Even highly optimized Google Ads accounts benefit from periodic clean-ups, and what better time for that than the new year?

This guide provides a step-by-step approach to refresh your Google Ads account for optimal performance. Once you complete these steps, you’ll realize it’s a quick and manageable process. Consider implementing these steps monthly – the improved results and reduced wasted ad spend make it a worthwhile investment!

Quality Score: A Crucial Reminder

Before delving into the six steps, remember the importance of a high Quality Score. It increases your ads’ visibility and lowers your bidding costs.

1. Define Your KPIs

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are metrics that measure your Google Ads success. KPIs vary depending on your business objectives. If your goal is website traffic, focus on clicks and click-through-rate (CTR). For content downloads, prioritize conversions, conversion rate, and cost per conversion (CPA). Defining your Google Ads goals is key to determining your KPIs. Unsure about your KPIs? nexus-security’s Google Ads Grader can provide valuable insights. Pro tip: Create a customized column set displaying your most important KPIs and metrics. When viewing data (campaigns, ad groups, ads), click the “columns” button, then “Modify columns.”

Ensure your chosen KPIs and relevant metrics are selected here.

After configuring the columns, save the set and give it a name for easy access.

2. Identify Underperforming KPIs

To set targets and identify areas needing attention, determine the value of specific actions for your business. For instance, what’s the value of a content download? How much are you willing to spend on it? This figure represents your target CPA. Besides CPA, other common KPIs include quality score, CTR, conversion rate, and impression share. While continuous improvement is the goal for some metrics, regularly monitoring them is crucial. For benchmarks, research industry averages from competitors.

Remember that benchmarks can differ based on what you’re promoting. For instance, a campaign promoting a demo request might have a higher average CPA than one promoting content downloads, even if both actions are considered “conversions.” Tracking KPIs by campaign provides a clearer picture.

Addressing Underperforming KPIs

This post will guide you through improving your account’s overall performance. Here are some specific strategies for common pain points: Low CTR? Focus on your ad copy. If your account seems fine but your CTR is low, your ad copy likely isn’t resonating with your audience. Improve it! Low conversion rate? Optimize landing pages. Users clicking your ads but not converting indicate the need to enhance your landing pages. Other solutions might not be as straightforward - keep reading!

3. Reassess Your Bidding Strategy

Google Ads offers two main bid strategies: manual and automated. Bid strategies are managed at the campaign level. To change, access “Settings” under a campaign, then click “Change bid strategy” under “Bidding.”

You’ll see these options:

Both automated and manual bidding have pros and cons. It’s best to experiment and find what works best for each campaign. Automated bidding saves time by letting Google manage bids based on your chosen goal: conversions, conversion value, clicks, or impression share. You provide information like target or maximum spend, and Google’s algorithm adjusts bids based on performance predictions. Manual bidding gives you control. You adjust bids for specific ad groups and keywords based on your performance analysis. Choose this option if you prefer hands-on management and have time to dedicate to it.

4. Leverage Negative Keywords

Adding negative keywords is a simple yet effective way to minimize wasted ad spend. Regularly review search terms triggering your ads and add irrelevant ones as negative keywords. Consider creating negative keyword lists for each campaign and a general list for your entire account.

Pro tip: If an irrelevant topic frequently appears in your search terms but is relevant to your business, consider creating a new campaign/ad group dedicated to it.

5. Implement Retargeting Audiences

If your site uses Google’s tracking pixel and has enough traffic, leverage retargeting audiences. Retargeting displays ads to users who previously visited your website, configured at the campaign level.

Devise creative ways to retarget website visitors. This approach targets a warmer audience more likely to convert, having already shown interest in your brand. While effective for display ads, retargeting also benefits search campaigns.

6. Adjust Bids by Device

Control bidding by adjusting bids for different devices based on their performance. Manage this at the campaign or ad group level by navigating to a campaign and clicking on “Devices.”

Ensure your columns display KPIs (from Step 1) and compare performance data across devices. Then, adjust bids accordingly. For example, if mobile devices have a lower CPC and higher conversion rate than computers, consider increasing your mobile bid or decreasing your computer bid.

Documentation is Key

By following these six steps, you’re set to begin the new year with a high-performing Google Ads account aligned with your business goals! When implementing changes, closely monitor their impact. For large accounts, focus on three or four campaigns initially to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Document your analysis and observations - Google Sheets is an excellent option as it allows data export from Google Ads. Taking notes and starting small allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of your new strategies and make necessary adjustments. Have a successful 2020!