Frequently Asked Questions about Google Ads 

Google Ads prices are run on a bidding auction system. As an advertiser, you will pay based on the cost per click (CPC). The average cost per click varies based on the competitiveness of the keywords that you are advertising. The more advertisers choosing the same keywords as you that are willing to bid higher, the higher the cost per click will rise. When you set up a campaign, Google Ads will ask how much you are willing to spend on a daily basis. Google will then multiply that daily spend by 30 days in a month and you will not be charged more than that by the end of the calendar month. It is up to you what you budget for Google Ads. DBM can recommend a monthly budget by researching how much your competition is spending on a similar set of keywords. DBM will do keyword research and find the average CPC for each keyword in the marketplace. DBM has customers where the CPCs are lower than $1.00 and others that the average click is $50+ because of the competition and value of the lead to the advertisers. For the best information and data on your industry, reach out to DBM for an accurate assessment and recommendation. After a campaign is launched, we tend to see CPCs adjust based on the quality of your ads and relevance of your landing page content. As Google sees the engagement of your campaign with its users, each keyword in your campaign is assigned a quality score of 1 to 10. 10 is the best and 1 is the lowest score. The higher your score, the better chance Google will rank your ads higher and you may see your cost per clicks lower over time.

The number of keywords you should use for your Google Ads campaign depends on the budget that you have to spend. A lower budget would warrant fewer keywords and a higher budget should have more keywords. As your campaign performs, you’ll notice which keywords are converting best and those that may not be driving quality traffic. DBM has a process to identify the “Costly Converters” and “Runaway Keywords”. Those should be paused and new keywords that are similar to the keywords performing well should be added. In general, it is a good idea to start with a good mix of keywords and then narrow it down as you get a better understanding of which keywords are driving the most valuable traffic to your website. DBM focuses on finding the keywords that have “high intent” for your target user to buy your product, fill out your submission form, or call you on the phone. There are four different types of keywords that you can generally categorize. Informational Navigational Commercial Transactional DBM likes to hone in on the commercial and transactional keywords when budgets are limited. Informational keywords can still attract users who want to purchase but the sales cycle might take longer if they are starting their search by researching first. DBM can make a recommendation on the number of keywords to start based on the monthly budget that you have planned for.

The amount you should spend on Google Ads depends on a number of factors, including your budget, the goals of your campaign (how much a lead is worth to you), and the competitiveness of the keywords you are targeting. In general, it is a good idea to start with a budget that you are comfortable with, and then scale up based on the performance of your campaign. It is also important to keep in mind that the cost of Google Ads can vary depending on the specific industry you are in and how much your competitors bid up the prices. For example, if you are targeting highly competitive keywords that are $25 or $50 per click, your budget will need to accommodate that. A brand campaign would be expected to have lower cost per click prices. DBM always recommends having some budget dedicated to your brand name keywords. Overall, the amount you should spend on Google Ads will depend on your specific goals and resources, but it is important to set a budget that is realistic and allows you to measure the performance metrics of your campaign over time.

To set up conversion tracking in Google Ads, follow these steps: Sign in to your Google Ads account and click the "Tools & Settings" icon in the top menu. In the "Measurement" section, click on the "Conversions" option. Click on the "+CONVERSION" button to create a new conversion. Select the type of conversion you want to track. You can choose from options such as phone calls, website purchases, or form submissions. Name your conversion and enter any additional details, such as the value of the conversion or the specific page on your website where the conversion occurs. Choose how you want to track the conversion. You can use a Google Ads conversion tracking tag, which is a piece of code that you add to your website, or you can use a third-party tracking system such as Google Analytics. Click "Save and continue" to set up the conversion. If you are using a conversion tracking tag, you will need to install the tag on your website. To do this, click on the "Install the tag" button and follow the instructions provided. Once the tag is installed, click "Verify" to ensure that it is working correctly. Once the conversion is set up, we always recommend testing the conversion to make sure it is working properly. Search for your ad on Google and complete the conversion action. You’ll need to wait a few hours for that conversion to be processed and show up in your Google Ads account. You can view your conversion data in the "Conversions" section of your Google Ads account or in your campaigns down to the keyword level.

The average conversion rate for Google Ads campaigns is typically between 2% and 5%. However, it's important to note that conversion rates can vary widely depending on the specific industry you are in and what you are measuring as a conversion. For example, some industries may have higher conversion rates due to the nature of the products or services they offer, while others may have lower conversion rates due to the complexity of the purchase process or if the audience is very niche. Overall, it's important to regularly monitor and analyze the performance of your Google Ads campaign. DBM always focuses on recommending ideas for how to improve the landing page experience to help encourage more conversions. We suggest testing ideas like different calls to action or even colors of the buttons. Small differences on the page can make a big difference in the conversion rate. We also recommend having different conversion actions to measure to show Google the expressions of interest from users on your site. All of those ‘signals’ to Google give them more information about the kind of person who you want to target more.

