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Category: Google Ads

How to Conduct a 3-Step Templatized Audit of Your Google Ads Account

Are you struggling to get results with your Google Ads campaigns? Do you feel like you’re missing out on growth opportunities, but don’t know where to look? If so, you’re not alone. Many advertisers struggle to improve their performance on Google Ads because they don’t know how to audit properly.

The truth is, auditing your Google Ads account is the best and fastest way to uncover growth opportunities and improve your performance. However, most people don’t know how to audit properly, and end up wasting time and giving wrong recommendations that result in unhappy clients. That’s why we’ve created our own system: a 3-step templatized auditing process that helps us save time, get better results, and impress our clients.

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to master the 3-step templatized auditing process for Google Ads accounts. We’ll cover everything from preparing for the audit, to conducting the audit, and finally, giving the best advice based on our findings. So, let’s dive in!

Step 1: Prepare – Brief the Client and Ask a Ton of Questions

The first step in our 3-step templatized auditing process is to prepare for the audit by briefing the client and asking a ton of questions. This step is crucial because it sets the stage for the entire audit process. Without proper preparation, you risk giving mediocre or even unwanted advice on how to improve results.

To prepare for the audit, we start by sending our client a detailed briefing document with questions about their business and goals, customers, competitors, market insights, products and services, marketing efforts, specific Google Ads goals, KPIs, challenges, and more. We only ask about Google Ads after we understand their business, goals, customers, market, and marketing efforts. By asking the right questions, we show our clients we truly care and showcase our expertise beyond just Google Ads. This reinforces our position as the authority in our field.

Quick bonus tip: always ask your client specifically WHY they requested an audit and what they’re hoping to get out of it. This will dramatically improve the quality of your output and how you frame your advice.

Step 2: Audit – Check the Account with a Template/Checklist

Once we have the answers to our questions, it’s time to conduct the audit and dig up any growth opportunities we can find. We use a template that’s basically a big checklist to quickly find out what’s working and what isn’t. We structure it based on 15 categories like goals and targets, performance insights, general (account) settings, connections, Search campaigns, Performance Max campaigns, bid management, budget, conversion tracking, audience data, remarketing, Google Merchant Center, and more.

In all those categories, we have over 200 checks that we go through one by one. We invested over 100 hours to create a document that fit all our needs. The template looks like this:

  • Predefined question that needs to be answered
  • Predefined column that ranks the impact of the check and fix (high, mid, or low)
  • Predefined column that ranks the complexity of the check and fix (complex, neutral, or simple)
  • Give a score to a check (through the predefined drop-down menu)
  • Room for any notes on this specific finding
  • Room for any screenshots to back up findings

 

3: Advise: give advice on how to improve results (with a clear action plan based on impact/complexity)

The final step in our templatized auditing process is to advise the client on how to improve their results.

We prioritize our advice based on the impact and complexity rankings we’ve given to each check in the audit.

This helps us to present the client with a clear action plan that highlights the most important changes that need to be made in order to see significant improvements in their performance.

We group the recommendations together based on category (as described in the audit checklist) and prioritize them based on impact and complexity.

For example, if we find that the conversion tracking is set up incorrectly, and it’s a high-impact and complex fix, then that’s going to be our top recommendation. We’ll explain why it’s important, what the impact could be, and provide detailed instructions on how to fix it.

We also make sure to provide context around why each recommendation is important, and what the impact could be on their business. We’ve found that this helps clients to understand why we’re making these recommendations, and it helps to build trust between us and the client.

Finally, we present our recommendations in a clear, easy-to-read format. We’ve created a presentation deck template that we use for all of our audits, which includes slides for each category in the audit checklist, as well as slides for the top recommendations.

This helps to make the presentation visually appealing, and it helps to reinforce the impact and importance of our recommendations.

Conclusion

Auditing a Google Ads account can be a daunting task, but it’s also a crucial one if you want to improve your performance and see better results.

By using a templatized auditing process like the one we’ve outlined here, you can save time, get better results, and make your clients very happy with advanced advice.

