It’s been 20 years since the launch of Google Ads, and yet, many advertisers have continued to rely on the same PPC tactics they’ve always used—resulting in an average conversion rate of just 4%. While this may have been an acceptable standard in the past, it isn’t today. If your PPC tools and tactics are costing you a 96% wasted ad spend, it’s worth re-evaluating your approach.
1. Ditch the “get more clicks” mindset
The first step to a successful SEM strategy is to adopt a conversion mindset. To improve your ROAS, your SEM campaign should be focused on earning conversions. After all, your goal is to earn paying customers, not window shoppers.
2. Target the right keywords
Targeting the right keywords will help increase the relevance of your ads, boosting your Quality Score, reducing your cost per click, and earning you more conversions.
3. Personalize your ad campaigns
Using customer data for personalization in a manner that creates value for customers is the key to their success.
4. Ensure message-match between ads and pages
Part of effective personalization is making sure your ads and landing pages tell a cohesive story from start to finish. It may sound obvious, but a surprising number of ads drive traffic to landing pages that don’t align with the ad message.
5. Maintain a 1:1 ratio of ads to landing pages
A best practice of any search engine marketing program is establishing a 1:1 ratio of ads to landing pages. This means creating a separate landing page for each of your key terms with the objective of creating a highly relevant post-click experience for every search. There may be some overlap in content, but at minimum, the page’s title, headline, copy, imagery, products/services, and CTA should be tailored to the specific keyphrase targeted by your ad.
6. Follow conversion-centred design principles
Once your ad has done its job and compelled prospective customers to click, your landing page is responsible for the second half of the journey. Designing your landing page based on established UX best practices will help ensure the success of your SEM campaign.
7. Test and optimize constantly
The practice of conversion rate optimization (CRO) involves continually improving your post-click landing page experiences by incorporating learnings to maximize conversion
Following best practices will get you started in the right direction, but they aren’t a substitute for testing. Even if you create what feels like perfect ads and post-click landing pages, you’d be surprised how much A/B and multivariate testing can push your conversion improvements.