Google AdWords & Digital Marketing Audit
Are you unhappy with the results of your Google AdWords account? If so, an AdWords audit can help you tweak your use of the service, increasing both your click-through and conversion rates.
If you have a paid search marketing (PSM) or search engine marketing (SEM) internet-based marketing campaign, then you are undoubtedly already familiar with Google’s AdWords service. If you do not, then you should know that Google AdWords is an advertising service run by Google, which allows advertisers to post ads on Google and affiliates in Google’s extensive advertising network. Of all pay-per-click (PPC) or cost-per-click (CPC) advertising services, AdWords has the potential to reach the largest audience, and, as a result, is extremely popular among advertisers. However, this popularity also means that even aid advertisers have to use strategic search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to ensure that their ads are reaching their target audience.
An AdWords audit is the first step towards using AdWords effectively. An AdWords audit looks at your current use of AdWords and suggests tweaks that can increase your click-through rate (CTR) and your conversion rate.
The first step is to look at your conversion rate. You should be doing conversion tracking, and, if you are not, you need to start immediately. Conversion rates tell you how successful you are at changing potential customers to customers. While low click-through rates suggest that you need to tweak your advertising or, perhaps, that you are not reaching the right market, low conversion rates suggest that your website, itself, needs some type of adjusting.
The second step is to look at whether you are using all of AdWords’ features. Google is probably the most responsive internet company out there and AdWords is equally responsive. Expect changes to AdWords on a weekly basis and audit your account accordingly, to make sure that you are getting the most bang for your advertising buck.
The third step in an audit is to test ad text elements to see how to improve your conversion rate. Keep in mind that SEO auditing can help you ensure that your websites are seen by more people, but that SEO techniques do not guarantee conversions. Real-time testing of different text elements can help you understand what your potential customers want to see in addition to SEO terms.
Finally, you want to look at the data and the trends. Google will provide you with a wealth of information, but you have to decide what information is useful and how to use it. That is why incorporating an examination of trends into your audit can help you understand, not just how you are performing at a specific point in time, but that performance in context of larger trends.
