Google Adwords is a great way to get the link for your website at the top of relevant search results, even before your search engine optimization has started to take effect. While you do not necessarily have to devote a large portion of your marketing budget to this tactic, you do want to make sure that the money you are devoting to Adwords is not being wasted. If you have not segmented your campaign effectively or you have not created ads that will actually entice the right people to click on your link, you are not going to be getting the most bang for your buck, no matter how small that buck is.

How can you improve your chances of getting your link in front of the right people and getting those people to click on that link? Here are some tips you can use to make your Google Adwords campaigns more effective:

1. Have a clearly defined goal for your campaign.

The most important part of making any kind of marketing campaign effective is to have a clear goal for that campaign. As with most campaigns, your goal will probably be something like increasing sales or increasing appointment bookings. This will direct the function of your ad. Do you ultimately want someone who clicks on your ad to make a purchase? To call and make an appointment? To subscribe to your email list. You need to have these goals clearly defined before you start generating your campaign, so you can create ads that align with those goals. Also, make sure you have a way to measure whether or not you are meeting those goals.

2. Remember your target customers.

This is especially true when you are writing ads for your campaign. Why is this important? Because your ultimate goal is to get your target audience to see and read your ad and click on it. They will not do that if the ad is not crafted specifically for them. It should attract their attention, make them interested in your website, convince that they need what you are offering, and then lead them towards taking the action that you ultimately want them to take. This might sound like a lot for one short ad to do, but it is possible.

3. Make sure your ads accurately reflect your landing page content.

No one wants to click on an ad that promises them 50% of tennis shoes, only to be diverted to a landing page that is selling them high heels. This is going to turn off a huge percentage of your customer base. What is promised in the ad should be delivered on the landing page. Do not do anything that will mislead your site visitors. Even something as small as promising free shipping in the Adwords ad, but then mentioning on the landing page that they have to spend $150 in order to get free shipping. If there are stipulations to your offer, put them in the ad. Don’t spring them on your visitor when they arrive on your landing page.

4. Use your negative keywords just as much as your positive keywords.

Using negative keywords can make sure that you do not show up in search results where you simply do not want to be. On occasion, you might use a keyword that has a double meaning or a related meaning, for which you do not want your ad to show up. If you did show up in those results, you might end up having to spend money on clicks that will never convert into customers or clients. When you use your negative keywords, you can better ensure that you are only going to show up in search results where your target audience really is going to be. This means higher quality traffic and, in the end, more conversions.

5. Use all of Google’s keyword targeting types.

You have three different targeting types to choose from: broad match, phrase match, and exact match.” Incorporating all three of these in to your marketing campaign means that you can reach out the largest swath of people who might be interested in what you have to offer. Spend the most money on exact match keywords and the least on broad match. Adwords should give you the opportunity to separate your campaign by keyword type, so you can easily define how much should be spent on each class of keyword.

6. Target mobile users, too.

With more than half of all search traffic now coming from mobile devices, it is important to be as proactive about targeting mobile users as you are about targeting desktop users. You should have the option to create a mobile-preferred campaign, which will allow you to create advertisements specifically for people who are searching via mobile devices. Why bother doing this? Because the mobile searcher has a fundamentally different mindset from the desktop searcher. They are usually looking for something more immediate and may be looking for businesses that they can call right now.

7. Don’t forget to test.

One of the biggest mistakes a brand can make is to create the campaign and just let it run without first testing the wording on their ads, the formatting of those ads, their landing pages, etc. It will be impossible to know what specifically is working and is not working unless you take the time to test all of the elements of your campaign separately. This usually means split testing, which consists of using two separate versions of the same ad and showing them to your audience. One will probably be more effective than the other one. This provides you with valuable information about your audience and about what works for them, so you can create the most effective campaign possible.

8. Link keywords and ad strategies to conversions.

As your campaign progresses and you start to see success, it is important to link your keyword and advertisement strategies to your conversion rates. Which keywords are most likely to trigger a conversion? Which advertisements are bringing you the highest quality traffic? This is information you need to know if you want to streamline your campaign for return on investment. Only when you know which keywords are the most effective at bringing you the best prospects can you optimize for those keywords.

9. Constantly monitor your campaigns and improve them.

Adwords is not something that you can just set and forget. In fact, doing this can destroy your campaign. Even something that is effective at first will slowly become less and less effective and you will ultimately see your traffic dwindle. You have to monitor your campaigns, trim away what does not work and build upon what is working. Keeping your ads fresh will help draw in more and more visitors, as well as help to recapture old leads. Make this a part of your weekly marketing campaign upkeep.