Ever feel like your ad spend is pouring down the drain? Clicks are coming in but no one is converting? Guess what. Your visitors aren’t going to magically become buyers without a strong foundation and some marketing strategy.
From ad copy to landing page experience, let’s walk through the exact steps you need to take to build Google Ads campaigns that don’t just get clicks, but also convert at an insanely high rate.
Choose Keywords With High Intent to Reach Buyers Ready to Buy
If your Google Ads campaigns are built on weak keyword targeting, they’ll never provide a significant ROI. Chances are you’re probably bidding on keywords that are way too broad.
Buyers browse keywords like “accounting software” while researchers search “best accounting software.” Make sure you’re not attracting tire kickers.
The number one rule of thumb with high-converting Google Ads campaigns: Choose keywords that have high buyer’s intent.
When someone searches “buy LED TV,” they are far more likely to convert than if they searched “LED TV reviews.” Save your budget for searches that are more likely to lead to a conversion event.
Businesses that leverage high-intent, long-tail keywords experience higher conversion rates and lower CPA across the board. By targeting long-tail keywords that are hyper-relevant to your business, you’ll eliminate unqualified visitors and serve your ads exclusively to qualified buyers.
Quick Summary: Target transactions, not information. Bid exclusively on high-intent keywords that are more likely to convert.
Write Benefit-Focused Ads With a Compelling Call To Action (CTA)
Driving qualified traffic to your website is only half the battle. You have to get your prospects to click your ad, too!
Your ad copy needs to be benefit-driven and persuading users to take action. Instead of listing off the features of your product, speak to the results your customer will experience after making a purchase.
Show them how your product saves them time, saves them money, helps them get closer to their goals, etc.
Weak ad copy: “We offer accounting software with invoicing features.”
Strong ad copy: “Save 10 hours a week on bookkeeping. Our accounting software can automatically invoice customers for you.”
Bonus tip: Always include a CTA. Your call to action should specifically tell your users what to do next. Want them to get a quote? Read your eBook? Visit your homepage? Create a lead? Be sure your CTA button says “Get a Free Quote”, “Download Your Guide”, or “Create My Lead”.
Statistics show ads with strong CTAs experience a massive increase in CTR.
Quick Summary: Write benefit-focused ads that speak to the results your visitors will experience after converting and include a strong CTA that directs users where to go next.
Optimize Your Google Ads Landing Pages for Conversion
Great landing page experiences are essential for high Google Ads conversions. Once you’ve enticed a user to click your ad, you have mere seconds to grab their attention and ask them for their info.
When a user clicks your Google Ads campaign, you should never send them to your homepage. Instead, create a custom landing page that answers the specific problem your ad copy is targeting.
This is called “landing page message match.” Let’s say you create an ad that says “Get 20% Off All Spring Shoes”. You better believe your landing page better be selling spring shoes at a 20% discount. If not, your conversion rates will plummet.
Other elements you should always include on your landing pages:
- Speed: Page load speed is critical. Testimonials say a one second delay can cost you conversions. Landing pages should load in under 3 seconds.
- No distractions: Hide your main site navigation on your landing pages. This will decrease the chances a user will click around your website and leave without converting.
- Trust signals: Display testimonials, security badges, industry awards, or anything else that builds trust.
Quick Summary: Create customized landing pages for each ad that speak directly to the offer mentioned in your ad copy. These landing pages should load quickly, be free of distractions, and showcase your trust signals.
Use Bulletproof Conversion Tracking
This step may seem like kind of a “duh” statement, but you’d be surprised how many businesses go through the process of creating Google Ads campaigns without conversion tracking enabled.
You can’t optimize what you can’t measure. If you have no idea which ads are converting, how will you know what to optimize?
Make sure you’re tracking every lead generation option on your landing pages. From phone calls to form submissions to purchases and newsletter sign-ups, this data will be crucial to determining which ads are driving revenue and which aren’t.
This conversion data can then be utilized by Google Ads auto bidding algorithms like Target CPA and Maximize Conversions to find and bid more on users that are similar to your highest converting ones.
Quick Summary: Conversion tracking allows you to identify your highest converting campaigns and keywords. Never run ads without a way to track conversions.
Continuously Test and Improve Your Campaigns
Treat your Google Ads campaigns like a science experiment. Always be testing and improving your ads and landing pages.
Run split tests on your ad copy. See which headlines bring in the most clicks. Test different elements on your landing pages. Try swapping out your hero image or changing the color of your CTA button. You could even A/B test different lead capture forms.
Small changes can equal big profits. By continually improving your campaigns and landing pages, you’ll see drastic improvements in your overall ROI.
Quick Summary: Adopt a test-increase-repeat mentality with your Google Ads campaigns. You should constantly be making small tweaks that will compound over time.
Want to See Your Conversions Increase?
Follow these simple tips and you’ll be well on your way to creating Google Ads campaigns that convert at an incredibly high rate. Remember to choose keywords with high buyer intent, write benefit-focused ads with strong CTAs, utilize custom landing pages, and test your campaigns religiously.
Need help with your campaigns? Contact 154i today to take your Google Ads to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I’m getting tons of clicks but no conversions! What should I do?
A: Ensure your landing page matches your ad copy and provides an amazing user experience. Your landing page should make it extremely easy for users to take the action you’re requesting in your ad.
Q: How do I improve my landing page for Google Ads?
A: Keep it fast, keep it simple, and make sure your CTA is prominent. You should also make sure your landing page provides value to your users and makes it extremely easy for them to take the action you’re asking them to take.
Q: What is a good conversion rate for Google Ads?
A: While this can vary by industry, a good rule of thumb is around 3-4% for the search network. Many companies that follow strict guidelines for keyword and landing page relevancy report Google Ads conversion rates of over 10%.
Q: Does my landing page speed really affect my Google Ads ROI?
A: Yes, it does. If your landing page takes more than 3 seconds to load, you’re losing money. Mobile visitor patience is extremely low. If your landing page doesn’t load instantly, you’re asking your customers to bounce.