Driving Maximum ROI: Essential Google Ads best practices for your business

Nowadays, it is very simple to set up a Google Ads account, create a couple of campaigns and then wait for the results. You might think that Google’s AI capabilities lowered the barrier to entry when it comes to managing the campaigns, but without giving the algorithm the input it needs, getting good results out of your campaigns is not as easy as it seems. In this article, we will discuss some of the Google Ads best practices for 2024 to maximize your campaigns and take it to the next level.

Leverage automated bidding

With Google's AI bidding algorithms taking the reins, only a handful can still successfully run manual CPC campaigns. This shift means advertisers can breathe easy, as bidding strategies now handle the heavy lifting, allowing them to concentrate on other aspects of their accounts.

However, if you are just starting with a brand new Google ds account, you will not have any historical conversion data. In this case, it is better to set up your campaigns with a manual CPC bidding strategy.

Keep in mind that Smart bidding is always learning, even from manual CPC campaigns. So when you have enough conversions, you can switch your bidding strategy. A good benchmark is to have about 15-30 conversions / month before switching.

Check your competitors’ ads

This might not seem an obvious thing to do, but it is a very good way of making your ads stand out. Through Google’s Ads Transparency Center, you can check what types of ads a company is running.

You can find data on ad formats, sort filter them by location, and even check specific date ranges. This is really helpful, because it gives you information about the way they are writing the ads.

With this information you will be able to position your products and services better and make more compelling ads.

Refresh the ad copy

Refreshing your ad copy every now and then is a must if you want to keep attracting clicks. And this ties nicely with the previous point we’ve discussed. After you have analyzed your competitors’ ads, you can start improving yours.

First, you can look at the ad assets in your Google Ads account and see which headlines / descriptions got the most impressions. Also, make sure to check the Performance grade Google gave them. Remember to look at a longer date range when reviewing the assets’ performance. In order for Google to grade your assets, you’ll need at least 1000 impressions, but the more data you’re looking at, the better.

Besides these points, make sure you are using as many ad copy best practices as you can:

• Include numbers in your ad copy: this will attract more attention and more clicks.
• Add the keywords in the headline
• Test imperative verbs to add an edge
• Include the landing page call to action in your ad

Don’t forget about sitelinks and ad extensions

Sitelinks are a great way to maximize your ‘real estate’ in the search results. This will increase your overall CTR as people get more links they can click on. And it will give you the opportunity to paint a bigger picture.

You can complement your ad with related links. For B2C, you can add related product categories, subscription options and pricing, or any other important landing page your business might have. For B2B, the sitelinks can cover additional features, the pricing page, or the signup form page.

Also, don’t forget to include the other types of extensions (image extensions, callouts, price extensions, etc.). These will help your ads to stand out even more.

Update to data driven attribution

If you haven’t done so yet, consider using Google’s data driven attribution model. This will give you more insight into how people are interacting with your ads.

Typically, advertisers used last click attribution. But this model gives all the credit for the conversion to the last ad the user interacted with.

With data driven attribution, all the ads the user interacted with will get a piece of that conversion. This way, you will know which are most engaging and more likely to lead to a conversion.

This attribution model is a more accurate representation of your customers’ journey. So besides a very few exceptions, this is your best bet for optimizing your campaigns.

Test Performance Max campaigns

Performance Max campaigns can be a tough nut to crack. Their problem is that they are very easy to set up, and because they can target multiple channels make them very appealing.

But the real challenge is to create a Performance Max campaign that performs well. You need to have a solid foundation to build your campaign on. And this starts with conversion tracking.

Without good conversion tracking, Google’s bidding algorithm will not know if the results are good, if any. This will affect the campaign and it can cause it to spend the budget without providing revenue for your business, or the campaign can stop spending altogether.

Besides accurate conversion data, you must also provide PMax campaigns with high quality assets. You want to avoid feeding the campaign with subpar data as it will only generate subpar results - garbage in, garbage out.

So make sure your product images are clear, with no overlays or text added, you include lifestyle images and show people how the product works. Another important aspect are the videos. If you don’t provide any, Google will create generic videos using your assets, and use them for YouTube Ads.

While you might be thinking it is a good thing because you don’t have to create them, they’re quality is low and might affect your brand image.

Optimize landing pages

When thinking about Google Ads performance, you should not neglect your landing pages. The ads are bringing in the traffic, but the landing page converts. A lot of traffic without conversions is just wasted money.

Your landing pages should consider the user's journey. Make it easy for a website visitor to find what they are looking for, to add to their cart, and checkout without too many steps.

Another aspect to keep in mind is that Google assesses if a landing page reflects the ad message and the keywords you are targeting. If they match, the quality score for your keywords will increase.

Moreover, optimizing your landing pages will also prepare you for Google’s Search Generative Experience. More likely than not, Google will include organic product listings in there (aside from the ads).

Be critical: Look at the context

Keep in mind that best practices are just some tactics that work most of the time. But not all the time. So, you should develop the habit of being critical of ideas.

Depending on your account knowledge, think if it would make sense to implement such tactics.

As an example, let’s say you sell snow globes. One of the best practices is to implement and test a PMax campaign. But will it really work for your business?

In this context, the algorithm will have a really hard learning phase. And by the time it might have finished learning, the season is done.

So you might skip the PMax tactic and opt for a combination of a standard Shopping campaign and Search Ads.