What 54 Google Ads experiments taught me about lead gen

For 2 years, my workforce ran 54 Google Ads experiments in a single lead gen (non-ecommerce) account, testing numerous options, together with:

This text delves into these exams, explaining the rationale behind them, the outcomes achieved and the implications on your personal Google Advertisements accounts.

TL;DR

• We ran 54 experiments over two years overlaying a spread of options for a lead era enterprise.
• Key exams lined bid methods, match sorts and advert copy.
• Precise match key phrases nearly at all times carry out higher than phrase match key phrases.
• Maximize conversion technique tended to underperform different bid methods.
• Goal CPA bidding helped us hone in on an optimum CPA stage for us. 

What are Google Advertisements experiments?

Google Advertisements experiments permit advertisers to check modifications inside their campaigns earlier than totally implementing them. 

These experiments, carried out on the marketing campaign stage, present a structured framework to simply arrange these modifications, take a look at for significance and apply the modifications to the entire marketing campaign if they’re efficient.

For extra detailed data, the official Google Ads support pages supply further steerage.

Experiment setup overview

Throughout two years, we carried out 54 experiments, testing quite a lot of levers in Google Advertisements. Under are just a few examples of the experiments.

Key take a look at classes 

• Bidding: Testing completely different bidding strategies towards one another. For instance, maximize conversions vs. goal CPA or goal CPA of $90 vs. goal CPA of $120. 
• Advert copy: Pinning sure advert copies down, testing sure copies or new touchdown pages.
• Key phrase match: Testing precise match key phrases vs. phrase match.

Timings

There was no set time for every experiment, however we tried to run every experiment for not less than 30 days. 

Nevertheless, typically when the outcomes had been clear in much less time, we decided. Most of the experiments ran for over three months, and most ran for over two months. 

Analysis

We evaluated all experiments based mostly on conversion price, conversion quantity and price per acquisition – balancing these metrics to decide. (For advert copy exams, we additionally used CTR.) 

Experiment outcomes 

1. Precise match vs. phrase match 

Precise match key phrases carried out higher on all standards when in comparison with phrase match. That they had decrease CPAs and better conversion charges and maintained related conversion volumes to phrase match key phrases.

Insights

• Though precise match key phrases had been dearer, they nonetheless nearly at all times had larger conversion charges and decrease CPA than phrase match key phrases. 
• Whereas sure phrase match key phrases will be helpful, when taken as a grouped marketing campaign, it was at all times higher for us to run precise match key phrases solely. 
• Phrase match has a spot and will be helpful for search time period discovery and in new campaigns, but when there may be sufficient quantity for precise key phrases, the latter ought to at all times be most popular. 
• Precise match key phrases usually carry out higher than phrase match key phrases as a result of Google hides many search phrases on phrase match key phrases. 
• In lots of instances, we discovered as much as 80% of search time period impressions and clicks are hidden when in comparison with key phrase impressions and clicks. 
• You may see this on the search phrases report. The share hidden on precise match is way decrease as a result of the search time period potentialities are far decrease. 
• With phrase, you don’t really know lots of the key phrases you might have bid on and are unable to detrimental out many search phrases, which additional lowers the standard of those key phrases.

2. Maximize conversion bidding vs. different bidding methods

In the entire experiments the place we ran maximize conversions towards a goal CPA technique, the goal CPA technique at all times outperformed, driving extra leads on the identical value. 

Once we ran maximize conversions towards handbook bidding, maximize conversions carried out higher. 

Insights

• In case you are utilizing handbook bidding and you’ve got sufficient conversion knowledge, then you must transfer to automated bidding. Both goal CPA or maximize conversions can be a great choice. 
• Should you don’t have loads of conversion knowledge, you must wait or take a look at maximize conversion bidding. Usually, we discovered that in comparison with tCPA, maximize conversion bidding drove bids too excessive to be efficient. It allowed Google to set bids too excessive, typically excessively so.
• Google’s recommendation right here was that the bids would stabilize over time. Nevertheless, we ran these exams usually for 3 months and didn’t see bids come down. 
• It’s probably most advertisers, like us, wouldn’t be capable of maintain such excessive bids for this lengthy. 

3. Goal CPA vs. goal CPA at completely different ranges 

Basically, we examined tCPA at completely different ranges (e.g., tCPA 90 vs. 120). Roughly half of our goal CPA experiments failed and half succeeded.

Insights

• The outcomes confirmed {that a} goal CPA of round 120 produced the most effective outcomes. 
• Assessments with goal CPAs decrease than 120, reminiscent of 110, didn’t enhance efficiency. 
• The 120 goal CPA constantly delivered larger conversions at a greater value per conversion.
• For our account, which is closely lead-based, tCPA tends to be the most effective mannequin. 
• We discovered the optimum goal CPA that maximizes leads inside our finances. Your purpose with experiments ought to be to seek out your personal optimum goal CPA, which can differ.

Subsequent steps

Whereas our outcomes present invaluable insights, do not forget that each PPC account and marketing campaign is exclusive.

Testing these methods in your particular context will assist verify whether or not our outcomes apply to your scenario.

Our experiments can function a place to begin for optimizing your lead gen campaigns. By leveraging our findings, it can save you effort and time in your personal testing course of. 

Validate our outcomes with your personal knowledge, and if the outcomes align, confidently implement these modifications in your account for improved efficiency.