In today's digital-first world, it is essential to have a robust and winning Google Ads strategy. Here are seven tips to help you avoid costly mistakes and create a winning strategy for your clients.

1: Strategize your Google Ads campaign mix.

To reach your target audience, you need to show up wherever they are, so using a mix of campaign types will get you the best results. There are various campaign options on Google Ads, such as search, display, shopping, YouTube, and more. Aim to select and test a mix of 3 to 5 different campaign types that align with your specific marketing objectives. Consider your client's objectives and funnel steps while selecting your campaigns.

2: Optimize your extension assets.

Extension assets are essential to give your campaign the best chance of receiving impressions. When you optimize your extension assets you are maximizing your ads real estate to stay competitive with other advertisers. Make sure to add call-outs, site links, and image extensions whenever possible to remain competitive with your competitors. Add call, location, and other extensions as your unique sales model permits. Remember, your extensions should be tailored to your specific campaign and ad group. That's because from a user perspective, total message alignment from beginning to end is what will always drive optimal results

3: Target exact and phrase match-only keywords.

Targeting exact and phrase match variations is the most efficient way to drive conversions, sales, or leads. Broad match is the least relevant of the match types and can result in tons of irrelevant search traffic, leading to wasted ad spend. Targeting exact and phrase match variations will reduce wasted ad spend and boost your impression share, since Google's ranking system is based on relevancy. 

4: Incorporate keywords in your Google Ads and landing page to improve relevance.

Google's ad rank algorithm considers the relevance of your ad and landing page to provide value to users by displaying only useful, relevant information. Ensure that your ad copy, landing page, and keywords match for a good quality score. Google provides useful metrics in the column section of your keywords page. Modify your columns and select quality score metrics like landing page experience and ad relevance to improve your campaigns.

5: Perform extensive keyword research and segment by category.

Good campaign architecture requires keyword research and categorization. At Ernst Media, we recommend maintaining an organized spreadsheet of your campaign's keywords broken down by ad groups to keep your campaigns strategic. Segment your campaigns by product category and utilize ad groups as keyword categories that differ by description. Consider the intent of your keywords to ensure that you attract the correct traffic that can fulfill your objective.

6: Select the correct bid strategies for optimal Google Ads Campaign performance.

The bid strategy you choose has a significant impact on performance. For new campaigns, avoid automated strategies like max conversions and max clicks since they require historic campaign data to optimize based upon. Start with manual CPC and switch to max conversions or max clicks once there are 10-20 conversions or clicks. Keep in mind that teaching Google how to read requires providing it with relevant data.

7: Utilize Google’s machine learning for audience creation.

When you upload a customer or subscriber list into Google’s audience manager, Google automatically creates a “Similar Audience Segment” based on that audience. This new segment represents Google's use of its extensive database to create an ideal customer profile based on the behaviors and interests of your current customers. As a result, this profile is the closest audience segment to the ideal person you want to target. Regularly testing these audiences can help optimize your campaigns' performance.

In conclusion, a winning Google Ads strategy requires a mix of selecting the right campaigns, optimizing extension assets, prioritizing exact and phrase match keywords, incorporating keywords in your ads and landing page, performing extensive keyword research, selecting the correct bid strategy, and utilizing Google’s machine learning. By following these tips, you can create a winning Google Ads strategy that delivers results for your clients.