10 Tips to Run Successful Google Search Campaigns and Avoid Wasting Money
Have you invested your money in Google Ads but are not getting any returns? You are not alone. Most companies miss 25% or more of their advertising budget on clicks that do not become customers.
The good news? You can fix this problem. A Google Ads search campaign can attract real customers with the right strategy and without emptying your wallet.
Here are ten easy-to-follow tips to help you run a successful campaign and avoid losing money.
Set Clear Goals and Track the Right Numbers
Before you spend a single dollar, know what you want to achieve. Do you want more sales? More phone calls? More sign-ups?
Important Google Ads KPIs to Watch
Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of your Google Ads will tell you whether your ad is working or not. Here are the main ones:
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): The number of people who click on your advertisement.
- Cost Per Click (CPC): The cost per click.
- Conversion Rate: The rate of clicks to customers.
- Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): The price you pay to acquire a single customer.
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): The amount of money you got against what you spent.
Track these numbers weekly. They show you exactly where your money goes.
Learn essential social media KPIs every marketer must track for measurable success.
Choose the Right Keywords
Keywords are the words people type into Google. Select the poor ones, and you waste money fast.
How to Do a Google Ads Keyword Search
Begin with a search on Google Ads for the free Keyword Planner tool. Search keywords with a purchasing purpose, such as buy running shoes online, plumber near me or best accounting software. These words demonstrate that individuals are willing to act.
Avoid vague keywords like “shoes” or “software.” They’re too broad and expensive. Focus on specific phrases that match what you’re selling.
Understanding Keyword Match Types
What are the various types of keyword match in Google Ads? You have to know the three principal types.
- Exact match displays your advertisement just to that specific phrase, which provides the highest control and highest returns.
- Phrase match displays your advertisement when a user gets results of your phrasing added with other words, which will provide a balance between coverage and control.
- Broad match displays your advertisement on other related searches, but this is not a safe option when you are starting, as it may end up wasting your finances on irrelevant traffic.
Start with an exact match. It costs less and brings better customers to your website.
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Use Negative Keywords to Block Bad Traffic
Here’s a secret most beginners miss: Keywords & negative keywords work together to protect your budget.
Negative keywords prevent your advertisements to appear under the wrong searches. As an example, when you sell high-level services, put the negatives of free and cheap. If you’re a lawyer, block “salary” and “jobs.” If you sell products, block “DIY” and “how to make.”
Check your Search Terms Report every week. Add bad searches to your negative list.
This is a small measure that can reduce wastage by 20% or even more. It is among the quickest means of enhancing your campaign performance.
Pick the Best Bidding Strategy
Google offers many ways to bid on ads. How many bidding strategies in Google Ads? There are 11+ options, but don’t panic
Best Bidding Strategy for Google Ads
Here are the top strategies that actually work. For beginners, Maximise Clicks gets you the most clicks within your budget and is good for learning, while Manual CPC lets you control every bid and works best for tight budgets.
For conversions, Target CPA helps Google keep your cost per customer steady, and Maximise Conversions spends your full budget to get the most customers. For sales, Target ROAS focuses on making you the most money.
Start simple with Maximise Clicks. Once you have 30+ conversions, switch to Target CPA or Maximise Conversions for better results.
Know Your Costs Before You Start
What is the actual cost of Google Ads? It depends on industry and competition.
Using Google Keyword Cost Estimator
The Google keyword cost estimator (Keyword Planner) shows you estimated costs. But here’s the truth: competitive industries cost more, sometimes $20-$50 per click, while local services cost less, usually $2-$10 per click. Your Quality Score also affects your actual cost.
Know your profit margins before you start. If you make $100 per sale, don’t spend $95 to get it!
Understanding Cost to Advertise on Google
The price of advertising on Google depends on your industry and competition, on your choice of keywords, the quality of your ads and landing page and on where you want to advertise. Establish a daily budget that you can afford. Begin with a small amount of $10-20 a day and increase as you get results. This is the best way that make you safe until you get to know what works.
Set Up Your Campaign Settings Correctly
Small setting mistakes waste big money. Here’s what to check right now.
Location Targeting: Select people in your target location, not people interested in your location. This prevents tourists who are clicking on your local business advertisements and wasting your budget.
Network Settings: Turn OFF “Search Partners” if you’re getting bad results. Focus on Google search only at first. You can always expand later once you’re profitable.
Ad Schedule: Run ads when your customers are active. Pause ads at night if nobody buys then. Check your data after 2 weeks to see when your best customers click and buy.
Use Ad Extensions (They are Free!)
The importance of ad extensions in Google Ads can’t be overstated. They make your ads bigger and better at no extra cost per click.
Top Ad Extensions to Add
Sitelink Extensions link to specific pages like Products, Contact, and About. Call Extensions add your phone number for instant calls. Callout Extensions highlight benefits like “Free Shipping” or “24/7 Support.” Location Extensions show your business address to local customers.
Ad extensions can boost your click rate by 10-15%. Plus, they improve your Quality Score, which lowers your costs! Add at least 4 extensions to every campaign today.
Write Ads That People Actually Click
Your ad copy makes or breaks your campaign. Here’s what works every time.
Ad Writing Formula
Put your main keyword in the headline. Mention a specific benefit or offer. Add a clear call-to-action. Include a reason to act now.
An ineffective ad simply states, “Great Accounting Software.”An effective ad communicates value and action: “Cloud Accounting Software – Start Your Free Trial Today and Save 10 Hours a Week.”
Have at least 3-4 ads within each ad group. Do what works, change what doesn’t. Allow data to lead the decision-making.
Fix Your Landing Pages
Even perfect ads fail if your landing page is terrible. Your page must load less than 3 seconds, be as fast as your promise in your ad, perform well on phones, have one distinct action button and display signs of trust such as reviews and logos.
Google checks your landing page quality. Better pages mean lower costs and better ad positions. Spend time making your landing page great, and your campaigns will perform better automatically.
Check Your Results Every Week
Set it and forget it? That’s how you waste money. Winners check their campaigns weekly.
Weekly Tasks: Spend 30 minutes revising your Search Terms Report, adding negative keywords, pausing keywords that have zero conversions, reviewing what ads are working best and bid adjusting on high performers.
Monthly Tasks: Take 2 hours to do a complete campaign audit, test new ad copy, and look at landing page performance and compare month-over-month performance.
Use this rule: When a keyword costs a person 50 dollars and zero amount of conversions, stop it.
Bonus Tips for Extra Savings
Use Automated Rules: Set up alerts when:
- A campaign spends too much
- Conversions drop suddenly
- Quality Score falls
Start Small, Scale Smart: Do not invest all of your budget at once. Test with $10-$20 daily. The greater the Quality Scores, the less expensive they are.
Quality Score Matters: Higher Quality Scores mean lower costs. Improve yours by:
- Using relevant keywords
- Writing better ads
- Creating focused landing pages
“It is not necessary to make a successful Google Ads search campaign complicated and costly. All this will enable you to save money on bad clicks, get more out of your budget on the number of customers, and know what is and what is not working.
Remember: Google Ads is not a service that you can leave without monitoring. The winning business tries, measures and refines weekly.
Begin with one or two of these tips today. Measure your KPIs on Google Ads every week. Adjust based on your data. You will realise you are making a difference within 30 days.
Your profitable campaign is only a couple of clever tweets away. Now go make it happen!
Ready to optimise your campaigns? Start by reviewing your Search Terms Report and adding negative keywords today. It’s the fastest way to stop wasting money right now.“
