Common Mistakes Business Owners Make With Their Google Ads Strategy.
We asked Kyle Weston, Estland’s Digital Director, what the biggest mistakes business owners make with their Google Ads are, and here are the two he sees the most.
By manually defining what qualifies as a lead, we ensure that our ads reach the right audience, improving the quantity and quality of interactions, steering clear of misleading data and providing genuine leads that convert.”
Kyle Weston, Digital Director, Estland
Mistake #1: Misunderstanding What Your Marketing Partner Is Calling A Lead For Your Google Ads.
The most common pitfall is misunderstanding what constitutes a genuine lead and not tracking conversions properly for your Google Ads.
Fortunately and unfortunately, Google does not have a set definition of what a lead is. You have to manually tell it what you want to count as a lead, and then they use that information to improve who’s seeing your ads.
Some marketing companies use this to their advantage and inflate the numbers in their favor—not yours.
They will count things like a click for directions to your office as a lead and tell you they got you 300 leads, which can be very misleading if none of them are interested in becoming a new customer.
Solution: Define A Lead As Someone Who Makes A Quantitative Effort To Contact Your Business.
At Estland, we work with businesses to define and track quality leads.
When we set up our campaigns, we only count someone as a lead if they’ve made a quantitative effort to contact your business.
Examples of these efforts include:
- A phone call off of an ad,
- A phone call from a number on your website,
- A website form submission or
- A purchase made through an e-commerce store.
By manually defining what qualifies as a lead, we ensure that our ads reach the right audience, improving the quantity and quality of interactions, steering clear of misleading data and providing genuine leads that convert.
Mistake #2: Comparing Your Cost-Per-Click Rates.
One area that needs clarification is the concept of cost-per-click (CPC). Reminder: with cost-per-click, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. (For more background info, read our Digital Ads Guide)
Here’s why it’s complicated: different words people search for online cost different amounts in different places at different times.
Read that one more time.
No wonder business owners get frustrated.
Some words might cost $20 each time someone clicks, while others could be as low as $0.50. This cost isn’t just random; it’s influenced by how popular the words are and the quality of your ad.
Then, suppose your competitors are all trying to get attention for the same keywords, and some of those businesses have big budgets. In that case, the cost for each click increases because everyone is competing for the same people’s attention.
Solution: Develop An Adaptable Google Ads Strategy.
Unfortunately, even if your ad is excellent (with a great quality score), a competitor can pay more to get their ad rank higher, even if their ad isn’t as good.
But don’t let that count you out of the fight.
It’s a tricky balancing act, and at Estland, we help businesses navigate these challenges.
We help create Google Ads strategies that can adapt to your current cost-per-click environment by tweaking keywords, phrases, locations and ad assets to ensure your ads are served for the best price.
Grow Your Business With Results-Driven Google Ads.
Estland’s skilled team brings decades of experience and knowledge to strategically and systematically increase your online visibility. We’ll monitor performance and adapt your plans to ensure you get the most out of your Google Ads budget.