Google Ads can help improve your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts in a couple of ways. First, running a Google Ads campaign can drive targeted traffic to your website, which can help improve your search rankings over time. When users visit your website and engage with your content, it sends positive signals to search engines, which can help improve your organic rankings. Second, Google Ads can help you identify which keywords and phrases are most effective at driving traffic to your website. By analyzing the performance of your Google Ads campaigns, you can get immediate performance data on the keywords driving the most valuable traffic and use this information to inform your SEO efforts. For example, you might discover that a particular keyword or phrase is driving a lot of traffic to your website through Google Ads, and decide to build out a dedicated page or blog post to that keyword specifically. Adding that additional content to your site can improve your organic search rankings for that focus keyword. Overall, while Google Ads and SEO are separate mediums, they can complement each other to drive traffic and improve the visibility of your website in search results.

The amount of time it takes for Google Ads to work can vary depending on a number of factors, including the competitiveness of the keywords you are targeting, the quality of your ads, and the relevance of your website. In general, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for your Google Ads campaign to start driving traffic to your website. Your main goal in getting your campaign to perform is to see conversions come through. The quicker you have conversion data the better chance you have of making the campaign a success. One of the key factors that can affect the performance of your Google Ads campaign is the quality of your ads and the relevance of your website to the keywords you are targeting. If your ads and website are well-optimized and relevant to the keywords you are using, you may see traffic and conversions start to come in more quickly. On the other hand, if you are targeting keywords that are not on the landing page or in the ad copy, you will not see conversions flow in very consistently. It's also important to keep in mind that the performance of your Google Ads campaign can vary over time, and it is typically necessary to make ongoing optimizations and adjustments to improve its performance. By regularly monitoring and analyzing the performance of your campaign and making changes as needed, you can improve its effectiveness and drive better results over time. DBM has both software and services to help performance marketers optimize their PPC campaigns regularly.

Keyword research is the process of identifying the words and phrases that people are using to search for products or services like yours. That way you can optimize your website and Google Ads campaigns to target those keywords. Here's an overview of how to do keyword research: Start with a seed list of keywords: Begin by creating a list of keywords that are relevant to your business and the products or services you offer. These are called seed or focus keywords. Use keyword research tools: Use keyword research tools such as the Google Ads Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz Keyword Explorer, to get ideas for new keywords and to see data on search volume, competition level, and CPC. Analyze your competition: Use the keyword research tools to analyze your competition and see which keywords they are targeting. You can also use the tools to see how well those keywords are working for them by looking at metrics such as search volume, CPC, and competition. Look for long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific keywords that tend to be more targeted and less competitive than shorter keywords. They tend to convert better because they are more specific. Organize and prioritize your keywords: Once you have a list of keywords, organize them into groups and prioritize them based on their relevance, search volume, and competition level. Implement and Test: Once you have your list of targeted keywords, you can start optimizing your website and Google Ads campaigns with those keywords. After that you can Test and monitor your performance and make necessary adjustments. It's important to keep in mind that keyword research is an ongoing process, as search behavior and trends can change over time. It's a good practice to regularly update and refine your list of keywords to stay current and make sure you're targeting the most relevant and profitable keywords for your business. DBM builds out keyword expansion recommendations for its clients regularly. As more people search everyday and more different keywords start trending, you want to make sure you continue to update and add in new keywords every few weeks.

Quality Score is a metric used by Google Ads to measure the relevance and quality of your ads and landing pages at the keyword level. A higher Quality Score can lead to better ad placement, lower cost per click (CPC), and lower cost per conversion. Here are some ways to improve your Quality Score on Google Ads: Use relevant keywords: Make sure that the keywords you are using are relevant to the products or services you offer and the content of your website. Write effective ad copy: Write compelling and relevant ad copy that is closely aligned with the keywords you are targeting. Optimize your landing pages: Make sure your landing pages include your focus keywords and the experience is user-friendly and content loads fast. Landing page relevancy will help to improve user experience and keep them on the page. Google will reward you with a better Quality Score. Use Ad Extensions (also called Assets): Ad extensions, such as sitelink, callout, and structured snippet, can provide more information to users and improve the overall performance of your ads. Improve your click-through rate (CTR): A high CTR can indicate that your ads and keywords are relevant and useful, which can lead to a higher Quality Score. Monitor and analyze your performance: Regularly monitor and analyze the performance of your ads and keywords using the tools in Google Ads. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and make adjustments to your campaigns accordingly. Test, Test, Test: Use A/B testing to compare different versions of your ads and landing pages, this will help you optimize and improve your Quality Score. It's important to note that Quality Score is a dynamic metric and it's not a one time process, so you need to regularly monitor your Quality Score at the keyword level and make adjustments to your campaigns as needed. Keep in mind that achieving a high Quality Score is a balance between ad relevance and performance, so focus on both aspects to get the best results.