How to Determine Your Starting Google Ads Budget

We Are a Google Partner Specializing in Search Marketing.
We Are a Google Partner Specializing in Search Marketing.

When you start advertising on Google Ads, how do you determine your starting budget?

There is no mystery to deciding your budget for Google Ads. I use the Keyword Planner to determine the best budget for starting out. Here are my tips.

  1. Create a list of 10 two to three word phrases that you feel will help drive qualified traffic.
  2. Go to your Google Ads account or ask your Google Ads consultant to run the numbers for you, but putting each keyword in the Google Keyword Planner to check for traffic, competition, and typical bids.
  3. Plan on these potential bids being about 20% lower than the real auction for clicks when your account is set up.
  4. Take the average of these ten keyword’s click costs and then decide how many clicks you would like to have a day before your ads stop showing.
  5. Look at the number generated in step 4 and determine if you can realistically live with this number. Never get over your head in regards to a budget that is way beyond your means. It is not typical to get leads in Google Ads the day ads serve. For some account it can take as long as three weeks for optimization to start to see the first lead conversion.
  6. Remember a lead conversion or beneficial action you are recording as a conversion is not always a sale. Sometimes it is just the first step in the sales process.
  7. Understand that it takes time for a Google Ads account to become profitable. Google Ads is a dynamic auction with bids changing for each query and many factors determining if your ads show or not.
  8. Work with a professional Google Ads account manager or consultant like McCord Web Services to get the most out of Google Ads.

I invite you to visit our website to learn more about Google Ads and our Google Ads consulting and account management services.

15 is the Magic Number When It Comes to Automated Bidding

Falling money, hundred dollar bills
Not Made Out of Money? Tips to Lower Click Costs in Google Ads.

That’s right 15 conversions in a 30 day period is the magic number you should be looking for before you turn on any automated bidding strategies in Google Ads.

Personally, I look for a higher number than 15 in a 30 day period before I turn on maximize conversion bidding.

Here’s why…

When Google Ads does not have enough 30 day historical data, the click costs will be very high and you will not see a nice increase in conversions; rather only higher cost conversions.

If you have under 15 conversions in a 30 day period or your campaign drops below 15 conversions. Move out of automated bidding programs like maximize conversions or Target CPA bidding and move to enhanced CPC (Cost per Click) bidding until you get back to the 15 number.

If you are doing automated bidding make sure you are looking at the average cost per click and maximum bid compared to the first and top of page bid. If you see numbers that you are spending with Google setting the bid that you think are ridiculously high, then move out of that bidding algorithm into one where you have greater control, pause the problem keyword, or review what you can do to add negative keywords.

Maximize conversion and Target CPA bidding can be great for a high converting account, but those at the margin of 15 leads in 30 days may find these algorithms generate click costs that are simply “too rich”.

If you need help from an experienced Google Ads manager, I encourage you to find out more about our services and programs. We are small business friendly!

Should Social Media Be In Your Marketing Mix?

Keep your social media programs on target to grow your business.
Keep your social media programs on target to grow your business.

As more businesses work to tighten where they are spending their advertising budgets, some are dropping social media out of their marketing mix.

Advertising your website and services using Pay per Click is great, as it generates immediate traffic and increases the potential of sales, but social media also should have a place in every business’ marketing plan.

Not all businesses will need Twitter or Google+ status updates, but most businesses should be posting to Facebook and working to engage prospects in that arena.

For many clients, Facebook is the strongest and most important social media platform. Add Facebook pay per click advertising to the mix and your Facebook activity and comments on ads can really skyrocket. It is not unusual for a client who is really working Facebook to have over 5,000+ active users.

I have personally found that for some businesses, Facebook user’s will post comments on their ads which will need moderation to protect your reputation and to shape your message. Even though I never drive traffic to a Facebook page with their pay per click advertising, we always will get adjunct likes and follows just by the nature of advertising there.

I have one client who is getting great leads from Facebook at a third or even less, than the lead cost they spend at AdWords. Tie in Facebook remarketing and I have seen leads at under $5 a conversion.

But, it all starts with great Facebook status updates, integration with your website and blog, and at least 200 followers to make sense.