The Google Ads Guide for SaaS Businesses

So, let's assume you've created some fantastic Google Ads search campaigns. Your conversion rate is 30%, you're bringing in the most qualified visitors, your CTR is over the sky, and your boss is ecstatic since you're bringing in fantastic results.

Of course, 70% of your customers arrived and departed without buying anything.

It can be extremely hard to establish and optimise effective Google ads campaigns when you're a SaaS start-up with little money and lack statistics on how much each customer is worth to you.

There are the obvious up-front costs of Google Ads (like other advertising platforms). As you begin your campaign, you will pay more to gain each new user than you will spend later as you perfect your optimization strategy. Even with marketing, you may experience a loss at the beginning of your campaign and only turn a profit on your customers after a while!

A few years in, though, Google Ads might potentially evolve into a really strong tool for getting customers for your SaaS company. Targeting, bidding, and optimising it properly will net you thousands of new customers per day at costs that make it exceptionally lucrative for your firm.

Here’s how Google Ads can help your SaaS firm create profitable leads and loyal clients.

Best Practices for Setting up Remarketing in AdWords/Google Ads

Use Video Ads on the Google Display Network

Using the Google Ads Keyword Planner, it's not hard to be surprised by how many search terms your target audience uses. Common SaaS keywords draw extremely large recommended CPC bids, which can range up to $100 per hit.

Remember, these proposed bids are for Google search traffic. Therefore, it's probably a good idea to explore these possibilities before writing off your campaign thoughts. You can lower your CPCs and broaden your audience when you use Google Display Network ads, which gives you the same results as a search network campaign but at a far lower cost.

Google's Display Network trumps the Search Network in multiple respects. Because it contains millions of websites, your campaign gains a big audience. Your potential consumers are present on an extensive range of sites, if your SaaS product has a broad target audience.

Not only is it cheaper, but it is more economical. Even though the Display Network has less CPA than Search, the AdWords CPC is about $1 for search and under $1 for display.

The GDN has certain notable drawbacks. Display advertising doesn't have the same potential for conversions as search advertising. Your advertisements are unlikely to get noticed unless you get a lot of impressions because 86% of your audience would pass over the ads without seeing them. You'll need more impressions in order to get the same number of conversions as you would with a tiny search campaign.

One of the GDN's greatest advantages is the large amount of exposure you get at a cheap price. You will have a better chance of connecting with customers if you expand your reach instead of paying to appear in front of a laser-targeted audience. Your brand will gain notice, and some customers will also become your loyal customers.

In order to produce a lot of results on a small budget, consider video adverts. This method allows you to develop brand awareness and reach people who have and have not already been consumers, all without paying a high fee for each impression on the Search Network.

Additional Targeting for Remarketing

Remarketing is a behavioural-targeting technique where the user has a hand in what content is included in your adverts.

To better tailor your audience, you may choose to add additional audience targeting parameters such as age and gender while also employing remarketing audiences. A relevant example: if you sell just to women, you may be sure that your ad reaches them by setting the gender. Make sure you select the "Bid only" option, which allows you to revise your bids for female workers later.

To avoid missing out on any impressions for females, be aware that Google's estimates regarding demographics aren't necessarily accurate, therefore choose "Unknown" for targeting. You can create a targeting type by clicking the green "+targeting" icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen and clicking "Display Network."

You can follow the same process for refining your remarketing to target member ages.

Frequency Capping

This is the most important and most essential remarketing best practice out there. A brand is remembered when it subtly places itself in front of its audience, and an effective way to ensure you're not viewed as a nuisance is to balance both targeted and generalised exposure.

Setting it in your campaign is relatively simple: it's in the Settings tab, and you may change it at the campaign, ad group, or ad level. Decide if you want to use daily, weekly, or monthly limitations.

When choosing what setting you'll use for frequency capping, think about how many remarketing campaigns or remarketing ad groups you have.

It's best to deliver two impressions a week for each campaign if you have multiple campaigns. Meaning that if a user belongs to at least one mailing list in all five of your campaigns, their maximum exposure will be fourteen weekly impressions. While this is high, users aren't all in the same campaign, so frequency will be lower than you expect.

Once your campaigns have been running for a while and have a lot of data, go to the Dimensions page and look at the reach and frequency data. Here you can view how often one of your remarketing advertisements are delivered to visitors and decide whether you think it's too often or if your frequency capping needs to be adjusted.

Google RLSA

If you plan to use search ad remarketing lists (RLSA), you must first have at least 1,000 people in your database to begin your strategy. Before you get started, remember that the people in your analytics reports came to your site, couldn't find what they were looking for, and left. They are still seeking that content elsewhere. Hey, remember, only include paid visitors who aren't going to convert on the list.

