At Climb and Conquer, we operate a shared Slack channel called ‘Results’. The purpose of this channel is to share the outcomes of the campaigns we run in real time. It’s not just a place to showcase our successes but a space to genuinely understand the impact we’re having on our client’s businesses, discuss approaches and share ideas for future and similar clients.
I mention this channel because it highlights a crucial point: the theme of this blog post might seem a bit contradictory. I often ask myself, “Why are we achieving such great results?” – a nice question to ask, for sure. And whilst I observe the hard work, the drive for growth among our staff, and their determination to excel, I still always try to pinpoint the secret ingredient.
In my opinion, it’s our innate ability to hyper-personalise our services to meet the unique needs of each client and their business. We constantly dive deep into our client’s organisations and objectives, grasping the nuances and translating them into effective search campaigns through our expertise.
This level of tailoring and personalisation stands in contrast to broad, top-level advice articles. However, we do notice certain trends that can be incredibly valuable.
At the very least, these insights should inspire you to elevate your Google Ads strategies and campaigns, as many prospects likely aren’t implementing the approaches outlined below.
This post focuses predominantly on eCommerce sites and we’ll be covering lead generation strategies in a future post, so do keep ’em peeled.
For now, let’s dive into our tips…
1. Modulate Your Budget, Targets, and Campaigns
This tip is inspired by Performance Max and advanced bidding strategies.
When assessing accounts, I frequently see Performance Max or other campaigns with hefty budgets—some reaching up to £3,000+ per day.
Let me reframe how to think about these campaigns:
If you imagine your Google Ads campaign under automated bidding as an onion, the core consists of your branded terms, driving, let’s say, 500% ROAS. The outer layers represent very generic keywords, yielding around 50% ROAS. The overall (theoretical) ROAS of this campaign is 275%.
Clients might see this and think, “275% based on our GP is positive; let’s increase the spend and see if the campaign can deliver consistent ROAS with a bigger budget” (more on this in another post).
We advise clients to modulate their campaigns: optimise the branded campaigns to strive for 550% ROAS and create a separate campaign for generic keywords (if viable) aiming for 100+% ROAS through tailored assets, merchandising, and competitor analysis.
Budget modulation isn’t limited to this scenario. We observe similar patterns with shopping campaigns, where all products are often grouped by brand.
Instead, stack them by best sellers, spotlight items, and fallback options, each with its own target ROAS and corresponding budget. Google tends to spend based on your budget, and if it struggles, it may widen the net.
Control the narrative with modulated campaigns and optimise each layer of the onion through new campaigns. This can also involve segmenting new and existing prospecting, product stacking, and refining or further segmenting campaigns.
2. Avoid Bloating Campaigns with Too Many Ad Groups
A common challenge for many prospects is structuring their account correctly.
We often see campaigns organised by theme, but within these campaigns, there are too many ad groups. Not only can this be difficult to manage, but it can also throttle campaign performance. Additionally, as mentioned in tip 1, we frequently observe a lack of diversification (or modulation), where all ad groups run the same target CPA or target ROAS.
Imagine you have 10 ad groups, each with 10 keywords (100 in total), and each click costs £1. If you set a daily spend of £100 on this campaign, Google won’t show your advert to all searchers if they all search at the same time, as this would exceed your budget (consistently over their over-delivery framework). So, if 100 people search simultaneously, not all of them will see your ad (this is simplified but illustrates the point of what can happen on higher CPC keywords). Consequently, some ad groups can dominate the others.
Also, your most profitable time for sales might be in the evenings, but you’d never know if your campaign runs out of budget by 11 am.
The key here is to remain fluid. If you notice signs of cannibalisation, separate those ad groups and segment them further. This approach can also improve Quality Score (QS) and Cost Per Click (CPC), as it often involves using unique assets for a new campaign that are more relevant to the keywords (along with landing page adaptations sometimes).
3. Proper Maintenance of Keyword Modifiers in Advert Copy
We frequently encounter an issue with keyword modifiers, especially among more advanced prospects. Keyword modifiers within adverts adapt the content based on the user query, which sounds beneficial in principle.
The idea is that by tailoring the ad to the specific terms a user searches, you create a more relevant and appealing advert. However, the challenge arises when these modifiers underpin ad groups with broad or phrase-match keywords. While this is a valid strategy, it requires diligent and ongoing maintenance of search terms and negative keyword lists.
Without proper upkeep, several problems can occur:
- Wasted Spend: Broad or phrase-match keywords can attract irrelevant traffic if not regularly monitored. This results in wasted budget on clicks that are unlikely to convert.
- User Annoyance: Displaying ads for products or services you don’t offer can frustrate users, damaging your brand’s reputation.
- Higher CPCs: A disconnect between the user query, advert content, and landing page can lead to higher CPCs. Google’s algorithm favours ads that closely match user intent, so a mismatch can reduce your ad’s Quality Score and increase costs.
Regularly reviewing search terms and updating negative keyword lists is essential to prevent these issues. By maintaining a tight relevance between the keyword modifiers, ad copy, and landing pages, you ensure your ads remain efficient and cost-effective.
Three Tips Amongst Hundreds of Factors That Can Impact Your Campaign
The tips I’ve shared in this blog are just three of the hundreds of factors that can influence the success of your Google Ads campaigns.
At Climb and Conquer, we understand that each account is unique and requires a tailored approach to achieve optimal results. Our professional Ads management service is designed to provide the personalised attention and expertise needed to help your business thrive.
Choosing Climb and Conquer means you benefit from a team that works on fewer accounts, allowing us to be deeply involved and dedicated to each client’s success. We offer competitive pricing, sitting between traditional agency and freelance rates, making our services accessible, without ever compromising on quality.
Our partnerships with the likes of Microsoft enable us to offer clients up to £2,500 in free credit to explore new strategies and approaches, allowing you to innovate without financial risk. Moreover, our focus extends beyond just sales; we integrate CRM and consider your wider business success to ensure holistic growth.
We believe in flexibility and client satisfaction, which is why we offer very short contracts, giving clients the freedom to leave at any time. However, our commitment to excellence is reflected in the fact that 97% of our clients choose to stay with us long-term.
If you’re looking for a dedicated, affordable, and comprehensive approach to Google Ads management, Climb and Conquer is here to help. Let’s work together to elevate your campaigns and achieve your business goals.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can support your success.
