Mastering Google Ads Optimization: Best Practices for Better Results

Google is quick to point out that over three-quarters of those who perform a local search on their smartphone visit that same place within 24 hours. The link between the digital and the real is always closer than we think, so ensuring your outreach efforts are as effective as possible can mean the difference between a conversion and a lost potential customer. However, do you know how to optimize Google Ads to get the most out of them?

Check out the steps below to laser-focus your campaign on the people most likely to convert to customers. Read on to discover how to align your:

• Ads
• Pages
• Bidding decisions
• Budgets

...so that you can ensure peak performance in your ads. Then, keep reading to learn Google Ads campaign tips related to combining this with multi-modal efforts, such as direct mail with Taradel.

How to Optimize Google Ads for Local Services

If you promote a local service, you can easily boost your visibility with searches that specifically refer to your local area. However, this may quickly become expensive depending on your location and industry. 

Instead of advertising all the time, adjust your location-based bids based on either peak demand times or when you know specific events to be occurring. Find ways to make the most of a limited budget to get more of the right eyes on what you offer, and customize the ad text to refer to the core pain point of that time. For example, if you are a laundry and targeting those finishing their commute, then mention the washing pile waiting at home and how you could help with it.

Dynamically adjusting your ads in this way makes them much more relevant, potentially capturing those who need a service or product just like yours.

Target High-Intent Local Keywords

Some search keywords have much clearer intent than others. Mastering Google Ads strategies means searching for these to prevent your promotion efforts from being captured by simple, casual searches. Finding these means that people are actively looking for something you offer, making it more likely that people will click.

Some of the simplest forms of this include location- or time-based searches, such as:

• Specific locations
• "Near me"
• "Things to do after X EVENT"
• "Chinese restaurants open on Sunday"

Use a keyword planner to find time-and-place related phrases like these for a higher conversion potential. However, keep an eye on how they perform, as they may only be relevant for a limited time, or the intent may not match your assumption.

Avoid High-Intent False Searches

Much like targeting for intent, Google Ads best practices include marking some terms as inappropriate for advertising. These could be, for example, when people look for:

• Jobs
• Course
• Tutorial
• Free
• DIY
• Definition

Each of these makes it evident that the searcher is not focused on anything related to what you do at the time.

Use Radius and Drive-Time Targeting

Building separate campaigns for people at different distances from your local business will allow you to target different regions. Using these, you can ensure you do not promote yourself as offering instant service, for example, if someone is going to take over an hour to get to you, when you will close by then.

Prove Your Expertise

If you are promoting specific services, such as medical, plumbing, or real estate, it can often be advantageous to reassure potential viewers of your professional credentials alongside empathising with a pain point. As such, try to address any urgent issues that people might have, if any occur in your industry, such as referring to:

• Burst pipes
• Emergency repair
• Appointments today
• Root canal specialist

Each of these highlights an obvious service that you offer that the person may be looking for, and can even reassure them that their difficulty could be gone quickly.

If it makes sense with what you offer, also add language or jargon that aligns with more assurances of your professionalism. These give people a greater sense that you can give them the best service, such as:

• HIPAA compliant
• Board-certified
• Accredited technician
• Certified contractor
• Licensed real estate broker
• Authorized to practice law in AREA

You can then rotate these to mention local events, especially if there was a recent, high-profile case of someone not matching these requirements. Doing this can often lead to a Google Ads results improvement due to the average person not knowing this industry knowledge.

Align Landing Pages with Each Campaign's Goals

If you run multiple campaigns, which you should do if you want to aim for multiple demographics or test ads to ensure effective PPC optimization, then try to match each ad with a single webpage promoting a single thing. Use clear headlines that mirror the specific pain point that the clicked ad discusses to reassure visitors that they are on the right website, and make the user's next step on the website as straightforward as possible.

You can also add elements to your website which could boost a customer's confidence in what you offer,such as:

• Brief testimonials
• Trust badges or certification logos
• Star rating from Google or Yelp
• Client logos or brand partnerships
• Partner or influencer imagery

Then, A/B these pages with different ad campaigns linked to separate, similar pages to discover which one is more likely to convert. Then, use that one moving forward and A/B test another hypothesis, iterating toward better and better user uptake.

Take Action with Taradel Today to Bring Customers On Board

Learning how to optimize Google Ads and using them to bring people to your website is easier than you think. Our system offers precise, local targeting and a dashboard that allows you to combine your ad efforts. Then, if you are unsure how to promote yourself, you could always commission us to design a direct mail campaign for you.

Here at Taradel, our team of experienced designers and marketers stands ready to work with you and get you the visibility you deserve. Begin planning your new campaign and start communicating directly with your target audience today.