Google Ads 101: Initial Campaign Template

My First Google Ads Campaign for Dummies 101 ©™

The following is a template for an initial campaign structure to use when a customer first starts running Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords).

 

It is meant as a simple-yet-effective starting point, from which you can easily expand or add additional campaigns and ad groups based on the customer’s needs, budget, and other variables. It should not be taken as an end-point and should be monitored and adjusted post-set-up to make sure that it is working effectively for your customer.

 

Given the differences in structure between B&Bs and Vacation Rentals, there are separate examples for each type. B&Bs, Inns, and Boutique Hotels are similar enough, structurally, that they can follow the same starting template.

 

B&Bs, Inns, and Boutique Hotels

  1. Campaign 1 – General Lodging
    1. One Ad Group for each relevant broad keyword (e.g. B&B, Inn, Boutique Hotel, Lodging, etc. Make sure they are location-specific (e.g. “Bed and breakfast Pasadena CA”)
      Note: it is easiest to create one ad group with lots of great ads around one keyword and then, for the next keyword, simply duplicate the ad group and edit the keywords within the ads to the new keyword. This saves a lot of setup time.

      1. Ads that use the related keywords
      2. Targeted Keywords. Recommend using broad match modified for the most part, e.g. +bed +breakfast +pasadena +ca
    2. Negative Keywords (Campaign-level): cheap, motel, apartment, “for sale”, any states with cities of the same name as that of your customer’s city, or any cities with similarly-named properties.
      Note: obviously there may be instances where one or more of these is applicable to a campaign – use your judgment and knowledge of the customer’s brand.
      Note: IF you are doing a Branded campaign, include the customer’s business name as a negative keyword to avoid competition with the Branded campaign.
  2. Campaign 2 – Branded
    ONLY necessary if OTAs are bidding on the brand name.
    Branded should ALWAYS be a separate campaign, never an ad group in a broader campaign.

    1. Ad Group – Branded
      1. Branded Ads
      2. Branded Keywords only
    2. Negative Keywords (Campaign-level): cheap, motel, apartment, “for sale”, realtor, “real estate”
  3. Ad Extensions – Apply to all campaigns
    1. Phone
    2. Location (requires linking to customer’s Google My Business page)
    3. Sitelink – include major subpages of the site that may be of interest to someone viewing the ad, e.g. Breakfast, Spa, Specials/Packages, Weddings, Contact Us, Rooms/Suites/Accommodations, Pet-Friendly Rooms, About Us (basically, make it easy for people to jump directly to whatever they’re most interested in with just one click – refer to prominent static pages/landing pages on the website for ideas).
    4. Structured Snippets – Amenities is often the only one applicable, but review the options and use any that make sense for your customer.
    5. Callout Extensions – Noteworthy features/attributes/services of the business/property that do not fit into a structured snippet. Basically, what makes them special?
  4. Bid Adjustments
    1. Location – add bid adjustments (usually + 10-15%) for people in cities that typically send a lot of high-converting traffic to your customer. Refer to Geolocations in Analytics, and cities with cheap direct flights to your customer’s city.
    2. Audiences – add bid adjustments (usually + 10-15%) for past website visitors (set up in Analytics and import to Ads). Add in-market audiences based on “What they are actively researching or planning” – typically people interested in travel to your customer’s specific city/state if available. Recommend a higher-than-average bid adjustment if you can specifically target people interested in trips to your customer’s specific city since they are very likely to convert.
      Note: Use Observation, not Targeting for audiences unless you want your campaign/adgroup to target only that audience.

 

Vacation Rentals

  1. Campaign 1 – General Lodging
    1. One Ad Group for each relevant broad keyword (e.g. Vacation Rental, Vacation Home, Vacation Cabin, Vacation Condo, any popular areas within the city with lots of rentals (e.g. Wilton Manors as an area within Fort Lauderdale).
      1. Ads that use the related keywords
      2. Targeted Keywords. Recommend using broad match modified for the most part, e.g. +vacation +rental +pasadena +ca
    2. Negative Keywords (Campaign-level): cheap, motel, apartment, “for sale”, realtor, “real estate”, “property management”
      Note: obviously there may be instances where one or more of these is applicable to a campaign – use your judgment and knowledge of the customer’s brand.
      Note: IF you are doing a Branded campaign, include the customer’s business name as a negative keyword to avoid competition with the Branded campaign.
  2. Campaign 2 – Branded
    ONLY necessary if OTAs are bidding on the brand name.
    Branded should ALWAYS be a separate campaign, not an ad group in a broader campaign.

    1. Ad Group – Branded
      Note: Multiple ad groups may be warranted if there are numerous sub-areas within the city that you would like to target with your branded campaign.

      1. Branded Ads
      2. Branded Keywords only
    2. Negative Keywords (Campaign-level): cheap, motel, apartment, “for sale”, realtor, “real estate”, “property management”
  3. Ad Extensions – Apply to all campaigns
    1. Phone
    2. Location (requires linking to Google My Business)
    3. Sitelink – include major subpages of the site that may be of interest to someone viewing the ad, e.g. Amenities, Reviews, Specials/Packages, Contact Us, Properties, Homes, Condos, Pet-Friendly Properties, About Us (basically, make it easy for people to jump directly to whatever they’re most interested in with just one click – refer to prominent static pages/landing pages on the website for ideas).
    4. Structured Snippets – Amenities and Neighborhoods are often the only ones applicable to VRs, but review the options and use any that make sense for your customer.
    5. Callout Extensions – Noteworthy features/attributes/services of the business/property that do not fit into a structured snippet. Basically, what makes them special?
  4. Bid Adjustments
    1. Location – add bid adjustments (usually + 10-15%) for people in cities that typically send a lot of high-converting traffic to your customer. Refer to Geolocations in Analytics, and cities with cheap direct flights to your customer’s city.
    2. Audiences – add bid adjustments (usually + 10-15%) for past website visitors (set up in Analytics and import to Ads). Add in-market audiences based on “What they are actively researching or planning” – typically people interested in Vacation Rentals, and travel to your customer’s specific city/state if available. Recommend a higher-than-average bid adjustment if you can specifically target people interested in trips to your customer’s specific city since they are very likely to convert.
      Note: Use Observation, not Targeting for audiences unless you want your campaign/adgroup to target only that audience.

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