Have you asked “Why aren’t my Google Ads working?”… Yes? Then this blog is for you!

Ok, we hear you, Google Ads are NOT easy. In fact, we have a Google Ad specialist who runs our client’s ad campaigns and will ONLY focus on that. That’s because the Google Ads platform isn’t really a plug-and-play system.

You have to know what you are doing to get it right and ensure you get leads from it. Using Google Smart Ads, for example, is unlikely to generate much for you.

But don’t panic! There are some things you can do to make your ads work for you and, most of it happens before you get anywhere near launching a campaign!

We have listed out 5 things below that you MUST have in place before investing in any kind of pay-per-click campaign and, a couple of tips to make sure they work once live:

Get a banging website 

It’s scary how many people believe that if you just “build a website” people will buy from you. Unfortunately, that’s very far from the truth. 

Firstly, your website copy (the words) need to be clear, concise and, explain EXACTLY what you do and how you do it; include benefits and how you solve your client’s problems too.

Secondly, your user journey needs to be spot on. The most common reason for your ads “not working” is because the journey, once they get to your website, isn’t fluid enough. If you are seeing really high click-through rates on your ads themselves, but no leads… that is a good indication that you need to look at your web copy and user journey.

Tell people what you do

In a lot of cases, you are likely to need to run brand awareness campaigns BEFORE you can run lead generation campaigns. This is particularly true if you are in a very niche sector or industry. Before people will buy, they need to understand what you do, so use your first ads as an educational tool. 

This will serve you well when you move onto lead generation, or use remarketing ads to target individuals who have already been onto your website, but not bought.

Set clear goals

What do you actually want to achieve from your marketing activity? (Top-tip, don’t just say “more leads!”). You need to be specific, think about your 6 month, 1 year, 5 year and even 10 year goals. What type of business are you building? What type of return are you looking for? And, what benchmarks do you need to reach to achieve those goals?

Knowing that information will help you create a clear message and attract the right person, who is generally already looking to buy. This is a key step that most people miss and therefore end up with a marketing strategy that doesn’t work. Keep ahead of your competitors by having a solid plan in place.

Please, for the love of god, GET AN EXPERT.

Unless you’re experienced, don’t attempt Google Ads yourself. Yes, yes, we know we’re an agency, and we obviously would say that, BUT… Every. Single. Person… that has approached us to run adverts for them, has tried it themselves and spent A LOT of money, for little to no return – don’t be that person!

You need a specialist to run Google Ads for you, so do some research and find one that can work for you to deliver results. After all, that’s what marketing is all about. Results.

Build organically first

Before you start putting a budget behind any adverts, make sure your organic strategy is working for you first. Paid ads are great for building leads quickly but, they do rely on your organic marketing efforts to work properly.

As an example, your SEO, web content, user journey and social media efforts should all be in place BEFORE you start Google Ads. Going back to a previous point, if you don’t have a good user journey, your potential leads will just drop off when they get to your website. So get this right first and you’ll find your ads will perform much better. 

Ready to get started with Google Ads?

Or perhaps you need support with other aspects of your marketing? Whatever you are looking to achieve, we can help. Get in touch today.