Retail Industry Knowledge Center |
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Target the right audienceTips to help you zero in on your potential customers. In this tips section we'll cover:
Spotlight on CTR: Improve your ad performanceYour clickthrough rate (CTR) is the number of clicks your ad receives divided by the number of times your ad is shown (impressions). You'll want to keep a close key on CTR to help gauge how your keywords are performing so you know where to focus your efforts. The more compelling and relevant the ad is, the more often it will get clicked, and the higher your CTR will be. CTR also helps to determine your keyword's Quality Score, which in turn factors into your required minimum bid. If your CTR is strong, your ads may place higher on the page than the ads of competitors bidding just as much or more per click.
Ad appeal: Write effective ad textSome ads are more effective than others, and often it can come down to style. Think about your own online experiences. Have you ever clicked on a sponsored link? If so, what drew you to that particular ad? Perhaps you recognized a brand name that convinced you of the particular seller's quality. Or maybe a well-crafted ad gave you enough confidence to click the mouse and explore a new site. Try the following to boost your ad's appeal:
Also, for each ad group, include the keyword with the highest number of clicks and impressions in your ad title or text. Potential customers will be more likely to click on your ad if it contains the word or phrase they just typed into the search box. Remember that any keywords you include in any part of your ad text are automatically highlighted in bold type when a user enters them as part of their search query, drawing even more attention to your ad.
Be sure to use clear and explicit language to describe your products. If people don't know what to expect on your site, they'll be less likely to click on your ad. Unless you think most people are familiar with your brand, use a descriptive phrase rather than your company name to introduce yourself.
For more guidance, review the AdWords Editorial & Format Policies. Ad testing: Take ad variations for a spinNot sure what messages will appeal most to your targeted audience? Test multiple versions of ad text for each ad group. For example, try testing several different ad headlines or calls-to-action. AdWords will automatically rotate your ads to determine which variations perform best. We'll then show your top-performing ads more often, in order to bring you more clicks. Learn more about ad serving in the AdWords Help Center. Google's content network: Go beyond searchA great way to expand your reach while still promoting your products to a targeted audience is with Google's content network, an extensive network of high-quality news pages, industry-specific websites, and blogs. It's a cost-effective way to show your ads on a wide variety of sites consumers visit each day. By showing your ads on both search and content pages, you'll reach your potential customers at all points of the buying cycle, from creating awareness of your products to closing the cycle with a conversion. And with the range of available ad formats – text, image, Flash, and video – you can appeal to potential customers in a unique and eye-catching way. Create a separate, content network-only campaign for the ads you want to show on the content network. This way, you can allocate your budget with more precision and test out new ideas without affecting your search campaigns. AdWords looks at the overall theme of your ad group to determine if your ad relates to a particular site, so be sure that each of your content network ad groups focuses on a specific topic and audience. If you're already showing your ads on Google's content network, consider creating a placement-targeted campaign. This allows you to handpick your audience by selecting specific sites in Google's content network to display your ads. Learn more about placement targeting and get additional optimization tips for the content network. Placement Performance report: See where your ads are showingUse Placement Performance reports to learn where your contextually targeted ads are showing on Google's content network, and get site-by-site performance data, such as clicks, impressions, cost, and conversions, for all your ads running on the content network. Using the Report Center in your AdWords account, run a Placement Performance report to learn which individual sites generate the most conversions. You can then target these top-performing sites in a placement-targeted campaign. Learn more about the content network, find relevant partner sites, and read about advertisers' success on the content network website. Want more help?
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