Google Ads Spring 2019 Overview

***Created May 16. In-depth intro to the beginning of the ramp up program.

Google Ads is a professional service we provide for clients that involves setting up and maintaining their ads, landing pages, and call tracking. This is a fully involved process that can take 1-3 hours to set up and up to 1 hour to maintain per client per day based on services.

Setup of a campaign can include:

Creating 3-5+ unique landing pages.
Setting up a call tracking number through Call Rail.
Creating 1 or more campaigns.
Creating 3+ ad groups.
Creating 2-3 ads per ad group.
Creating 4 different types of extensions per campaign.
Uploading a negative keyword list.
Creating an experiment with a different bid strategy to run alongside the main campaign.
Setting up a conversion site tag.
Submitting the campaign and landing pages for review.
Completing maintenance the very next day to adjust bids.

Regular every other day to every day maintenance can include:

Adjusting manual bids.
Reviewing search terms and adding negative keywords.
Adding extensions.
Adding a new ad to an ad group.
Updating the ad text.
Updating the landing pages.
Creating new campaigns or ad groups based on searches and clicks.

Google Ads 30-Day Ramp Up Program

The Google Ads 30-Day Ramp Up Program is our new “quick start” Google Ads program.

From forums with marketers who have years of ads experience, to Google Ads representatives themselves, there is one shared fact: Google Ads takes time. 30 days is considered a quick start because in most cases, campaigns need more than 30 days for data gathering purposes.

Every time there is a significant change, such as editing an ad or changing a bid strategy, that data resets and it will take another 2+ weeks to see relevant data. It is recommended that after a large change, you need to let your campaign sit for a month and then review the data.

Nothing can happen overnight, this is a process that takes time and knowledge to properly analyze and maintain. This is also true for Adwords Express.

The program goal: at the end of 30 days, the campaign is relatively “stable,” meaning that a high quality score has been achieved, bids are lower than the “top of bid high range” predicted by the Keyword Planner, the CTR (click-through-rate) is 2% or higher, and the client is getting a certain amount of quality leads per week (changes based on service.)

Achieving that goal can be difficult based on many different variables:

Budget
Location
Service areas
Service
Ad text
Landing page
Extensions
Schedule

After reviewing our current clients, this is what a “stable” campaign should be producing at the end of the 30 days:

Service specific goals:

Carpet cleaning/tile/upholstery: 5+ quality leads per week.
Power washing: 5+ quality leads per week.
Restoration: 10+ quality leads per week.
HVAC: 5+ quality leads per week.
Biohazard cleanup: 3+ quality leads per week (unsure currently.)
Pest control: 10+ quality leads per week.
Window washing: 5+ quality leads per week.

Budget specific goals:

$50 and under: 5+ quality leads per week.
$70-100: 7+ quality leads per week
$100+: 10+ quality leads per week.

These are goal averages based on current clients and predictions. This is the goal for the first 30 days. If the goal is achieved, we move ahead with maintenance. If client is not reaching goal and campaign(s) are underperforming, we conduct an audit and decide whether to charge them the monthly fee or waive the fee for another month.

Google Ads 30-Day Ramp Up Program Timeline

Based on what I’ve been hearing from clients, a lot of the videos they are seeing from Big West imply (to them) that we can get their ads up and running and getting them quality leads in less than a week. This is nearly impossible based on the different variables stated above. The most common difficulties come from the service, the service locations, and budget.

There needs to be a realistic timeline given to new clients that sets up their expectations. They need to be fully aware that the program is 30 days long for data gathering purposes and that there is a high possibility they will not see results right out of the gate based on their service, location, and budget.

During the 30 days, I will send updates or answer questions as asked, but clients are advised to not touch or pause their campaign. If they want to change something, I am happy to do so, but they are required to run it past me first. Pausing their campaign for more than a day can set the campaign back significantly in the first 30 days. Google needs to see that they are serious about running the campaign. The first month is, in most cases, the most spendy for the client, but the purpose of the 30 days is to make the coming months as budget-friendly as possible for the highest amount of quality leads as possible.

A realistic basic timeline that can apply to any service:

Week 1 is optimization Phase 1. We are gaining important first impression data that we can use to adjust bids for the first time.
Week 2 is optimization Phase 2. There shouldn’t be too many clicks or impressions, but enough data and search terms to start cultivating a larger negative keyword list. Google should have assigned each keyword with impressions a quality score. We are aiming to start at 5/10 or higher. There should be around 1-5 calls in Call Rail.
Week 3 is optimization Phase 3. Client should have a few quality calls by now. The CTR should be close to, if not at, 2%. Quality score should be at 7/10+ for a few terms.
Week 4 is optimization Phase 4. Campaign should have a CTR of 2% and performing close to service quality lead goals.
End of 30 Day ramp up: we perform an audit of the account. If campaign is not meeting, or close to meeting, service lead goals, we conduct another 2-4 weeks of “ramp up” without the maintenance charge. If campaign is meeting goals and performing well, we send maintenance email.

Variables of the 30-day ramp up:

Budget: client needs to start with a budget that is 5x the amount of a bid for a keyword. This allows wiggle room for data and clicks. During discovery call, I normally ask the client how many quality leads they are able to take a week. This helps set the budget for their expectations.
1. 30 day ramp up budget goal: after 30 days, if quality score is high and ads are performing well, we can lower the budget if necessary.

Location: client needs to service an area where their keywords combined have at least 500 searches a month. That’s about 16 impressions a day. And if not every impression leads to a click, and not every click leads to a call, location and reach is everything. If a new client does not reach the location minimum, we can onboard them to the program, but it needs to be clear to them that their results will be varied and not up to standard.

Schedule: client’s schedule is reflective not of their business hours, but when they are available to answer the phone. If they are not answering the phone, they are missing out on quality leads.

Google Ads Conclusion

Our Google Ads Ramp Up Program is an intensive program that delivers an important service to our clients. Our clients are more able to focus on their business when we are maintaining their account and creating content for it. Google Ads is not, and never will be, a “set it and forget it” program.

The 30-days is a quick start. It is proven to yield better results than Google’s automated system because it allows for a higher conversion rate at a cheaper price per conversion.

It will be mostly hands-off for our clients. I will send monthly audit updates, and check in every now and then during the month if I make significant changes.

The future of the Ramp Up Program will include updated youtube videos, a transparent timeline for clients, and an updated basic process document. Our ads service will be realistic to a new client’s service location and budget. We will offer a “Web Design + Google Ads” package and a “Google Ads + SEO package.” The Google Ads Specialist will perform regular ads research and testing to improve the program. If a part of the process is changed, the rest of the team is to be made aware.

Let’s make 2019 a year of high-performing, consistent Google Ads campaigns.

Some additional information on why it can take awhile to see results:

Google is cautious with new campaigns because if your campaign isn’t relevant enough, or your ads aren’t that great, Google will lose money. We need the 30 days so Google can recognize a client’s campaign as an asset to them. Google judges your campaign based on ad relevance, landing page loading time, and quality of your ads. This is how it assigns the quality score. If you have a bad quality score and get a lot of impressions but no clicks, Google loses money.

Our clients are small businesses and in a lot of cases, do not have a high monthly budget. This is critical. A lot of case studies you see online involve companies that have a crazy high daily budget, some even $500+. Our clients are averaging $50/day, some less. This is why it can take so long to properly optimize their account and they will spend more money than they’re probably comfortable with in the first month.

Sources (and good reads):

https://raventools.com/blog/what-to-expect-new-adwords-campaign/

https://www.vertical-leap.uk/blog/ppc-how-long-does-it-really-take-get-results/