You’ve set up your Google Ads campaigns, so you can forget them, right? Wrong. In order to get the most out of your ads (and the most impact for your dollar) and to make sure your Ad Grant account is still compliant, you’ll need to maintain your Google Ads campaigns.
Google Ads requires regular care and attention in order to encourage more clicks and conversions and, if you’re using the Google Ad Grant for nonprofits, staying Grant-compliant. So what steps do you need to take in order to maintain your account, and how can you operationalize the process at your organization? Great questions! Check out our 7 easy ways to maintain your Google Ads campaigns below to get the answers.
1. Choose an owner
Teams are way more effective when there is a leader. You want someone to move the project along, and to stay on top of trends. Designate a Google Ads “owner,” someone on your team who is in the account the most and also interested in the platform. That person should have the final say on what’s updated or changed, and should be in the account regularly making updates. They should also be up-to-date on the latest policies and strategies. Other teammates can absolutely contribute to your Google Ads campaigns, but having a central point-person will make maintenance more productive.
2. Set a schedule
If people know when to do something and have set reminders, they’re more likely to do it. That’s why we love calendars and project management! Set a schedule to manage when you’ll go into the account and maintain your Google Ads campaigns. We recommend at least looking at the account every 2 weeks, and conducting a more in-depth audit every 6 months.
3. Focus on the priorities
Before getting too in the weeds with Google Ads, think about your priorities. Are there specific campaigns that require extra budget or attention because they’re driving your bottom-line or are seasonally important? What is the overarching goal of each Google Ads campaign? Don’t get lost in the details of keywords and ad copy or forget about what’s really at stake. Remember why you have a website and what your goals are. Let the account breathe and generate meaningful data. 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts, so you don’t need to spend hours tweaking keywords to drive results with the Grant if you’re focusing on the bright spots.
4. Have a Google Ads style guide
There is a lot to look at within a Google Ads campaign, and you might not always be the person reviewing the account. How do you avoid too many cooks spoiling the broth? We recommend building a Google Ads style guide for internal use, that outlines the following:
- Account structure
- Keywords to include and to avoid
- Geo locations to include or avoid
- Priority campaigns that should receive more attention or budget
- Ad copy guidelines for language and tone
This can be a version of your organizational style guide, but tailored for Google Ads.
5. Use an Optimization Checklist
Talk about a lot to look at — how do you know where to start optimizing your campaigns, ads, and keywords? When do you need to pull in Google Analytics data? Using a Google Ads optimization checklist will ensure that you don’t forget anything when reviewing the account. Oh look, we have a downloadable checklist for you right here.
6. ABABT (Always be A/B testing)
We can’t say this enough: Always A/B test copy or landing pages to try and beat your own previous average. Have a friendly competition with your team to see whose iteration will win in order to stay motivated — and maybe win a small prize.
7. Try something new
Once the novelty of your Google Ads campaigns starts to wear off, try new strategies and techniques to reach your audience. Test ads optimized by time of day, try some fresh copy, or build out a news- or pop-culture–related ad campaign. Who knows? You might strike gold.
For more tips on optimizing and managing the Google Ad Grant, check out our digital advertising resources and sign up for our newsletter below.