Paid Search Agency

There are a wide range of reasons why your ads might not be showing. Typically, it will depend on how you structured your campaign, your budget, or the scheduling that is causing the problem. But, there are a range of external factors beyond your control that may also have an impact.

Some of the key reasons why your ad isn’t appearing include:

• Your bid is too low – you are competing for ad space with a number of other companies for the same keywords. Your problem might be that you were outbid.
• Your targeting is off – have you correctly identified and set the right demographic/location parameters?

• You are you – when you operate an ads account, it should be set up to reach your customers. Depending on your campaign set up, it’s possible that you are not viewed as a high priority customer.

PPC campaigns will begin to show impressions to users as soon as they are pushed live. The ads typically go through a “learning phase” which lasts a couple of weeks, where the platform will capture data through machine learning and will then begin to optimise accordingly. At Wildcat Digital, we’ll be continuously updating, optimising and experimenting with your campaign so it performs as well as possible, as quickly as possible, within your set budget.

Getting results from your paid search advertising can vary based on several factors including your budget, industry, competition and how well the campaign is being managed. One of the advantages of paid search advertising is that it is possible to start seeing results relatively quickly compared to organic search strategies. 

Campaigns usually go live immediately and can bring traffic to your website on the same day as they are activated. 

The timeframe can vary but, typically, after a month or two of optimising and testing search campaigns, your campaigns will start to see more significant results. The first few weeks will be a refinement phase for monitoring and adjusting the relevant data. 

The speed at which you see results can also depend on:

• Budget: A larger budget allows for more clicks and data, potentially speeding up the optimisation process.
• Competition: In highly competitive industries or for competitive keywords it might take longer and require a higher budget to see significant results.
• Quality of the Campaign: The structure of your campaign, the relevance of your keywords, the quality of your ad copy, and the effectiveness of your landing page all influence how quickly you’ll see results.
• Market and Audience: The size and behaviour of your target market or audience can also impact how quickly you see results. Niche markets might see quicker results due to less competition, while broader markets may take longer.

The right budget for your paid search ads can depend on several factors which include your business goals, the competition in your industry and the average cost-per-click (CPC) for keywords relevant to your business. 

We’ve found a minimum of £1000 per month is a good framework for small businesses to get started with paid search advertising. 

For example, with a £1000 budget for the month: 

If your goal is to generate 20 new customers per month, and you know your website converts 2% of visitors into customers, you’ll need 1000 visitors. If the average CPC in your industry is £1, you would need a budget of £1000 per month to meet your goal.

Google offers various campaign types, each designed to help advertisers meet their specific business objectives across the paid advertising network. Here’s a breakdown of the different Google Ads campaign types:

• Search: Search campaigns in Google Ads display text ads on Google search results when users search for keywords related to what is being offered. You select relevant keywords, and your ads can appear above or below organic search results, targeting users based on specific search queries.
• Performance Max: Performance Max is a Google Ads campaign type that uses machine learning and your audience designations to optimise ads across Google’s platforms (Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps) for your conversion goals, like sales or leads, from one campaign.

• Display: Display campaigns in Google Ads use banner ads to reach users on the Google Display Network’s websites and apps, ideal for brand awareness and retargeting.

• Shopping: Google Ads Shopping campaigns use business feeds to display product listings including images, prices, and your store name on Google Shopping and search result pages, aiming to increase retail sales and attract traffic to online or physical stores.

• Video: Video campaigns in Google Ads enable you to show video ads on YouTube and across Google’s video partner sites. These campaigns are effective for increasing brand awareness, engaging viewers, and driving conversions through video content.

• App: App campaigns in Google Ads help promote your mobile app across Google’s properties, including Search, Play Store, YouTube, and the Display Network, aiming to boost app downloads and engagement by automatically optimising your ads for the best performance.

• Smart: Smart campaigns in Google Ads automate ad setup and optimisation for small businesses, focusing on driving calls, visits, or conversions with minimal manual effort.
• Demand Gen: Demand gen campaigns aim to boost awareness and interest in a product or service, nurturing potential customers from initial discovery to purchase through targeted content and marketing efforts, focusing on long-term brand engagement.

Choosing the right campaign in Google Ads depends on the goals of your business. Your campaign type should match your objective whether it’s sales, awareness, app downloads or leads. Testing different campaign strategies and adjusting based on performance is key to having a successful campaign.

Here’s a general baseline for the use of different campaigns to choose from:

• Search Campaigns: Best for driving sales or leads from active searches.
• Display Campaigns: Ideal for increasing brand awareness or retargeting.
• Shopping Campaigns: Suitable for promoting products to boost e-commerce or store traffic.
• Video Campaigns: Use for engaging users on YouTube and partner sites.
• App Campaigns: Optimal for promoting mobile app downloads and engagement.
• Performance Max: Leverages AI across Google’s platforms for any conversion goal.
• Smart Campaigns: Automated, simple campaigns for small businesses or beginners. Sacrifices optimization opportunities for ease of use.

Performance in your campaigns can decline for several reasons, there are factors to look out for when this starts to happen. Some common reasons this happens to consider: 

• Market Changes: Shifts in market demand, consumer behaviour, or increased competition can impact your performance. Seasonal trends can also affect how users interact with your ads.
• Budget Constraints: If your budget hasn’t been aligned with competition or if you’ve hit your budget cap early in the day, your ads might not show as often as before.
• Bid Strategy Adjustments: Changes in your bid strategy or adjustments by competitors could make your bids less competitive.
• Ad Quality and Relevance: A decline in ad quality score, due to less relevant ads or landing pages, can result in lower performance.
• Audience Targeting Changes: Modifications in your targeting settings, or not updating them to reflect current audience behaviours, could decrease effectiveness.
• Ad Fatigue: Your target audience might become less responsive if they see the same ads too frequently.
• Platform or Algorithm Updates: Changes in the advertising platform’s algorithms can affect how your ads are served and their overall performance.
• External Factors: Economic conditions, global events, or changes in consumer confidence can all influence campaign performance.

Review your campaigns regularly and compare from the previous week to see how your metrics are changing in performance over time. If you notice week by week there is a decline in performance it would be good to look at these factors and make updates to keep your campaigns performing at an optimal level. Sometimes, even small adjustments can lead to noticeable changes in performance.

To get started with paid search advertising, you’ll need a Google account and a conversion-optimised website or landing page. After this, understanding your target audience is crucial for tailoring your campaigns. 

• Set clear goals, decide on a budget for your paid advertising strategy, and conduct keyword research to target your ads effectively. 
• Prepare engaging ad copy and visuals, and ensure you set up conversion tracking to measure the success of your business. 
• Familiarise yourself with Google Ads policies to avoid compliance issues. Success in Google Ads requires ongoing learning and adaptation to platform updates and campaign performance insights. 

With these essentials, you’re ready to get started and launch your search ads campaigns.