Remember to always start with a detailed briefing document and ask a ton of questions before you start auditing. Use a template or checklist to ensure you cover everything, and prioritize your recommendations based on impact and complexity.

And finally, present your recommendations in a clear, easy-to-understand format that highlights the most important changes that need to be made in order to see significant improvements in performance.

If you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to becoming an authority in the Google Ads field, and your clients will love you for it!

 

How to Ethically Steal Huge Revenue from Competitors: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you tired of seeing your competitors outperform you in the online space? Do you want to take a slice of their traffic and revenue? Well, the good news is that it’s possible to ethically steal traffic and revenue from your competitors using Google Ads.

Many businesses are already using Google Ads to target specific keywords that their competitors are ranking for. But did you know that there’s a more powerful way to target your competitors’ traffic? In this post, we’ll show you how to hijack your competitors’ traffic and ethically steal their revenue using Google Ads.

Step 1: Create a Custom Audience Based on Your Competitors’ URL

The first step in this strategy is to create a custom audience based on your competitors’ URL. This allows you to directly target people who have shown interest in websites similar to your competitors’.

To create your custom audience, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Tools & Settings > Audience Manager > Custom Segments > Hit the ‘+’.
  2. Click ‘People who browse types of websites’.
  3. Enter your competitors’ URL. You can choose to add one or multiple URLs.

Once you have created your custom audience, you can target your competitors’ traffic with YouTube, Display, and Discovery campaigns.

It’s important to note that your ads will reach people who browse websites similar to the URLs you enter. This doesn’t mean your ads will show on those URLs. Google can go beyond the targeting you’ve provided, so it’s essential to keep testing different audiences (with single competitors or multiple).

Step 2: Create Ads That Show Why Your Brand is Better

Just targeting your competitors’ audience isn’t enough. You need to actively show them why your brand is better. One way to do this is to create comparison ads that highlight the benefits of your brand over your competitors’.

Here are some examples of comparison ads:

  • Bounty: 2X More Power Than Leading Brands

Bounty created an ad that compared their paper towels to leading brands. They claimed that their paper towels had 2X more power than leading brands.

The ad featured a side-by-side comparison of a Bounty paper towel and a leading brand’s paper towel. The Bounty paper towel absorbed more liquid and was more durable than the leading brand’s paper towel.

This ad is a great example of how to use comparison ads to showcase the benefits of your brand over your competitors’.

  • Dove: Real Beauty

Dove is another brand that has successfully used comparison ads. They created an ad that tapped into an emotional angle. The ad showed two doors – one labeled “average” and one labeled “beautiful.”

Women were asked to choose which door they would walk through. Many women chose the “average” door.

The ad then revealed that only 4% of women would choose the “beautiful” door. The ad went on to explain that Dove believes that real beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

This ad is an excellent example of how to use emotional appeals to connect with your audience and show why your brand is better than your competitors’.

Step 3: Write Comparison Ad Copy on Your Landing Page

The last step is to add comparison ad copy on your landing page. By doing this, you can boost your conversion rates by directly comparing your brand to competitors or the industry standard.

LearnWorlds has an entire landing page dedicated to comparing their product to Podia. They immediately show you why LearnWorlds is better than Podia from their biased perspective. As you scroll down, there are side-by-side comparisons on key features.

It’s not always about directly roasting your competitor. It’s more about identifying the main challenges and pain points of your customers and painting a clear picture of why your brand is the best solution.

Step 4: measure and optimize your campaigns

To measure your campaigns, you’ll want to use conversion tracking to see which ads and keywords are driving the most conversions. You can set up conversion tracking in your Google Ads account by adding a tracking tag to your website.

Once you have conversion tracking set up, you can see which campaigns, ad groups, ads, and keywords are generating the most conversions. You can then optimize your campaigns by pausing or adjusting underperforming ads or keywords and increasing your budget for top-performing campaigns.

It’s also important to track your return on investment (ROI) to ensure that your campaigns are profitable. You can calculate your ROI by subtracting your advertising costs from your revenue generated from the campaigns and dividing that number by your advertising costs.

