to. I feel tempted to tinker with them on the hourly, but that always gives me counterproductive results.
- Missing or Wrong Keywords
If your ads come up in the wrong searches, your ideal customers won’t see them.
I see this with businesses whose keywords relate to their product but don’t accurately represent what they offer. Don’t waste money paying for an ad that gives the wrong impression. For example, many keywords directly related to your business will cost more when you bid… so sometimes you might feel tempted to avoid them, and go for something tangentially related to your business instead. Again, refer to my point earlier: It takes money to make money. Make sure your keywords directly relate so you set up the customer’s expectations correctly.
Businesses often waste their Google Adwords budgets in a number of ways, but owners can avoid this by considering all aspects of their ads’ reach and setting up regular checks within their organization.
If you want to learn more about how to avoid wasting your Google Ad budget or want help implementing strategies, reach out to us today!
Further Reading: How Does SEO Empower Your Website and Lead to Online Success?
Photos Courtesy of Keegan Houser, Dylan Luder