Google Ads, formerly known as Google AdWords, is the dominant online advertising marketplace. No one else comes close. Google claims more than 75% of the search market and is behind more than 90% of paid search clicks on mobile devices in the US. Today, we talk about how to manage your Google Ads Campaign like a true expert.

Let’s be honest – Google is the only game in town.

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But all your potential customers being funneled into one service has its upsides. Google reports that advertisers net an average return on ad spend (ROAS) of $8 for every $1 spent.

It’s all down to your Google Ads management. It’s the difference between a lackluster campaign with a mediocre ROAS and a boost in sales that even an experienced Google Ads campaign manager would be proud of.

In this article, we’re learning about how to master the art of Google Ads management. By the end, you’ll know the key metrics to monitor, how to optimize your ads, and a few other secrets Google Ads campaign managers rarely share.

What is Google Ads management?

You’ve set up your campaign! You’ve chosen your keywords and crafted your copy – you’re done, right? Just wait for the profits to pour in? Not exactly.

Google Ads management is an active process. While you’re sitting back and relaxing, your competitors are continuously honing their campaigns; they’re tweaking their designs, copy, and keywords to maximize their ROAS and boost their profits.

In a nutshell – Google Ads management is the nuts and bolts of evaluating ad performance, adjusting your keywords, altering your designs and copy, and monitoring your metrics to see how your adjustments perform.

Sounds complicated? It is, and it isn’t. With a few simple tricks and a handful of critical metrics, you can optimize your ads like an expert Google Ads campaign manager.

The critical metrics in Google Ads management

Metrics are the secret to ads success. They’re how you monitor your engagement and revenue throughout a campaign. If certain metrics drop off, you need to take action.

Google Ads campaign managers typically look at around six critical metrics:

1. Impressions.

An impression means your ad is displayed and seen by a person on Google. The more you spend, the more impressions you generate. More isn’t, by default, better. Displaying your ad to uninterested searchers is a sure-fire way to waste your ad budget.

2. Clicks.

When someone selects your ads, that’s a click. Again, you want the people clicking to be likely to buy your product. Lots of inappropriate clicks can hemorrhage your ad budget.

3. Cost per click or CPC.

It’s how much you spend when someone clicks on your ad. Your bid, quality score and ad rank determine how much you spend. Remember, your aim is to spend the minimum amount per click.

4. Click-Through Rate or CTR.

Divide the number of clicks by the number of impressions and multiply by 100. That’s your CTR. It’s a measure of how successful your ad content and copy are. Do people who see your ad want to click on it?

5. Conversions.

When a clicker purchases your product or service, they become a customer; we call it a conversion. It’s the holy grail of digital marketing; it’s the whole point. Increasing your conversion ratio is a crucial goal for any business.

6. Return on Ad Spend or ROAS.

Divide your revenue by your ad spend – that’s your ROAS. Like a Return on Investment (ROI), it measures your output for your input. In short, how much are you making from what you’re spending? The higher your ROAS, the more money you generate from every dollar you spend on ads.

To learn more about return on ad spend, take a look at our blog post: What is ROAS? Learn Your ROAS Calculation.

Insider tips for Google Ads management

Here’s a surprising statistic – only 10% of advertisers routinely optimize their ads weekly in a 90-day period. It’s also good news: you can succeed with just a few valuable tips. Ask yourself: what would a Google Ads campaign manager do?

Let’s go through some inside advice:

Minimize the clicks between your ad and a sale

Every additional click a customer needs to make means lost sales. They become disinterested, bored, distracted. You need to refine your process.

For example, aligning your ads and your landing page can significantly boost your profits. Does your ad take your customer to your home page? Why? Because it’s the center point of your website?

Think about it – your customer already knows about your business. If your call-to-action is to “buy now”, – send them to the product page. If you want them to “schedule a consultation”, your landing page should provide them with a means of doing so.

Your landing page you deliver on your ad copy.

Continually add negative keywords

Negative keywords are keywords you don’t want your ad displayed for. Confused? You’ll want to eliminate keywords with a low conversion ratio or are associated with brand names and competitors.

Monitoring your keywords and identifying negative keywords is essential for Google Ads management.

Use A/B testing on your ad copy and design

A/B testing is an experiment: you show two different versions of an ad and see which has the better response. You can tweak:

  • Your headline
  • Your ad copy
  • Your landing page
  • Your ad extensions
  • Your offer

It’s a brilliant way to find out what’s not working on an existing ad – and to learn what to do going forwards.

Refine your keywords

Not all high-volume keywords are good keywords. You should focus on finding high search intent keywords to drive organic traffic to your site and spark sales.

You’ll also want to identify long-tail keywords that are low to medium in competition but highly selective for your target audience.

For example: what’s better – “hire lawyer” or “hire lawyer in Denver”. The former will have more traffic and more clicks. However, it’s the latter that will lead to actual sales.

Google Ads management is the key to profit

Running an ad campaign is a fantastic start. But if you want to do so like a pro-Google Ads campaign manager, you need to follow the tips above. Monitor critical metrics; optimize your ad copy and design; send customers to the right landing page.

You can also hire a professional digital marketing agency to take away the stress. Contact us today for a free consultation and audit of your Google Ads account…with no string attached!