An example with our applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy clients is that we want to capture as much directly related traffic as possible.
Phrase match can be helpful here because it allows us to target people searching for a variety of things as long as a core term is included.
At the same time, only a finite amount of search volume is relevant to the business.
While we need to add more generic terms (such as “autism therapy for children”), we also want to ensure that all our spend is not going to those upper funnel keywords with research or indirect intent.
Limiting the use of broad match on these keywords prevents the system from going too far off course.
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6. Too many or too few negative keywords
The other side of the keyword match type balance is your negative keyword list, which acts as a quality filter. This involves:
Regularly monitoring the search terms report for low-converting queries.
Using common sense and client experiences to proactively exclude low-intent keywords.
Only blocking keywords that have enough data or experience to support that choice.
Use too few negative keywords, and you’ll attract relatively large quantities of traffic that will never convert, dropping your CPA well below ideal levels.
Use too many, and you’ll likely filter out traffic that might have converted for you, with or without delay.
Dig deeper: How to use negative keywords in PPC to maximize targeting and optimize ad spend
7. Broken conversion tracking
Sometimes, the cause of our worries is among the simplest things we tend to take for granted and overlook – like conversion tracking.
Making sure the conversion tracking is working as intended feels like a one-time thing, but you might need to do it more often.
In my experience, clients sometimes launch a new website or make changes that break tracking.
Typically, the hallmark of this is not a dip in conversions but a complete drop to zero. That’s a very easy tell as opposed to a 20% decrease, which is not as definite.
When this happens, we look inside the Google Ads conversions page and test the different conversion actions on Tag Assistant.
8. Weak landing pages
Sometimes conversions and conversion rates tank despite an immaculate campaign setup.
When this happens, the first place we look is the landing page.
If traffic to the page is sufficient but on-page performance is low, we look to make sure the hallmarks of a good page are all there:
Strong, clear brand messaging that addresses the intent of the main keywords.
Descriptive calls to action that set expectations for what comes next.
Visible trust signals, such as reviews and testimonials.
Quick page load times and minimal page shift.
Mobile-first, device-responsive design.
Dig deeper: How to craft a winning landing page experience
9. Insufficient demand or demand capture
There will be times when the number of people searching for what you have to offer just isn’t enough to meet your advertising goals.
This could be a setup issue, or it could be because you’ve tapped out the market.
There are three ways to increase traffic from a Search campaign:
Add keywords.
Increase bids.
Add locations.
Whenever you notice your cost per click is too high and traffic is insufficient, your goal should be to cast a wider net.
If you haven’t captured enough demand initially, expanding locations and keywords can help.
Just make sure to check in with your clients before broadening the scope of your campaign.
10. Market and economic volatility
Not all performance problems originate in the ad account.
A quick check on daily traffic volume might indicate that demand and interest in your product or service are experiencing a natural dip.
This can be because of several factors, including:
Seasonal fluctuations.
High-impact current affairs, like elections.
Natural and manmade disasters.
Economic lulls.
Negative PR around your product or industry.
If any of these is responsible for a dip in search volume, your client must address the issue or wait it out.
You cannot always do much within the ad account about these types of dips in demand. But sometimes, there is.
For our ABA therapy clients, there are natural industry cycles just like any other. From Thanksgiving through the new year, it is a very slow period, but it bounces back in January.
When slow seasons like this are expected, we do not overbid during the lull. Instead, we spend whatever we can as profitably as possible.
When the peak demand season rolls around, we’ll try to compensate with higher budget allocations.
Alternatively, you can invest more heavily in top-of-funnel media to push more searches downstream.
A drop in conversions is not the end of the world – it’s part of the game
There’s no such thing as a perfect ad account, and there are no ad accounts that experience only increases in performance.
No business is immune to the market shifts that move demand up and down.
Clients and marketers place so much emphasis on constantly chasing the next level of growth. This sets false expectations and puts unfair pressure on the account managers.
So the next time you face a drop in conversions, don’t panic.
Break out this walkthrough and run through the possible causes.
Communicate openly and transparently with your client.
And when you figure out the cause, you’ll know what you can do to help resolve it.
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