Google Ads 101: How to Increase Conversions on Your Paid Search Ads

Did you know that Google processes around 99,000 searches every second? For many of these searches, users see several paid search ads displayed above the organic search results that may be relevant to the keyword they’ve entered. While paid search ads are commonly used among e-commerce businesses, they are undoubtedly a great tool for B2B marketers to promote brand awareness and generate leads for their business. So, what are the best tips to increase conversions on your paid search ads?

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Let’s explore the ways you can optimize your Google ads and landing pages to drive more leads and sales for your B2B business.

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4 Factors That Drive Conversion on Paid Search Ads

Paid search ads are increasing in popularity because of their effectiveness. These ads run on a pay-per-click basis and deliver a high ROI—on average, businesses make $2 in revenue for every $1 they spend on Google Ads. Google has become the most popular platform for paid search ads as it has the largest market share of any search engine at 92%.  

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Whether you’re just getting started with Google Ads or looking to refine your current strategy, it’s important to understand the basics behind paid search ads and which factors drive conversions. Here are a few to keep in mind:

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1. Effective keywords: Before you can effectively run a paid search ad, you need to understand what your audience is searching for in relation to your product or service. You can then build your ads around these keywords and any relevant keyword variations to reach as much of your target audience as possible.
2. Landing page continuity: The transition from your ad to your landing page should be seamless. This means that when someone clicks on your ad they should be taken to a landing page that displays content similar to the ad they just clicked on. If a user does not see relevant content, they will likely bounce and find another product or service that fits their needs (and provides a better customer experience!). Not to mention, Google could penalize you by lowering your keyword quality scores if your ads and landing pages are not optimized for the keywords you're bidding on
3. Google Ads extensions: Extensions add more content to your Google ad with options like call buttons, additional links, promotions, and location information. Extensions can improve your ad quality score and encourage clicks by providing more information and visibility.
4. Analysis and iteration: Because paid search ads are often a large investment, you want to make sure you’re not leaving money on the table. First and foremost, make sure you’re measuring your success by tracking conversions. This may seem like a no-brainer, however, many companies set up their ads without setting up conversion tracking. Once your tracking is properly set up, be sure to regularly monitor your Google ads by looking at metrics like impressions, click-through rates, cost per conversion, and landing page bounce rate, and iterate based on their performance.

How to Choose the Right Keywords for Your Google Ads

Now that you understand the main factors that drive conversions on your Google ads, let’s take a closer look at the biggest one: keywords. Keywords are the backbone of any paid search ad because they determine whether a visitor will see your ad at all. 

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To generate keywords that increase your Google ad conversions, use the following tips:

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• Be specific. Specific keywords typically have better conversion rates than broad keywords because the visitor is more likely to be looking for what you offer. For example, if you work for a website optimization company in the SaaS industry, you’ll have better luck targeting specific website optimization-based keywords than SaaS-based keywords. Specific keyword phrases are typically longer and more descriptive, sometimes coming in the form of questions and sentences. Searchers are learning that the more descriptive their search query, the more relevant the results will be. Likewise, if you’re targeting longer and more descriptive keyword phrases in your paid search campaigns, you’ll be more likely to find your ads in front of the right audience.
• Use negative keywords. Negative keywords prevent your ad from appearing in the search result pages when a user searches Google using that keyword. For example, if your business doesn’t offer free trials, you might use “free” as a negative keyword so your Google ads won’t appear for that search. This will not only prevent you from misconstruing potential leads but also helps you keep lead quality high. 
• Leverage keyword analytics. Using the data in Google Ads to monitor conversion tracking, search terms reports, and keyword analytics will help you refine your target keyword choices and optimize your ads for your intended audience. By using keyword analytics, you can achieve higher quality scores and improve ad strength, which will reduce your cost-per-click (CPC) and improve your ad placement in the search results

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How to Optimize Your Landing Pages to Drive Conversions

When you choose the right keywords that resonate with your audience, a user then clicks on your ad and arrives at your landing page to take the desired action (e.g. downloading an eBook or requesting a demo). Of course, the quality of your landing page will determine whether or not the user will take this action and move on to become a lead for your business.

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To effectively build a landing page that converts, consider using the following best practices:

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• Make the call-to-action (CTA) clear. The user has already taken one step to get to your landing page, so make sure your CTA conveys exactly what will happen once they engage with it. You should also ensure that your CTA is large and clearly visible above the fold of your landing page so a potential lead doesn’t have to put in extra effort to find it.
• Keep your forms simple. If you’re asking a user to download an eBook, do you really need their name and a bunch of company information? Probably not. Keep your forms as short and sweet as possible (e.g. just ask for an email address) and, if they’re a great fit for your business, you’ll get more information as you continue to engage with them in the future.
• Remove your navigation. Your top navigation can distract from the task at hand, meaning users might click to other pages on your site instead of filling out your form. To encourage users to stay on-site after they’ve completed the CTA, try recommending keyword-relevant content on your thank you page.

Just like your keywords, you should make sure to regularly analyze your Google ad metrics and tweak your landing pages accordingly so you can continue to incrementally improve conversion rates. To drive even better results, consider using a personalization tool like Intellimize to build hyper-personalized landing pages that compel users to convert.

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Conclusion

When you take the time to understand the various factors that impact paid search ad conversions, you can start to optimize your own ads and landing pages to generate more leads for your business. 

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For more tips to optimize your landing pages, check out these articles:

• 7 Website Optimization Tips for B2B Landing Pages
• Part 1 of 2: The Beginner’s Guide to Landing Page Conversion Optimization
• Part 2 of 2: Optimize Your Landing Pages with These 5 Common Tactics

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