Category: Google Ads

  • Google Ads Campaign Types: A Comprehensive Guide

    Google Ads Campaign Types: A Comprehensive Guide

    Understanding Google Ads Campaign Types

    Google Ads is a powerful tool for businesses to reach their target audience and increase conversions. However, it’s important to understand the different campaign types available in order to maximize your advertising efforts.

    Search campaigns are the most common type of Google Ads campaign, where ads appear at the top of search engine results pages based on relevant keywords. Display campaigns allow you to showcase your ads on websites within Google’s network that match your target audience.

    Shopping campaigns are ideal for e-commerce businesses looking to promote their products directly in search results with images and prices. Video campaigns can be used for promoting video content on YouTube or other video platforms.

    Finally, there are also App campaigns and Smart campaigns which use machine learning algorithms to optimize ad delivery across multiple channels.

    By understanding these different campaign types and selecting the right one for your business goals, you can create effective advertising strategies that drive traffic and conversions.

    Search: Targeting the Right Audience

    Search campaigns are one of the most popular types of Google Ads campaigns. They allow advertisers to target potential customers who are actively searching for specific keywords related to their products or services.

    To create a successful search campaign, it’s important to target the right audience. This means selecting relevant keywords that match what your potential customers are searching for and creating ad copy that speaks directly to their needs and interests.

    According to a study by WordStream, businesses that use targeted keywords in their ads see an average click-through rate (CTR) of 3.7%, compared to just 1.9% for non-targeted ads.

    To further refine your targeting, you can also use audience targeting options such as demographics, location, and device type. For example, if you’re a local business targeting customers within a specific area, you can set your ads to only show up for users within that location.

    By using these tactics and continually monitoring and optimizing your search campaign performance metrics such as CTRs and conversion rates, you can ensure that your ads reach the right people at the right time with maximum impact on ROI.

    Display: Reaching a Wider Audience

    Display campaigns are an effective way to reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness. These campaigns allow you to showcase your ads on various websites, mobile apps, and video platforms across the internet.

    According to Google, display campaigns can reach over 90% of global internet users. This means that you have the potential to reach millions of people with your ads. Additionally, display campaigns can be targeted based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and more.

    One study found that display advertising can increase website traffic by up to 300%. This is because these ads are visually appealing and catch the attention of users as they browse online.

    To create successful display campaigns, it’s important to use eye-catching visuals and compelling ad copy. You should also consider using retargeting tactics to show your ads to people who have already interacted with your brand in some way.

    Overall, if you’re looking for a way to expand your reach and increase brand awareness online, display campaigns are definitely worth considering as part of your digital marketing strategy.

    Video: Engaging with Visuals

    Video campaigns are a powerful way to engage with your audience and showcase your brand. With Google Ads, you can create video ads that appear on YouTube and other websites across the web.

    According to a study by HubSpot, 54% of consumers want to see more video content from brands they support. This means that incorporating video into your advertising strategy can help you reach more potential customers.

    When creating a video campaign, it’s important to keep in mind the different types of ad formats available, such as TrueView in-stream ads or bumper ads. Each format has its own unique benefits and targeting options.

    One advantage of using video campaigns is also the ability to target specific audiences based on demographics or interests. For example, if you’re promoting a new makeup line for women aged 18-24 years old, you can target this group specifically through demographic targeting options.

    Another benefit is the ability to track engagement metrics such as views, clicks-through rates (CTR), view-through rates (VTR), and conversions. This data allows advertisers to optimize their campaigns for better performance over time.

    In conclusion, incorporating videos into your advertising strategy can be an effective way to engage with potential customers online. With Google Ads’ various ad formats and targeting options available for Video Campaigns

    It’s worth considering adding them into your marketing mix!

    Shopping: Promoting Your Products

    Shopping campaigns are a type of Google Ads campaign that allows businesses to promote their products directly on Google’s search results page. These campaigns are ideal for e-commerce businesses looking to increase their online sales.

    With shopping campaigns, you can showcase your products with images, prices, and other relevant information. This makes it easier for potential customers to find what they’re looking for and make a purchase.

    According to Google, advertisers who use shopping ads see an average increase in website traffic of 45%. Additionally, these ads have a higher click-through rate than traditional text-based ads.

    To get started with shopping campaigns, you’ll need to create a product feed that includes all the relevant information about your products. This feed will then be used by Google Ads to display your products in search results.

    It’s important to optimize your product feed by including high-quality images and accurate descriptions. You should also regularly review and update your feed as needed.

    Overall, shopping campaigns can be an effective way for e-commerce businesses to reach new customers and drive sales through targeted advertising on Google’s search results page.

    App: Driving App Installs

    App campaigns are a specific campaign type of Google Ads campaign that helps businesses drive app installs and engagement. With over 2 million apps available on the Google Play Store alone, it can be challenging for businesses to stand out and attract users to their app.

    Using app campaigns, businesses can create ads that appear across various Google platforms such as Search, YouTube, and the Display Network. They encourage users to download or engage with an app by showcasing its unique features and benefits.