Now, it's time to put your foot down and hold their attention:

1. Use Keywords with High Potential

Using keywords with significant market potential can help with search engine ranking. Your targeting will centre around keywords even in the RLSA campaign. When choosing keywords, look at the ones that have high click-through rates and low conversion rates. Why? As you have previously done a great job pulling in your target customers (low CPA) with targeted and engaging advertisements, they need a little more convincing before taking the plunge on your products or services (low conversion rate). When they return to execute a search using the same or similar keywords, you only need to be present.

Looking at search terms related to your keywords will also help you find a suitable group of relevant keywords. For instance, if your keyword was "LPN programmes", but you saw terms like "online LPN programmes" or "LPN programmes Chicago" in your keyword research, then you may want to include these.

Next, target and prune your keywords to cull out those that resulted in irrelevant search terms. Such as searches done with knowledge acquisition in mind. To ask questions about how what or where is typical of them.

These are great examples of search terms reports with highly successful results, featuring phrases with higher CTRs and lower conversion rates, which can benefit RLSA strategies.

2. Tailor Your Ad Copy – You must address your audience directly with exceptional ad copy that is markedly distinct from their original thoughts on the topic. Highlight your UVP (unique value proposition), detail perks and features, and explain why people should look at your company with renewed interest. Perhaps they overlooked something the first time around!

We may also use this as an opportunity to provide a discount or promotional deals to gain an advantage in the SERPs (search engine results page). But remember who you are talking to. How can we get their attention? Remember to keep your services of high quality, even when offering customers a deal.

Google Custom Audience (Contact List)

You can now have the benefits of both search and display remarketing by uploading customer data (email, phone number, first and last name) that you've already obtained in the first-party context, which allows you to leverage Google Custom Audience. For instance, data like that can be information acquired via your websites, apps, brick-and-mortar businesses, or wherever where your customers have volunteered it to you.

You need to upload a list of contacts to utilise custom audiences. To receive a better response from Google Search and Google Display, you'll need a minimum of 1000 contacts to advertise to on Google Search and 100 on Google Display.

RLSA and Display Remarketing share the same size constraints. Google will make every effort to associate your contacts with its database after you upload your contact information. Remember that there's no assurance that everyone will be matched, so it may be worth uploading more data so you'll have a good list on hand.

Once you have that list in Google, here is what you can do:

1. Use Broad Match Keywords – Hey, I understand. After all, it goes against the significant PPC rule, "Avoid broad match keywords at all costs." But, as you can see, because your audience is already restricted and qualified, it would be more beneficial to use broad match keywords.

It's hard to deny that they have what it takes. This occurrence first happened after they shared their details, and it occurred a second time after they used Google to seek the services or products they were selling. As a result, it will simply lead to having an insufficient amount of business to go around.

2. Tailor Copy to Speak to The Specific Audience – You acquired your list by hosting a webinar. Let's imagine that. And now it's time to come up with the rest of your ad: the copy and the landing page.

Your copy is an excellent tool for communicating that there is more info to be found. Landing pages can help you bring the webinar's essential themes to your audience, as well as provide information on where they should go next.

You'll want to push your prospects even deeper into the marketing funnel if you aren't giving a bottom of the funnel (BOFU) solution or selling a product on your website.

It's easy on the eyes. As a further step, the website has a demo film that gives you more information about a conference you recently attended, reminding you of the details in the process.

Remarketing Ad Creation Best Practice

The ideal case is to use unique ad creative for each strategy and list since this gives you a better chance of ensuring the ad creative is appropriate to the demographic you are trying to reach.

An example of an ad creative for driving repeat purchases would include a code that discounts the customer's next purchase. It is a good idea to make your ad image or video focus on a product if it was previously viewed but never purchased.

Best practise for display remarketing ad production include the following ideas:

• To keep the user aware, it's an ad, including your logo and design continuity.

• Remember to have a still advertisement alongside your animated one to guarantee your campaign will include both still and animated forms.

• Every ad size must be represented in each ad group, so all ad sizes must be featured. As you know, not all sites allow all advertising formats, so this makes sure you have a chance to prove you can run ads.

• Even if specific sites don't support image advertising, including a text ad in each ad group assures that you'll always have the opportunity to display your ad to users. Later, you can delete the text ad if it is unsuccessful.

• Consider putting a button to drive them to the landing page and showcasing any USPs or deals.

Do You Use Google Ads at Your SaaS Startup?

Google Ads could seem like a "dead end" if you consider how difficult it is to succeed with a SaaS firm if your software is reasonably priced. Even if it can be tough to land clients, get some brand awareness, and generate leads at a reasonable price, there are still ways to do this.

Are you doing all you can to get new customers and trials with AdWords for your SaaS startup? Otherwise, test the approaches above. If you've always felt like your advertising money was going to waste, think again! Some positive changes to your ad campaign can deliver surprising benefits.