Remember to continually test and refine your campaigns to improve their performance over time. This includes testing different ad copy, landing page designs, and offers to see what resonates best with your target audience.

Ethical considerations

While this strategy can be effective in stealing revenue from your competitors, it’s important to approach it ethically. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Don’t engage in false or misleading advertising. Make sure your ads and landing page copy are truthful and accurate.
  • Don’t use your competitors’ trademarks or copyrighted materials in your ads or landing pages without permission.
  • Don’t engage in click fraud or other deceptive practices that could harm your competitors or violate Google’s advertising policies.

By following these ethical guidelines, you can use this strategy to gain a competitive advantage without resorting to unethical or illegal tactics.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a way to gain a competitive edge and steal revenue from your competitors, targeting their custom audience with Google Ads can be a powerful strategy. By creating ads that show why your brand is better and optimizing your landing page copy to highlight your unique value proposition, you can convert your competitors’ traffic into loyal customers.

Remember to measure and optimize your campaigns to continually improve their performance, and always approach this strategy ethically to maintain your brand’s integrity and avoid legal issues. With the right approach, you can use this strategy to take your business to the next level and outpace your competitors in the online marketplace.

Create Highly Converting Video Ads with the Hook-Story-Offer Framework

A Simple Framework for Better Performance Max Ads

Are you struggling to get results from your video ads? Do you feel like you’re not reaching your full potential? Chances are you’re not spending enough time and money on creating high-quality videos that capture your audience’s attention. But it’s not just about the visuals; you need a good script to make your ads work.

In this article, we’ll introduce a simple framework that top advertisers use to create video ad scripts that get results. We’ll explain the “Hook – Story – Offer Framework,” popularized by Russell Brunson from ClickFunnels, and provide practical tips and examples for each step.

The Hook – Story – Offer Framework

The Hook – Story – Offer Framework is a proven approach to crafting a compelling message that captures viewers’ attention, engages them with a story, and then presents an offer to persuade them to take a specific action. Here’s how it works:

  • Hook: Grab the attention of the viewer
  • Story: Hold on to the attention by telling a compelling story about how your product is the solution to the viewer’s problem
  • Offer: Make your offer (call to action: tell the viewer what to do by making an offer they can’t refuse)

Let’s dive into each step in more detail.

Step 1: Hook (grab the attention)

The hook is the most critical part of your video, and you should spend most of your time here. A strong hook creates intrigue and curiosity to keep viewers watching. The best hook speaks directly to your customer’s pain points. You need to deeply understand their problems, needs, pains, wishes, etc. Some examples include:

  • “Are you tired of {pain point}? No more, with {your product/service}!”
  • “Are you struggling with {pain point}? Give me 30 seconds, and I’ll show you how we can help you.”
  • “Tired of feeling {negative emotion} because of {pain point}? {Your product/service} can help.”
  • “Say goodbye to {pain point} once and for all with {your product/service}.”
  • Customer testimonial: “Let me tell you how I overcame {pain point} with {your product/service}.”

Some other tips for better hooks include using humor, bold claims, controversy, fast-paced clips, strong headlines, contrasts (bright colors, etc.), and weird intros that catch viewers off-guard.

Step 2: Story (hold on to the attention by telling a compelling story about how your product is the solution to the viewer’s problem)

After grabbing the attention with a strong hook, you need to hold on to it with a compelling story. Most brands get this wrong by telling stories that nobody is interested in. You need to tell stories about how your product/service helped your customers overcome a specific pain point. Make it relatable.

By using storytelling in your video ads, your brand stands out, builds trust, demonstrates value, and connects with potential customers on an emotional level. There is no hard-and-fast way to tell stories in ads. Think about how you can create a compelling story that makes it a no-brainer to buy your product/service (for example, by leveraging customer testimonials).

Some tips for better stories in video ads include personal stories about how your product/service has made a difference in your life, customer success stories, before and after stories, funny stories, and teaching something about what your product/service does. There are many more ways you can go with this (challenges, behind the scenes, inspirational, educational, etc.). Be creative!

