Google Ads (AdWords) account hit a plateau? Here's what to do.
Sometimes Google Ads (formally Google AdWords) accounts can just hit a plateau, and that's perfectly normal. Assuming you're not innovating with different products/services or offers, the rate of gains tends to diminish over time as an ad account matures and ages (if you don't increase the budget or expand the account to advertise in new locations, etc). It may be that you have done your job and you have reached that optimum CPA and you can not get it much is any better. It happens.
There are several reasons why a Google Ads account might hit such a standstill:
Market Saturation: Over time, your ads might be reaching the same audience repeatedly. This saturation can lead to ad fatigue among your target audience, resulting in lower engagement and conversion rates.
Keyword Stagnation: Relying on the same set of keywords for extended periods can lead to a decline in effectiveness. The digital marketplace is dynamic, and the relevance of keywords can shift, requiring regular review and update.
Budget Constraints: Often, a plateau is reached when the allocated budget is no longer sufficient to compete effectively in the bidding landscape. As competition for keywords grows, the cost per click can increase, making your current budget less impactful.
Ad Content and Design: In a world where consumer preferences evolve rapidly, an ad that once performed well can become less effective over time. This change might be due to shifts in consumer behaviour, emerging trends, or simply the ad becoming outdated.
Algorithm Changes: Google frequently updates its algorithms, impacting how ads are ranked and displayed. These changes can affect campaign performance, especially if strategies are not adapted in response.
Lack of Testing and Innovation: Continuously using the same strategy without experimentation can lead to a plateau. Regular testing of different ad formats, targeting methods, and creative content is vital to discover more effective approaches.
Competitive Dynamics: The actions of your competitors also play a significant role. If competitors enhance their AdWords strategies or increase their budgets, they may outperform your ads, leading to a relative decline in your campaign's effectiveness.
Audience Shifts: Changes in your target audience's behaviour or preferences can render your current targeting methods less effective. Staying attuned to these shifts is crucial for maintaining campaign relevance.
Technical Issues: Sometimes, the reasons for a plateau are more mundane, like technical issues with tracking or implementation errors in campaign settings.
What to do about the plateau?
Here are some ideas for things you can do to experiment with your account and make sure you're getting everything you can from your budget:
1. Bidding on competitor terms like "example company reviews" "example company cancellation", "example company alternatives". Set aside a new but small budget to experiment with this. Often, bidding on competitors is unsuccessful due to the low quality scores that are usually given to such keywords. But you can still give it a try as it does sometimes prove a roaring success.
2. Take a risk and try adding in some super broad terms. Negatives will be the key to generating a good ROI with these but they may well open you up to new areas you hadn't previously thought of. Run these terms for x amount of weeks before reviewing the search terms. You should now be able to see some new terms in your search terms report and build these into your account.
3. Pay attention to location targeting and experimenting with demographic bid adjustments. You should try expanding into new locations (if possible for your business) and play with some bid adjustments. Some locations will have more competition and, therefore, be more expensive than others, so it's worth having a play around to see if you can reduce costs in certain areas or perhaps you can increase bids, therefore increasing position and, in turn, increasing CTR and conversions!