Google’s AdWords platform is one of the most popular ways to run ads across a huge display network, and with good reason. The barrier to entry is low, costs are manageable, and the wide variety of possible positions means there’s always somewhere your ad can be displayed.
With any large ad network, one of your primary concerns is going to be cost. You want to keep costs low without dropping into “penny click” spam territory. You want to keep quality high without paying 3x or more what the clicks are actually worth. What do you do to strike that balance?
1. Create many variations on your ads.
Ad variations in ad sets can help a lot with keeping costs down. Instead of targeting one massive audience with one ad that may or may not be very good, break your audience down. Target different segments of your audience with different, more tailored ads.
For instance, if you’re running a shoe store, you don’t want to target everyone looking for shoes with a generic ad for shoes. Break it down. Target people looking for dress shoes with an ad about dress shoes. Target people looking for heels with an ad for your best-selling heels. Target people looking for athletic shoes with your best-reviewed sports trainers. Taken all together, you’ll have a greater conversion rate than you would with one larger, generic ad.
2. Ignore the Google Keyword Tool.
The best way to target individual segments of an audience is to target the actionable keywords they’re using. Each ad should have a selection of keywords relating to that segment. For example, if you’re trying to sell athletic shoes, you might use keywords like “women’s athletic shoes” or “athletic shoes for women” or “cheap athletic shoes.” Using brand names, colors and genders can help segment your ad to the right kind of people. You can even…