    According to a study by Think With Google, businesses using App campaigns saw a 140% increase in conversions compared with other types of mobile ad formats. Additionally, these campaigns have been found to deliver high-quality installs at lower costs than traditional advertising methods.

    To get started with creating an effective App campaign, it’s important for businesses first define their goals and target audience. They should also ensure that their landing page is optimized for mobile devices and provides clear information about the benefits of downloading or engaging with their app.

    Overall, App campaigns offer a powerful way for businesses looking to drive more downloads and engagement for their apps. By leveraging advanced targeting capabilities along with compelling ad creative messaging, they can reach potential customers at scale while keeping costs low compared against other forms of advertising spend like TV commercials which may not even reach your intended audience!

    Smart Campaigns: Simplifying Your Advertising

    Google Ads offers a variety of campaign types to help businesses reach their advertising goals. One such type is Smart Campaigns, designed to simplify the advertising process for small businesses with limited time and resources.

    Smart Campaigns use machine learning technology to create ads tailored to a business’s specific goals and target audience. They also automate ad placement across Google’s network of websites, apps, and search results pages.

    According to Google, businesses using Smart Campaigns have seen an average increase in conversions by 20%. This is because the campaigns optimize themselves over time based on performance data.

    To get started with Smart Campaigns, all a business needs is a website or Facebook page. From there, they can choose from different ad formats such as text ads or image ads and set their budget and targeting preferences.

    Overall, Smart Campaigns offer an easy way for small businesses to advertise online without having extensive knowledge of digital marketing. With its automated features and proven success rates, it’s worth considering for any business looking to expand its online presence.

    Performance Max: Automated conversions

    The Performance Max is a new campaign type in Google Ads that uses machine learning to optimize your ads for conversions across multiple channels. This campaign type allows you to reach potential customers on YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and other Google properties.

    With Performance Max campaigns, you can set up automated bidding strategies that adjust bids based on the likelihood of conversion. Your ads will be shown to people who are most likely to take action based on their past behavior.

    According to Google’s internal data, advertisers using Performance Max have seen an average increase of 30% in conversions at a similar cost per acquisition compared to other campaign types.

    To get started with Performance Max campaigns, you’ll need a website with conversion tracking set up. You’ll also need high-quality creative assets such as images and videos for your ads.

    Overall, Performance Max is an excellent option for businesses looking to maximize their conversions across multiple channels while minimizing manual optimization efforts.

    Discovery: Discovering your product

    Discovery campaigns are a type of Google Ads campaign that helps businesses reach potential customers who may not be actively searching for their products or services. These campaigns use machine learning to show ads to people who are likely to be interested in what the business has to offer.

    Discovery campaigns can appear on YouTube, Gmail, and the Discover feed on Google’s mobile app. They allow businesses to showcase their products or services through visually appealing ads that blend seamlessly with the user’s browsing experience.

    According to Google, Discovery campaigns have shown a 47% lower cost per conversion compared to other display campaigns. This is because they target users based on their interests and behaviors rather than just keywords.

    To create a successful Discovery campaign, businesses should focus on creating visually stunning ads that capture the attention of potential customers.

    Overall, Discovery campaigns can be an effective way for businesses to expand their reach and discover new customers who may not have found them through traditional search advertising methods.

    You can find instructions to setup these campaigns in this Google Ads support article.

  • The mystery of destination not working

    The mystery of destination not working

    Ever faced ads or extension that were disapproved for Destination Not Working policy in your Google Ads account? This policy can sometimes be a real mystery, when it seems like your landing pages are available when you try it yourself.

    Destination Not Working : what is that?

    Destination Not Working
    The policy in Policy Manager

    We will see today how this policy can indeed be quite mysterious. But let’s clarify something right now : almost every time, Google Ads flagged these ads correctly.

    First, I think it is essential to remind what this policy is about : Destination Not Working happens whenever your ad’s Final URL don’t function properly or have been incorrectly set up. This can be happening due to several technical reasons, but there is a trap : you can see your website functioning correctly, while in the end it is not !

    This is why I came up with these testing tools, to figure that out. Indeed, it is possible that in your own context you can see your website work as intended. That doesn’t mean that it is currently accessible for other countries or for crawling robots (as Google require in its destination policies).

    Let’s now take a close look at the different tools we can use to identify destination issues.

    Uptrends

    Uptrends’s Website Uptime tool is a very nice way to ensure, quickly, that your website is available in various location in the world. This is, in my opinion, the ideal first step to check, as Google hates when someone cannot access your website.

    Uptrends Website Uptime tool

    To use the tool, simply fill your website address (including “http://”, or even better “https://”) in the field, and click Start test.

    When all the location are green, then it means that they are reachable from all these locations. On the opposite, if your website cannot be accessed from certain locations, you will quickly be able to detect it with locations being displayed in red, as follows :

    In this example, it seems like my website is reachable exclusively from France

    From this test, you can use a VPN from an unreachable location, to confirm the issue. It can even help you troubleshoot the issue, as other locations can only be blocked by a confirmation page, such as a bot blocker, which makes it seems like unreachable for the robot.

