Advanced Google Ads Strategies

Google Is Robbing you…

I’ve managed some tough accounts in my life.

But something blatantly obvious after reviewing and auditing accounts managed by strategists and agencies is this…

Most people don’t have a strategy.

They are just bidding on BOF terms.

That’s it.

Simply put, without a strategy - the only people benefiting from this is Google.

Yes, you may get some leads here and there, but you are paying a premium for them.

So let’s talk about some strategies.

Revisiting the Marketing Funnel

You can’t begin to understand what your strategy should look like without first going back to the basics.

To keep things simple, here’s all you need to know as a marketing leader…

TOF → Top of Funnel → AKA people don’t know they have a problem

MOF → Middle of Funnel → AKA people are looking for a solution to their problem

BOF → Bottom of Funnel → AKA people are looking for a vendor to fulfill the solution

Now, let’s talk about how you can strategically use Google Ads to address each piece of the funnel.

TOF - Show Up For Commonly Searched For Problems

It may sound simple, but this is almost always missed.

If you are in the business of demand gen or a company with longer buying cycles with huge payouts…

Then this makes a lot of sense to show up for in Google.

A lot of businesses don’t show up in Google for commonly searched problems.

Ex. “How do I connect Google Ads data and Hubspot data to a dashboard?”

This is the kind of search that happens early in the marketing journey.

A company like Databox, should be bidding on this - or have organic content that shows up for this.

If not - then it’s a missed opportunity for driving cheap clicks.

MOF - Show Up For Solutions/Capabilities

Believe it or not - your product marketers have this on lock 🔒️ 

They know your product in and out.

But most demand gen / growth marketers don’t talk to the product team - so all of these unique features or functions that people are LITERALLY searching for never get to shine.

So what should you do?

Ask your product team some questions about your most popular/ used features and bid on those terms in Google.

Yes, these are going to be niche and long tail, but you will have next to no competition for them.

So you won’t be competing for these higher intent clicks.

BOF - Competitive Terms… P*** off your competitors

Okay, soooo I don’t usually recommend this to everyone…

But if you are in a hyper competitive space then it makes sense.

You will most certainly be compared to your competition, so definitely be the one to control this message in the Google Search.

Ex. Semrush alternative, tools like Semrush, cheaper semrush

^ Showing up here and having a great landing page experience that highlights what makes you better is a money making center

But remember, you have to be prepared for behemoth accounts like Semrush to catch on and start bidding on your branded terms… so don’t pick a fight you can’t win…

BOF - Hyper Niche Terms

Listen, this is where everybody goes when they start a Google Ads campaign.

The problem?

LITERALLY EVERYONE IS BIDDING HERE

Now I am not saying don’t bid here, but also don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Otherwise, Google will gladly take your money.

Only bid on terms that make the most sense for you

AND be super selective on where you want to show up

BECAUSE complimentary niches or competitors may show up for these terms

EVEN IF they aren’t technically a competitor of yours

WHICH will drive your CPCs through the roof.

So be careful here.

That figurative $50K spend can go up in flames if not kept in check.

Share this with a friend who is running Google Ads… they might learn something 😉 

Until then.

Ian Binek