In my previous posting, I outlined some of the most common mistakes I see people make when they run their AdWords accounts (Read “Top 10 Most Common AdWords PPC Mistakes: Part 1”). If you plead “not guilty” to all of those common mistakes, you’re not necessarily in the clear yet! Here, in part 2, are five more common Adwords mistakes which can be absolutely detrimental to your account, and ultimately, your bottom line:
Mistake #6: Sending all your Ads to your Home Page
I am constantly amazed by companies that spend thousands of dollars per month in Adwords, and send every single one of these clicks to the home page of their website. When you are paying per click, you need to make every click count. And if you’re sending all your ads to your home page, you are simply not doing this. Invest in some conversion-targeted landing pages specific to each ad group you are running, where it’s easy for your searcher to become a customer, client or solid lead in one click.
Mistake #7: Refusing to Let Go
It is just as if not more important to know when to pause a keyword – or group of keywords – as it is to choose your keywords in the first place. If you have optimized for conversion and tested for months and you still have not had one single lead from your #3 most clicked keyword, get rid of it. The more you can let go of the areas that are not making you money, the more funds you have to allocate toward the keywords that are…the more quality leads you get!
Mistake #8: Not Testing Enough
So you think you know exactly the best ad to use to get that click through rate up right? Or the best layout for your landing page to convert your customers? Wrong. As an experienced marketer I am humbled every day when I am proven wrong by consumers. But I love being proven wrong. Because the only way you are going to know what appeals to your consumer, is to test. And test again. Test, test, test. And Google makes it easy for you to test ad variations, landing pages…you name it! You just have to do it. And do it again. And again…get it?
Mistake #9: Set it and forget it!
So you’ve set up your campaigns, ad groups, researched your keywords thoroughly, created multiple ad variations, have targeted landing pages…and now you can put the thing on auto pilot. Right? Wrong!!! This is by far one of the biggest mistakes I see people make with their AdWords accounts. You need to be making adjustments several times a week at least – and some accounts should be adjusting several times per day! This sounds like a no brainer but I am constantly amazed to see accounts that haven’t been touched in months. Months!! No reports run, no keywords adjusted, nothing filtered out. For months. A successful AdWords campaign takes work people. And this brings me to #10…
Mistake #10: Doing It Yourself
I know, I know this is a little tough to swallow coming from a professional search marketer. But seriously, if you are going to get the most from your ad spend and consistently improve your bottom line, you need to be dedicating hours and hours per week to your account. This list just scratches the surface of the many different elements that comprise a well-run AdWords account. If any of these items came as a surprise to you, or if you or your account manager is guilty of these, chances are you need help. Ask for it. You may be amazed at the increased ROI you are able to get from your account when you do. Contact Webhead Interactive today for a free analysis of your account: 877-220.4469.