    GeoPeeker

    GeoPeeker is a second tool, that looks a bit like Uptrends. Indeed, this website shows you direct rendering of your page (as well as IP address and Ping), from several locations around the globe. I consider that it can be a useful complement to Uptrends, in order to see, as previously mentioned, if there are any blockers on the website, such a captcha or confirmation page in certain countries.

    Indeed, you’ll see straight away if they are rendering.

    GeoPeeker tool

    Don’t worry if some rendering, like in the example above, displays “Render Unavailable”. This is a common issue from this tool, but as long as you see an IP address and a Ping, it means it has been reached.

    Httpstatus

    Next in line is HTTPS Status. This tool is particularly useful if you have various URLs to check at once. Indeed, you can add all your URLs, one per line, to check if they will return an HTTP error, or an HTTP status 200 (OK).

    Httpsstatus showing different URLs at once

    That being said, let’s rewind a little, to understand what are HTTP statuses. To say it simply, it is the status in which your page reaches you. They are split in categories:

    • 2xx : successful
    • 3xx : redirection
    • 4xx : client error
    • 5xx : server error 

    The complete list, and the meaning of each status, is in this Wikipedia article. You don’t have to know them at all. Indeed, what matters is to differentiate the 200 (OK), that Google wants for your page, from the other ones, that results in a Destination Not Working flagging.

    Please note that Redirections are not permitted by Google, as it seems like tricking the user.

    Robots.txt validator

    robots.txt validator, by Merkle, is a very useful tool to see the robot.txt file detected on your website. A very cool feature is that you can pick the exact User Agent (robot) that you want to use. For this reason, this tool will directly show you the line that concerns this particular agent, and will confirm underneath, whether it is accessible or not.

    Vue of robot.txt Validator

    I always recommend having a quick look at this tool. Indeed, it happens when you have a Destination Not Working issue (especially when you can see the website on your end) that some crawling bots are disallowed in your robot.txt.

    Chrome inspector

    The inspection mode from Google Chrome can be a powerful ally to understand a website’s issue. Even though it is mostly used by web developers (especially the Console tab, that we gonna look at), this tool is a quick way to see errors, such as HTTP 403 or 404, that can lead to a Destination Not Working.

    On the right, you can see the Inspector popup

    To access this tool, you must :

    • Go to your website
    • Right-click somewhere
    • Choose Inspect
    • On the top bar of the popup, click on Console

    Once there, you will find the errors in red. They are not all a cause for Destination Not Working, but if you see a lot of them, I’ll recommend you to see with your webmaster the issue to fix it.

    In conclusion, if all of these elements are in the green, I highly recommend you to reach out to Google Ads support. They can have more insight on the issue, or helps you to re-enable your ads in case of error.

    You can find the policy (amongst other destination policies) official article from Google by following this link. For an article about the different policy types, click here.

  • The different policies in Google Ads

    The different policies in Google Ads

    Let’s discover the different types of policies Google Ads has!

    As one of the most popular digital advertising platforms, Google Ads allows businesses to reach their target audiences through a variety of ad formats and targeting options. However, in order to maintain a fair and safe advertising ecosystem, Google has established various policies that advertisers must adhere to. These policies are categorized into several categories, detailed below.

    1. Prohibited content : Google Ads prohibits the promotion of certain types of content, including but not limited to adult content, counterfeit goods, illegal products or services, and misleading or deceptive content. This category also includes ads that promote discrimination or hate speech, as well as those that exploit sensitive events or issues.
    2. Restricted content : While some types of content are outright prohibited, others are allowed under certain restrictions. Restricted content includes alcohol, gambling, healthcare products or services, and financial services. Advertisers promoting these products or services must adhere to specific requirements, such as providing proof of licensing or complying with local laws and regulations.
    3. Prohibited practices : In addition to specific types of content, Google Ads also prohibits certain advertising practices. These include practices that are considered to be misleading, such as false claims or misleading information about products or services. Other prohibited practices include the use of unauthorized third-party trademarks and the manipulation of ad metrics or user behavior.
    4. Ad format policies : Google Ads has specific policies related to the format and appearance of ads. For example, ads must be clearly distinguishable from other content on a page, and they cannot contain excessively flashy or distracting animations or sound effects. Additionally, ads cannot include certain types of content, such as auto-play videos or pop-ups that interfere with a user’s ability to navigate a website.
    5. Landing page policies : Finally, Google Ads has policies related to the landing pages that ads direct users to. Landing pages must be relevant to the ad content and provide a clear and honest representation of the product or service being promoted. They must also provide a positive user experience, with fast loading times and easy navigation. Checkout, for instance, my article about Destination requirement here.

    Overall, Google Ads policies are designed to ensure that advertisers create high-quality, relevant ads that provide value to users while maintaining a safe and trustworthy advertising ecosystem. Advertisers must carefully review and adhere to these policies in order to avoid ad disapproval or account suspension, and to create effective and successful ad campaigns.