Step 3 OFFER (make them an offer they can’t refuse)

Once you’ve identified your prospect’s needs and pain points, and have shown them how your product or service can solve their problems, it’s time to make them an offer they can’t refuse. This means presenting a compelling offer that provides value and makes it difficult for them to say no.

There are different ways to structure your offer depending on your business and the specific needs of your prospect, but here are some tips to keep in mind:

  1. Provide a clear and specific offer: Make sure your offer is clear and specific so your prospect knows exactly what they’re getting. Use numbers, facts, and figures to back up your offer and provide evidence of the value you’re offering.
  2. Make it time-limited: Adding a sense of urgency to your offer can create a fear of missing out (FOMO) that motivates your prospect to take action. Use phrases like “limited time offer” or “only available for the next 24 hours” to create a sense of urgency.
  3. Sweeten the deal: To make your offer more attractive, consider adding bonuses, discounts, or other incentives. For example, if you’re selling a software product, you could offer a free training session or a free upgrade to a premium version.
  4. Offer a guarantee: To reduce the risk for your prospect and make your offer more compelling, offer a money-back guarantee or a free trial period. This can increase their confidence in your product and help them make a decision.

Remember, the goal of your offer is to make it as appealing as possible to your prospect, so they feel like they’re getting a great deal and can’t say no.

Once you’ve made your offer, be prepared to negotiate if necessary. Listen to your prospect’s concerns and be open to making adjustments to your offer to meet their needs. If you can find a way to make both parties happy, you’ll increase the chances of closing the deal.

Conclusion

In summary, utilize the Hook-Story-Offer Framework to craft persuasive video advertisements that drive high conversion rates for Performance Max and YouTube campaigns:

Hook: Captivate the viewer’s attention…

Story: Retain their interest by narrating a compelling tale of how your product resolves the viewer’s issue…

Offer: Present your offer (call to action: direct the viewer by presenting them with an offer that they cannot resist).

Fix Low Lead Quality with Offline Conversion Tracking (OCT)

Bad lead quality can be a major challenge for Lead Gen advertisers, especially in expensive verticals like law, insurance, and software, where Cost per Lead (CPL) averages can be high. Low lead-to-sale conversions can also have a significant impact on Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). Fortunately, there is a solution to improve lead quality and decrease CAC: Offline Conversion Tracking (OCT).

By importing offline conversions, Lead Gen advertisers can gain a more comprehensive look at which campaigns, keywords, and other dimensions drive the most sales and which ones do not. This data can help advertisers and algorithms optimize their campaigns for increased profit. OCT closes the loop from lead to closed deal.

When to Use OCT

There are several scenarios in which advertisers can benefit from using Offline Conversion Tracking:

  • When you are a Lead Gen advertiser and close each sale offline, such as over the phone or in person, and want to import the closed deals with the actual revenue and/or net profit into Google Ads.
  • When you are an E-commerce advertiser and close each sale online, but cannot use Google’s standard JavaScript-based conversion tracking scripts because they didn’t fire due to a script blocker. You can import these otherwise missed conversions into Google Ads.
  • When you are a SaaS advertiser and want to leverage Value-Based Bidding (VBB) because not every customer represents the same Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) due to different churn rates. This makes it possible to switch from Target Cost per Acquisition (tCPA) to Target Return on Ad Spend (tROAS) and let the algorithm bid more aggressively for more valuable customers and vice versa.

How to Configure OCT

There are four different ways to set up Offline Conversion Tracking:

  1. Directly through Google Ads Conversion Import
  2. Conversions from clicks using Google Click Identifier (GCLID)
  3. Enhanced Conversions for Leads (ECL)
  4. Google Ads Conversion Import for Salesforce, Zapier offline conversion tracking, and HubSpot’s Google Ads optimization events tool.

Most of the time, advertisers use the native Google Ads Conversion Import. Enhanced Conversions for Leads is particularly recommended since it saves time and eliminates the need for custom development. This method is much easier than conversion from clicks using GCLID because it uses information already captured in lead forms by implementing Enhanced Conversions.

