Tips to cut your wasted ad spend

One way to tell if your Paid Search account is under-performing is to check if you’re wasting budget. In other words, how much money are you spending on keywords that don’t give anything back?

Wastage is very common. It’s also very, very easy to fix. 

How do we waste ad spend?

• Using the wrong keywords.
• Not having a negative list and/or not updating it regularly.
• Having a poor account structure.
• Leaving the account running and not checking it. This is very common – sometimes accounts get forgotten altogether!

Actions that stop wasted ad spend

1. Savvy SQRs

Get a search query report (SQR) for each keyword to show how it is performing – use the SQRs to identify worthless search terms. There’s no point in spending your budget on a term that isn’t going to give you anything back. Review your SQRs monthly.

2. Exact match keywords

Implement exact match keywords – don’t rely on broad terms. Your business goals will inform which exact match keywords you need to target. For example, an e-commerce business selling windows and doors might have exact match keywords like ‘upvc windows and doors’ or ‘buy windows and doors’.

3.Positively negative

Update your negative list – use your SQRs to help you do this. The purpose of your negative list is to exclude words that will serve up your ad to people who aren’t looking for your products or services. If you sell iPhone cases, your negative list would have words on it like ‘laptop’, ‘Samsung’, ‘apps’. Unless you sell these too, of course. 

4. Account structure

Your account structure should be aligned to your business goals. A good structure is really important – it provides a framework for your success. In an organised account, under-performing keywords that aren’t making you any money will be easy to spot.

5. Show some love

Your marketplace and competitor activities are changing all the time, so even an account that has been set up correctly will need regular maintenance and pruning.

Have you optimised your account?

Obviously, the less waste you have, the more money you can put into the keywords that are working. More profit, more growth.

If you’re wondering what’s next for a well set-up and managed Paid Search account … We recommend aggressive Paid Search tactics. You’re here to make money from it, after all. Aim high – the growth you want is possible.

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash