Google Ads represent an efficient and effective way to attract relevant customers to your brand or business. Like with many other marketing pursuits, the question usually comes down to your budget – can you really afford the costs of Google Ads?

Keep reading to learn more about getting started with Google Ads campaigns so you can improve your digital marketing efforts in a cost-effective way.

Define the Goal of Your Google Ad Campaign

If you own an e-commerce business, the main goal is sales and growing your revenue. If you offer a service, the goal may be getting customers to download your white papers or complete a form.

It doesn’t matter what your goal is, to things should be clear:

  • The core conversion metric
  • The value of every conversion

For e-commerce, it is just the order’s value when someone checks out. For service businesses, though, you must assign a value to every interaction. For example, a white paper download may be worth $25, while completing an inquiry form may be worth $100.

Identify Your Top Business Metrics

For any type of Google Ad campaign, you need to figure out the top three metrics to track your overall success. These include:

  1. Average order value
  2. Margin
  3. Conversion rate

Once you have these figures in mind, you can begin planning a strategy and finding cost-effective tips to implement.

Use Long-Tail Keywords

A long-tail keyword is one that has a lower search volume along with easily identifiable search intent. Remember, the more generic of a keyword you use, the more people who will be bidding on it. As a result, your bid will have to be higher to come out on top.

However, with long-tail keywords, you have options with lower search volumes. This means they are not susceptible to irrelevant search queries, which means they won’t waste your ad funds.

Target Keywords with Lower Bids

When targeting keywords, you need to find the ones with lower bids because they will also come with a lower cost-per-click. CPC of keywords is also dependent on the competitiveness of your industry. Remember, highly competitive keywords are going to be more expensive. If you want to reduce your costs, finding options with lower CPCs is a must.

Don’t Overlook Negative Keywords

Negative keywords can help reduce your CPC. They will also help keep your ads from being triggered by search queries that are irrelevant, reducing your click-through rate. Having a healthy CTR is essential because lower CTRs reduce your quality score and increase your CPC. When you use negative keywords, you can avoid irrelevant search queries and improve your Quality score while reducing costs.

Get Help with PPC Planning

When it comes to PPC campaigns and creating a plan, you have to keep costs in mind. Keeping your PPC costs low is essential to ensure that you get the results desired without blowing your marketing budget. If necessary, get help with the planning process for superior results.