Running a successful Google Ads campaign requires a mix of strategy, precision, and continuous optimization. However, even experienced marketers can fall prey to common mistakes that hamper their campaign performance. In our past blog post “Guide to Campaign Setup: Critical Mistakes to Watch Out For” we talked about general mistakes to watch out while setting up a campaign. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the ten most common mistakes made in Google Ads campaigns and provide actionable tips to avoid them. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned professional, addressing these issues can help you maximize your ROI and achieve your advertising goals.
1. Not Using Google Remarketing Campaigns
Remarketing campaigns target users who have previously interacted with your website but haven’t completed a desired action, such as making a purchase. By not utilizing remarketing, you’re missing out on a high-performing segment that is already familiar with your brand.
Tip: Set up remarketing lists in Google Ads or Google Analytics to re-engage these potential customers effectively.
2. Not Using Responsive Display Ads
Responsive display ads adapt to different ad spaces across the Google Display Network, providing greater reach and flexibility compared to static or HTML5 ads.
Tip: Create responsive display ads directly in the Google Ads interface. They are quick to set up and can automatically reformat into thousands of different sizes and formats.
3. Going Full on Mobile Without Adjustments
Many campaigns waste budget on mobile devices by not adjusting bids appropriately. Mobile users can be less likely to convert in some industries.
Tip: If mobile traffic is not your primary target, reduce mobile bids by default, typically by around 40%, and adjust based on performance data.
4. No Placement and Content Exclusions
Failing to exclude irrelevant placements can lead to your ads appearing on low-quality or inappropriate sites, wasting budget and damaging your brand image.
Tip: Regularly review the placement report and exclude underperforming or unsuitable content categories and placements.
5. Not Using Dynamic Display Ads
Dynamic display ads are essential for e-commerce businesses as they show personalized ads featuring the exact products users have previously viewed on your site.
Tip: Connect your Google Merchant Center with Google Ads to create dynamic ads, leveraging your product feed to enhance ad relevance and performance.
6. Using Expanded Reach in Remarketing
Automatically expanding your reach in remarketing campaigns can dilute your targeting precision, leading to less effective ads.
Tip: Turn off targeting expansion for remarketing campaigns to ensure your ads only reach previous website visitors.
7. Not Using Similar Audiences
Similar audiences help you expand your reach by targeting users who have similar behaviors and characteristics to your existing customers.
Tip: After launching remarketing campaigns, set up similar audience campaigns to capture new potential customers with high conversion likelihood.
8. Not Using Custom Intent Targeting
Custom intent targeting allows you to show ads to users who have searched for specific keywords, even if your budget doesn’t allow for competitive search ads.
Tip: Create custom intent audiences based on high-intent keywords relevant to your business, including competitive and brand keywords.
9. No Capping Settings
Without capping, your ads might be shown excessively to the same users, leading to ad fatigue and wasted budget.
Tip: Implement frequency capping to limit the number of impressions per user, optimizing for reach and avoiding overexposure.
10. Incorrect Performance Analysis and Expectations
Google Display Network (GDN) campaigns operate differently from search campaigns, often contributing to the early stages of the customer journey rather than immediate conversions.
Tip: Use Google Analytics to analyze assisted conversions and understand the full impact of your GDN campaigns, rather than relying solely on last-click attribution.
Avoiding these common mistakes can significantly enhance the performance of your Google Ads campaigns. By implementing best practices and continuously monitoring your campaigns, you can optimize your ad spend, increase conversions, and achieve better results. Stay vigilant, adapt to new strategies, and keep learning to master the art of Google Ads.
Preventing Errors with adnomaly
Even the best strategies and practices are useless if there are errors in your campaign setup. This is where adnomaly comes in. adnomaly is a software that helps protect your campaigns from unnecessary spending and maximizes your ROI across social, search, and programmatic environments.
adnomaly helps you meet media standards, identify performance outliers, and minimize errors by leveraging historical data and employing machine learning algorithms. The adnomaly detection engine swiftly identifies patterns indicative of potential errors in real-time, ensuring prompt intervention to rectify them.
Whether it’s detecting budget discrepancies, geo-targeting parameters, campaign pacing, incorrect page IDs or 404 errors, or addressing faulty Pixel IDs, adnomaly stands as a vigilant guardian against campaign mishaps.
Book a demo and discover the full potential of adnomaly: https://adnomaly.de/free-trial/