Tips for Improving Google Ad Performance for Small Businesses

Google Ads is an effective marketing tool for small businesses because it allows you to reach a large, local, and targeted audience with a relatively small budget. The people you are placing your ads in front of already have some level of interest in what you have to offer, whether they are at the discovery end or the purchase end. With well optimised ads you can turn more of these users into customers.

Benefits of using Google Ads for small businesses

One of the key benefits of using Google Ads is its targeting capabilities. You can specify who you want to see your ads based on factors like location, language, and device, ensuring that your ad spend is going towards reaching the right people. This is particularly useful for small businesses who want to make the most of their advertising budget.

Setting up an ad schedule allows you to control when people see your adverts. Firstly, this helps with ensuring you’re not wasting your budget on trying to get people to call you when you’re not available to take calls. But it also enables you to bid more effectively at certain points of the day. Your customers might search for your services throughout the day so you’ll want to have a presence on the search engine, but in the evenings they might be more ready to purchase. By using an ad schedule you can increase your bids during those hours as the search engine results page is bound to get more competitive.

Unlike traditional advertising methods, like print or radio, Google Ads can give you results within a matter of days. This allows you to quickly evaluate the effectiveness of your campaigns and make necessary adjustments to improve performance.

Google Ads provides detailed performance insights allowing you to see exactly how your ads are performing. With this information, you can optimise your campaigns for maximum ROI and make data-driven decisions about how to allocate your advertising budget.

Finally, Google Ads is highly scalable, meaning that you can start small and grow your campaigns as your business grows. This makes it a flexible and cost-effective solution for small businesses who want to reach a large audience without breaking the bank. But how can we improve ad performance to make this growth happen?

How you can improve your small business’ Google Ads performance

I’ve seen it hundreds of times… when performance is down, advertisers ramp up the budget. It might seem logical that if you’re paying x amount for a conversion you should increase your spend by multiples of that conversion price. This is so wrong! When we are working with a limited budget, it's important to ensure that your PPC campaigns are optimised for maximum performance.

Consider this. If your house is cold and it’s costing a lot to warm it up already, you wouldn’t just persist and increase your spending. You would want to ensure you seal all draughts, get good insulation, or wear sensible clothing. Once you know you have done everything you can to warm the house and you’re still cold, turn the heating up.

It’s the same with Google Ads. Before you go increasing the budget make sure you’ve done everything you can do on the ad platform - that way, when you increase your spend you will get the best out of it.

Here’s a few things to check to make sure you’re putting yourself in a good position.

Ad copywriting: Writing effective ad copy is one of the most important components of a successful PPC campaign. Your ad copy should be clear, concise, and convey a strong message that resonates with your target audience. To write compelling ad copy, use action-oriented language and highlight the benefits of your product or service. Also, consider using emotional triggers and adding a sense of urgency to encourage clicks. Small businesses can take advantage of this by focusing on their unique selling proposition and crafting ad copy that emphasises their value proposition to the target audience.

Keyword research: Keyword research is a critical step in the PPC process. To find the most effective keywords, start by identifying your target audience and the phrases they are likely to search for. Use tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find popular keywords and determine their relevance to your business. Then, create targeted ad groups with specific keywords, and write ads that are optimised for each group. Small businesses can benefit from focusing on long-tail keywords, which are more specific and often less competitive, and therefore less expensive. This allows them to maximise the use of their budget and reach their target audience more effectively.

Analysing data: To continuously improve your PPC campaigns, it's essential to analyse data and make informed decisions. Use analytics tools like Google Analytics or AdWords Conversion Tracking to monitor your ad performance, and track metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversions. This information can help you identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimise your campaigns. Small businesses can benefit from setting clear goals and regularly tracking progress towards those goals, allowing them to make informed decisions about how to allocate their budget for maximum impact.

Landing page optimisation: A well-optimised landing page is essential for a successful PPC campaign. Your landing page should be fast-loading, visually appealing, and easy to navigate. It should also provide a clear call-to-action and emphasise the benefits of your product or service. To improve your landing page's performance, split test different variations, and use analytics to determine what works best. Small businesses can benefit from focusing on creating a simple and streamlined landing page experience, with a clear and concise message that resonates with their target audience.

Google Ads support for your small business

A well-optimised Google Ads account is an ideal marketing tool for small businesses looking to reach a large, targeted audience, quickly evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns, and make data-driven decisions about their advertising budget. With its targeting capabilities, quick results, detailed performance insights, and scalability, Google Ads provides a cost-effective solution for small businesses looking to grow their business and reach their marketing goals. By focusing on these strategies, small businesses can create high-performing PPC campaigns that drive traffic and conversions, and help them achieve their business goals, all while maximising the use of their budget.

Not sure where to start with your PPC Management? I offer a free 30 minute consultation where we can discuss the problems you’re facing and how my solutions could help you. Click here for more information and to book your session.