You know the basics, now let’s dive into some additional details. There are several key parts of any successful Google Ads campaign that you need to think about if you are considering doing this on your own. First is the campaign. This is where you’ll decide on an overall budget or how much you want to spend per day as well as the locations you are targeting.
Next comes the ad groups and these are simply groups of similar topics. For example, you might have a campaign with three ad groups, one for RV park searches, one for campground searches, and one for cabin searches. Each of these ad groups will have a different set of keywords, and the actual ad copy that changes based on the topic of the ad group. Separating these into groups will help you target people more efficiently, make each ad more relevant, and ultimately cost you less per click if you do it correctly.
Let’s move onto keywords. This a list of words or phrases where you want Google to show your ad so people can click and get to your campground website. Don’t guess, there are tools you can use to research what people are actually searching for. Think about phrases such as “Dallas TX Campground” or Cabin Rentals Near Dallas TX” and so forth. But be careful here. You must understand the different types of keywords you can use, including broad match, phrase match, and exact match. Remember when I said it was complex?
Once that’s done you need to create the actual Google Ad. This is what will show in search results so think about it carefully. There is the main headline that can include several parts, the description that expands on the headlines, and extra pieces that will provide even more information called snippets. These can link to additional pages, provide phone numbers, driving directions, and more.
Now you are ready to start advertising and the real work begins. To be most efficient and not waste money, you should be tracking exactly who clicks, what they do after they click, and how much money they are spending or not spending with you.
You should also be making dozens of daily adjustments if necessary, including adjusting individual keyword bids, bidding more/less based on if the person is using a desktop/phone, bidding more/less based on the location of the person (Texas or California), adjusting how much you will pay per click based on the age of the person, and use negative keywords.
If you don’t have time to do all of the above and more, you won’t be getting the best return on investment possible. You could save money by doing it on your own, but are you really saving that money or just giving it to Google instead?