To Include or Not to Include

In the author’s opinion, every Lead Gen advertiser should leverage OCT for analysis and reporting purposes, such as calculating the actual Return on Investment (ROI) of Google Ads campaigns and determining where signed quotations are coming from. Ideally, advertisers would want to switch their primary conversion actions from their Google Ads conversion pixel (such as filled-in forms) to their Offline Conversion Import conversion action. This way, Smart Bidding can optimize towards closed deals instead of unqualified leads, greatly benefiting ROI by cutting away trash leads.

However, switching to the primary OCT conversion action greatly reduces conversion volumes, which can impact Smart Bidding, especially when conversion volumes are low. The author suggests having at least ten OCT conversions per campaign per month to make it work. If conversion volumes are low, advertisers can consolidate campaigns to increase conversion volume, or switch to a different OCT category to increase conversion volumes, but this negatively impacts lead quality and ROI.

Flipping the Switch

If advertisers decide to flip the switch, they should:

  • Import Offline Conversions as frequently
  • Before immediately turning on Smart Bidding after switching to the primary OCT conversion action, it is recommended to upload your Offline Conversions and wait for the conversion window to complete. This will provide you with a more complete understanding of which dimensions are driving the most sales and which ones are not.
  • If you are uploading the revenue or profit of closed deals, you can consider testing with Value-Based Bidding, specifically the tROAS strategy, since you already have a conversion value in place.

By importing Offline Conversions, you gain valuable insights that can be used to optimize your campaigns for increased profit. This is especially important for Lead Gen advertisers who should consider implementing Enhanced Conversions for Leads (ECL) as soon as possible.

In conclusion, taking the time to upload Offline Conversions can provide you with valuable data to improve your campaign performance and maximize your profits.

Guaranteed Way to Reduce Wasted Ad Spend (Hidden Optimization) in Google Ads

The Problem with Smart Bidding

Smart Bidding is a popular automated bidding strategy for Google Ads. It uses machine learning to optimize bids for conversions or conversion value. The idea is that the system will adjust bids based on factors such as device, location, time of day, and user intent, to name a few. This approach can help advertisers save time, reduce manual labor, and potentially increase conversions. However, it also has its drawbacks.

The biggest danger of widely adopted automated bid strategies like Smart Bidding is that Google technically determines all CPC bids. Smart Bidding as a concept works very well, but if left unrestricted, it can result in overbidding and overspending. For example, we’ve seen CPCs of 20-35 times the average CPC, which can result in wasted ad spend.

High CPCs aren’t always bad. Google bids more when a conversion is likely to occur. Therefore, it’s okay to see higher CPCs here and there. However, seeing CPCs 20-35 times your average CPC is not right. That’s why you need to take back control and reduce wasted ad spend.

The Solution: Portfolio Bid Strategies with Maximum CPC Bid Limits

Portfolio bid strategies work similarly to regular bid strategies, but you can use them to group multiple campaigns together. Available portfolio bid strategies include Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Clicks, Target Impression Share, Maximize Conversions (with or without a tCPA), and Maximize Conversion Value (with or without a tROAS).

The biggest advantage of using portfolio bid strategies over regular bid strategies is that you can set up maximum CPC bid limits on Target ROAS and Target CPA. By doing so, you can restrict how much Google can bid per click, which can reduce overspending.

Here’s how to set up portfolio bid strategies with maximum CPC bid limits:

  1. Click on ‘Tools & Settings’
  2. Click on ‘Bid Strategies’
  3. Click ‘+’ to create a new portfolio bid strategy
  4. Configure your preferred bid strategy
  5. Click ‘Advanced Options’
  6. Enter a maximum bid limit
  7. Click ‘Save’

It’s essential to read through each step carefully because setting up your maximum CPC bid limits incorrectly can decrease your performance.

Setting Up Maximum CPC Bid Limits

When setting up your maximum CPC bid limits, you should aim for a limit of 3-5 times your average CPC on the campaigns you’re adding the portfolio bid strategy to. However, there are no hard and fast rules on what your maximum bid limit should be. If you set the limit too low, you will limit the algorithm. So, it’s crucial to ensure you have given the algorithm enough

Now, let’s take a look at some final notes to keep in mind when using portfolio bid strategies with max CPC bid limits.

Firstly, keep in mind that bid limits aren’t the only factor affecting your performance. There are many other variables that can impact the success of your campaigns, such as ad copy, landing pages, targeting, and more. So, don’t rely solely on bid limits to improve your performance.

Additionally, it’s important to monitor the performance of your campaigns regularly. Keep track of your metrics and adjust your bid limits as needed. If you notice that your performance is suffering, you may need to adjust your bid limits or even try a different bid strategy altogether.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to experiment with different bid strategies and bid limits. Every campaign is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. So, be open to trying new things and be willing to adjust your strategies as needed.

In conclusion, portfolio bid strategies with max CPC bid limits are a powerful tool for reducing wasted ad spend in Google Ads. By setting bid limits, you can take back control of your bids and prevent Smart Bidding from overspending on your campaigns. Just be sure to set your bid limits carefully, monitor your performance regularly, and be willing to experiment and adjust as needed.

Fix Untrustworthy pMax Data with Branded Standard Shopping: A 6-Step Guide to Maximizing Brand Visibility on Google Shopping

Are you tired of seeing heavily inflated results in your Performance Max campaigns? Do you want to learn how to maximize your brand’s visibility on Google Shopping? Then keep reading to learn how to fix untrustworthy pMax data with Branded Standard Shopping.

At first glance, Performance Max (pMax) results might look good, but when you dig deeper, you will often see that a significant part of your conversions comes from branded searches. Branded searches are the ones that were going to convert anyway, and pMax takes credit for them, inflating your results.

On average, we see that 10-20% of conversions come from branded searches. Therefore, excluding branded searches from your pMax campaigns is the best solution. However, if you exclude branded searches, you won’t be visible on Search and Shopping when users search for your brand.

To solve this problem, you can set up Branded Search and Branded Standard Shopping campaigns. Most people already have Branded Search campaigns live, but they don’t know how to set up Branded Standard Shopping campaigns effectively. In this blog post, we will show you how to do it.

Brand and non-branded traffic have completely different goals, so it’s essential to treat them differently. You need to split up branded and non-branded traffic into separate campaigns because they have completely different goals. With branded campaigns, you want to maximize visibility (impression share), while with non-branded campaigns, you want to maximize conversions or conversion value within your cost-per-action (CPA) or return on ad spend (ROAS) precondition. Splitting up branded and non-branded Search campaigns has been the best practice for years, and the same applies to pMax.

Here’s how to use Branded Standard Shopping to catch branded traffic on Google Shopping:

  • Step 1: Analyze the share of branded search in pMax

The first step is to analyze the share of branded search in pMax. On average, we see that 10-20% of conversions are branded. To analyze the share of branded search, click on your pMax campaign, go to insights, and scroll down to search term insights. Calculate the total conversions or conversion value that came from branded searches and compare that to the total conversions or conversion value of your pMax campaign.

  • Step 2: Exclude branded search terms from pMax

The next step is to exclude branded search terms from pMax, so it will no longer take credit for branded conversions. Create a negative keyword list specifically for Performance Max, contact Google support and ask them to apply it to your campaigns, and add negative keywords whenever you want inside the Google Ads interface.

  • Step 3: Set up a Branded Standard Shopping campaign

The next step is to set up a Branded Standard Shopping campaign. This campaign will help you maximize visibility (impression share) on branded searches on Google Shopping. To set up this campaign, you need to:

  • Step 4: Eliminate non-branded search terms from your Branded Standard Shopping campaign to ensure that your campaign is truly focused on your brand.

Unfortunately, Branded Standard Shopping isn’t a concrete concept, and targeting specific (branded) keywords isn’t possible. With Google Shopping, you’ll automatically be matched to relevant search queries based on your product feed, which includes both branded and non-branded search terms.

