Tag: AdWords

Just this past week I had three AdWords clients phone me to find out why their phone number was wrong in their Google AdWords ads. It was not a mistake, but rather a Google feature.

If you have phone extensions enabled in your Google AdWords account AND enable call metrics so that Google can track phone calls as conversions then you will not see your “correct” phone number in your ads. When you enable these terrific features this is what happens.

1. Google creates a Google Voice phone number for your ads and places this number above or below your ad text. It is a click to call feature.
2. Google will forward to your selected “correct” phone number any of the calls you get.
3. Google will bill you $1 for each call as well as your cost per click charge.
4. Google will track the length of the call, is it from a mobile phone, and even list the area code.
5. Google will record the call as a phone call at the campaign and ad group level in your account.
6. If you list your phone number in your ad, Google will replace it with their own generated phone number to get the $1 per call additional charge.

What we have found with call metrics is that AdWords generates much more activity than a completed email form on a website. We’ve had some clients with 40+ phone calls in one ad group recorded in their programs on top of regular email related conversions. This really helps clients see the real value of an AdWords program and helps them to measure the return on their ad spend.

If you need savvy AdWords help, we invite you to review our program and contact us for more information.

There are a few things that I want to share with you that I do to help improve performance routinely for an account. First, if it is at all humanely possible I ask the client to make sure that conversion tracking can be installed so that I can identify the keywords that are generating leads before we even start managing their account. I also ask that they install Google Analytics on their website as well.

Once I am managing their account here are a few things that I do to improve activity and conversions.

1. Week one and two I bid high on keywords to see what Google can do with the account. It is not uncommon for me to use the budget optimizer in campaign settings to allow Google to set the cost per click. I do not usually cap the cost per click amount in the settings in this initial testing phase.

2. I review the keywords that are generating clicks and conversions. I make sure that ad text is created that contains those specific keyword phrases in the exact order that they are shown in the control panel. I have found that by adding new ad text in this fashion I will stimulate additional conversion activity.

3. I routinely review the keywords from search activity both organic and paid from within the Google Analytics control panel. I don’t take a lot of time reviewing Google Analytics, but I do use it as a tool to harvest additional keywords as sometimes new ones and new directions occur in search traffic that can be used to improve activity in Google AdWords.

4. I routinely review the cost per conversion making sure that the cost is below what the client tells me he or she sells their product for. I want AdWords to be profitable and a good return on investment for the client.

5. I try to review the “all search terms” tab regularly in an account looking for new keywords to add and new negative keywords to add to an ad group or campaign to fine tune the program.

In the first four weeks of account activity I review the account every business day, as I have found that what I do in the first four weeks has significant impact on performance and the ability of Google to properly serve the account and maximize activity and conversions.

If you are looking for a Google AdWords Certified Partner who has the experience to make a difference in your lead conversions look no further and take a look at our services and prices.