Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Managing Google Ads

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I’ve been managing Google Ads accounts since 2013 when I first started working for a company that was a contracted vendor of Google Ads - back when it was called AdWords.  Back then we went through an extensive four week training prior to being able to take phone calls regarding this product on behalf of Google, however, a lot of things I’ve learned over the years have been through trial and error - working on accounts, observing others and researching on my own.  Here are some things that I wish I would’ve known starting out.

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Never Combine Search & Display

There’s a reason Google gives this particular option as an opt in.  I remember being wary of it even back when it was called SNDS (Search Network Display Select).  Though the majority of the budget is supposed to be spent across Search, Google can take the remaining budget and serve it across the Display network.  

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There’s a few reasons why someone wouldn't want to do this. The truth is, users across search perform so much differently than users across Display.  If you want to run on the display network, then I recommend utilizing a more display-focused campaign.  This will give you greater control over what you are showing the users and greater visibility into how they are interacting with your ad.  Secondly, as an advertiser, you are going to want to segment your budget allocation differently across these two networks and a display opt in does not give you that opportunity. 

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I have tested display opt in a few times with advertisers who were having trouble spending their entire budget across search and have found that sometimes it even shows very infrequently - only a handful of impressions a month - making it not even a worthwhile test in these scenarios.

Though, if Google does find some type of traffic in your Display opt-in campaign you will most likely find that it does not convert well and you may end up wasting money on targeting you have little control over.  

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Proactively create negative keyword lists, but don’t over do it 

One thing I’ve learned about negative keyword lists is that they can be your best friend and your worst enemy.  On one hand, negative keywords can help you be more efficient with your ad spend and refrain from showing your ad during a potentially unprofitable scenario.  On the other hand, too many negative keywords can choke your campaigns and cause you to not show your ads when you could generate a sale or a lead. (Andrew Lolk has a great video about this here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrewlolk_one-of-the-most-controversial-things-ive-activity-7333048396259172352-BcZ8)

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The goal is to find a happy medium.  When you are reviewing search terms to exclude, be sure to review a longer timeframe - though - this also will depend on the amount of ad spend and clicks the unprofitable search term has received.  We usually like to review these by click volume.  Depending on how much traffic your campaign gets - anywhere from 40-50 clicks is usually a good determining factor on a search term’s profitability. Also, once a year at the very minimum, I recommend doing a negative keyword audit.  Ideally, this will happen prior to your busiest season.  Use this time to review every negative keyword you have in the account whether it be the account, campaign or ad group level.  View this search term through the eyes of a potential buyer.  Would this be a keyword that someone looking for your product or service would potentially search?  Then, remove it as a negative keyword and continue to monitor it for performance.

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One thing Google has gotten fairly good at over the years is surfacing negative keyword conflicts.  Microsoft has done a good job with this for a while.  You can usually find these in the recommendations section of the account.  I recommend viewing these weekly to determine if the new negative keyword you added caused a conflict so you can quickly take action on it. 

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Create tightly themed ad groups

Something we encounter frequently with accounts we take over also happens to be a big reason why we see so many search campaigns underperforming.  The best performing ads across Google and Microsoft perform well because the keywords are relevant to the ad copy which is also relevant to the landing page, which also has a strong call to action that is also addressed in the ad copy.  Google also awards users who have mastered these relationships with a higher quality score, which can often result in a lower cpc. 

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This being said, having too many keywords crowded in one ad group can really muddy the waters.  This is especially true if you find keywords in your ad group with varied performance data.  Pulling underperforming keywords out of that ad group to bid differently on them will go far in optimizing your search campaigns.  

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Review landing pages if ads aren’t converting

Most early practitioners of Google Ads assume all the magic happens in the account.  No conversions - it’s Google’s fault.  Still not receiving phone calls from that ad you posted two weeks ago?  Yeah - that’s definitely Google’s fault.  However, the truth is - there are only so many things you can do within the Google Ads account and - ultimately - it’s only Google’s job to get the user to your website.  After that part, the onus of collecting the lead or getting the sale relies on the strength of your website.

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If you are getting a lot of ad clicks to certain pages of your website and they aren’t converting, then we recommend reviewing that page within a website analytics tool like GA4 and try to determine what happens to users once they reach that particular page.  Also, review your keywords and the offer within your ad to determine if they align with what is shown on your landing page.  Are users thinking they are going to your landing page for one thing when your offer doesn’t align with their initial expectations?  Is there another landing page that would work better for your ads?

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Perhaps you need to add a stronger call to action to your landing page or make it more visible?  If all else fails, working with a CRO company can provide you with some valuable insights into how to best navigate landing page structure.  

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Ultimately, mastering Google Ads requires a blend of strategic planning and continuous optimization. By avoiding common pitfalls like combining Search and Display, proactively managing negative keywords, creating tightly themed ad groups, and diligently reviewing landing page performance, you can significantly improve your campaign's effectiveness. Remember, success in Google Ads is an ongoing journey of learning and adaptation, ensuring your efforts consistently drive valuable conversions.

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