To address this issue, you’ll need to exclude every non-branded search term that appears in the search term report of your Branded Standard Shopping campaign. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Create a negative keyword list.
  2. Add the negatives to your Branded Standard Shopping campaigns.
  3. Go to your search term report and create a filter that excludes all non-branded search terms that were matched on Branded Standard Shopping. Use this filter: “search term does not include [branded search term + ALL misspellings]”, “added/excluded: none”. This will show you only the non-branded search terms that were matched on Branded Standard Shopping.
  4. Select all non-branded search terms and add them as negative keywords.
  5. Click “negative keyword list” and select the list you created in step 1, adding all as exact match negatives.
  6. Save this filter so you can easily use it in the future.
  7. In the first few days, add all non-branded search terms that were matched. Then, include them in your weekly checks.

Using a negative keyword list is recommended because it can be added to multiple Branded Standard Shopping campaigns if you have them. This is particularly relevant and simple if you have campaigns in different countries with the same language.

While this is a manual process, doing it consistently for a few weeks will make your campaign almost entirely branded. As time goes on, the number of search terms you need to exclude each week will decrease.

 

  • Step 5: Maximize impression share on Branded Standard Shopping with manual CPC

Now that you’ve set up your Branded Standard Shopping campaign, it’s time to maximize your impression share. We recommend using manual CPC bidding instead of smart bidding. Here’s why:

Smart bidding (like target ROAS) is aimed at driving conversions, but in Branded Standard Shopping campaigns, we’re looking to maximize impression share. Manual CPC gives you more control over your bids and is a better fit for this purpose.

To maximize your impression share, set your bids high enough to stay competitive, but not too high that you blow through your budget too quickly.

You can use the “Search Impr. Share” column in Google Ads to track your progress and adjust bids accordingly. Keep in mind that Google may not always show your ad, even if you have a high impression share, so don’t get too hung up on the number.

  • Step 6: Scale pMax with realistic CPA/ROAS targets

Now that you’ve excluded branded searches from your pMax campaigns and set up a Branded Standard Shopping campaign, it’s time to scale your pMax campaigns.

We recommend setting realistic CPA/ROAS targets for your non-branded pMax campaigns. Don’t expect the same CPA/ROAS as your Branded Standard Shopping campaign, since non-branded searches have a different intent and typically convert at a lower rate.

Instead, focus on increasing your impression share and optimizing for conversions within your target CPA/ROAS range. Use your Branded Standard Shopping campaign as a benchmark for what’s possible.

Conclusion

If you’ve been relying on pMax data to optimize your Google Shopping campaigns, it’s time to rethink your approach. Branded Search conversions can heavily inflate your pMax data, making it difficult to accurately assess your campaign performance and scale effectively.

By excluding branded searches from your pMax campaigns and setting up Branded Standard Shopping campaigns, you can maximize your visibility on branded searches and improve the reliability of your pMax data.

Remember to treat branded and non-branded traffic differently and use manual CPC bidding to maximize your impression share on Branded Standard Shopping campaigns. With these strategies in place, you can scale your Google Shopping campaigns with confidence.

More Conversions with These Google Ads Tracking Best Practices

If you’re running Google Ads campaigns, solid conversion tracking is crucial for your performance. Unfortunately, many accounts have suboptimal tracking setups that limit their ability to measure conversions accurately. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of best practices to help you increase conversions in your own account without changing your campaigns.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the essential Google Ads tracking best practices that can boost your conversions by 6-20%. We’ll also provide real-life examples of improved conversion tracking from our own accounts, so you can see the impact of these best practices in action.

  • Use the Google Ads Tag for Primary Conversion Goals

One of the most common mistakes people make with conversion tracking is only importing Google Analytics events as Google Ads conversions. However, if you want to measure as many conversions as possible, you need to use the Google Ads Tag. By doing so, you can track more conversions like cross-device, view-through, engaged-view, and enhanced conversions.

