Google AdWords Rookie Mistake #4: Not testing different ads.

I’m a HUGE fan of split testing – both on websites and for ads within Google AdWords. New advertisers should create 2 or 3 ads for each AdGroup, and after about a month, take a look which ad has the best cost per conversion. Ad split testing should be a continual process. One tip – I like to ‘pause’ my old ads rather than delete them, that way I can see what ads I’ve already tested.

Google AdWords Rookie Mistake #3: Bidding for Position 1.

I often see new AdWords advertisers over-paying for clicks because they are pursuing position #1. I think they assume that being in position 1 is always ‘best’, but I think when you consider the additional cost for position 1, often times positions 2-5 are much better value.

Google AdWords Rookie Mistake #2: Not understanding the difference between ‘Search Match’ and ‘Content Match’ (and setting single Campaigns for both)

Google does a nice job of allowing you to determine where your ads will show. But many AdWords advertisers use these setting indiscriminately. I would suggest that campaigns be set to either Search Match or content Match (but not both). The simple reason is that the ads that will appeal to individuals actively searching on a phrase will be quite different from the types of ads that will appeal for browsers who see content Match ads.

I was recently asked to contribute to a Google 101 guide. I came up with 5 rookie mistakes that I often see, and thought that I would share them here.

AdWords Rookie Mistake #1: Having too many keywords in a single Adgroup

Since an ‘AdGroup’ is Google’s lowest level of segmentation, it should ideally be used to express a single idea or theme. Generally I find that the more specific, the better. Typically I find that any Adgroup with more than 50 keywords is probably too broad. The exception would be Adgroups with a large number of mis-spellings.

More specific Adgroups does mean more management – but it also means a much better ROI.