In some of our accounts, we’ve seen an increase in conversions by up to 44% when using Google Ads conversion goals instead of Google Analytics events. The conversion uplifts may come from the ability to track view-through and engaged-view conversions, which are not included in your conversion column by default, so Smart Bidding doesn’t optimize for them. Additionally, cross-device conversions can be measured accordingly when a user is logged in with a Google account on multiple devices.

  • Use Enhanced Conversions to Track More

Google introduced enhanced conversions to counteract conversion tracking preventions like those caused by iOS14. While the setup process can be technical, it’s worth it because you can see an extra 6-10% conversions, especially on video campaigns.

  • Use Data-Driven Attribution to Attribute Better

When it comes to attribution, data-driven attribution is a game-changer. With this attribution model, your conversion will be attributed better across various campaigns that lead to a conversion. Despite its benefits, many accounts still don’t have data-driven attribution enabled. While there are some cases where last or first-click attribution models make sense, we recommend data-driven attribution 90% of the time.

  • Use Events from Google Analytics as Backup (Secondary) Conversion Goals

We recommend using events/goals from Google Analytics as backup secondary conversion goals for when your primary Google Ads conversion goals stop working. A small change to your website code can break your conversion tracking, which is why you want a backup in place. However, make sure to set it up as a secondary conversion, so Smart Bidding doesn’t optimize for this goal.

  • Use Offline Conversion Tracking to Improve Conversion Quality

Offline conversion tracking is a fantastic way to improve conversion tracking quality. You can use it to overwrite data, add more conversions, add conversion values for lead gen, and more. While we won’t dive into much detail here, know that it can be a game-changer for your performance.

Setting up New Conversion Goals? Be Careful – Do This

If you’re only using imported goals from Google Analytics and want to optimize your setup by implementing Google Ads conversion goals, don’t switch cold turkey. Your new conversion goal needs to gather data first (preferably 30 days). Making changes to your conversion tracking can have a huge (temporary) impact on your performance and Smart Bidding.

Therefore, we recommend the following procedure:

  1. Set up conversion goal with the Google Ads tag
  2. Set action optimization
  3. Gather data for 30 days
  4. Check tracking quality
  5. Make the switch

 

Real-life examples of improved conversion tracking

Now that we’ve gone through the best practices, let’s look at some real-life examples of how these best practices have improved conversion tracking in our own accounts.

  • Example 1: Cross-device conversions

We recently had a client who had set up their conversion tracking using Google Analytics events. They were only seeing a small number of conversions in their Google Ads account, despite seeing a significant number of leads in their CRM.

When we audited their account, we discovered that they had not set up cross-device conversion tracking. As a result, they were missing out on a significant number of conversions.

We recommended that they switch to using Google Ads conversion goals and set up cross-device conversion tracking. After making the switch, they saw a 60% increase in conversions in their Google Ads account.

  • Example 2: Engaged-view conversions

We also had a client who was running a YouTube campaign and only using imported Google Analytics events for conversion tracking. They were seeing a small number of conversions and were struggling to get the results they wanted from the campaign.

When we audited their account, we discovered that they had not set up engaged-view conversion tracking. We recommended that they switch to using Google Ads conversion goals and set up engaged-view conversion tracking.

After making the switch, they saw a 25% increase in conversions in their Google Ads account.

  • Example 3: Enhanced conversions

We had another client who was running a video campaign and struggling to get the results they wanted. After auditing their account, we discovered that they had not set up enhanced conversions.

We recommended that they set up enhanced conversions, and after making the switch, they saw a 10% increase in conversions in their Google Ads account.

Conclusion

Solid conversion tracking is crucial for the success of your Google Ads campaigns. By following these best practices, you can increase conversions in your own account without making any changes to your campaigns.

Use the Google Ads Tag for primary conversion goals, use enhanced conversions to track more, use data-driven attribution to attribute better, use events from Google Analytics as backup (secondary) conversion goals, and use offline conversion tracking to improve conversion quality.

Remember to be careful when setting up new conversion goals and to gather data for at least 30 days before making any changes to your conversion tracking.

By following these best practices, you can ensure that your conversion tracking is accurate, and your campaigns are optimized for success.