TPE #58: the 10 Commandments for Success with Google Ads

Read time: 4 minutes

Google Ads is complicated with automation, machine learning, and AI.

Small changes and wrong setups can quickly destroy your performance.

Most PPCers want to implement fancy-sounding strategies and tactics. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, your account needs a solid foundation first.

That’s why we kick off our Performance Max Mastery course with a lesson called “Fix Your Fundamentals”.

We think the fundamentals matter more than ever.

In this issue of The PPC Edge, we’ll share our 10 commandments for success with Google Ads.

Make sure you go through them to uncover whether or not you should even run Google Ads campaigns (doesn’t matter if it’s pMax or anything else).

Let’s dive in!

The 10 Commandments for Success with Google Ads

These 10 commandments have helped us focus on what’s truly important to succeed with Google Ads:

1. Understand your why: why do you exist.
2. You need an irresistible offer: Google Ads can’t fix a bad product.
3. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy.
4. Google Ads is just one piece of your broader strategy.
5. Embrace automation, don’t fight it.
6. Data input is crucial.
7. Your account structure sets you up for success.
8. What happens before and after the click is equally important.
9. Not all Google Ads products are suitable for everyone.
10. Don’t complain and adapt fast to frequent changes.

Let’s zoom in one-by-one.

1: Understand your why: why do you exist.

Do you know why your (clients’) business/product/service exists? Or are you just going with the motions, running around like a headless chicken?

Can you answer the following questions?

1. Why does your business exist in the first place?
2. What problems do you solve?
3. What makes you unique (USPs)?
4. Who are your customers?
5. How do you serve them?
6. Why would they choose you over competitors?

If you don’t have the answers to these questions, don’t even bother running Google Ads.

2: You need an irresistible offer: Google Ads can’t fix a bad product.

Google Ads can’t fix or scale a broken product. You need a good offer to be successful with PPC. Ask yourself:

• Do you have product-market fit?
• What makes your product better than competitors’?
• Is your product priced competitively?
• Can you compete outside of price?

Crafting an irresistible offer starts with understanding your market and customers in great detail.

In the words of the GOAT, Alex Hormozi: “make offers so good, people feel stupid saying no.”

3: There is no one-size-fits-all strategy

Experience has taught us that anything CAN work, and anything CAN NOT work. Nothing works all of the time, so you need to find out what’s the best strategy for your specific case.

Align your strategies and tactics with your business goals. And question everything: test and see for yourself (this also applies to what we teach you).

4: Google Ads is just one piece of your broader strategy

Beginner Google Ads Specialists often make a big mistake: they only focus on Google Ads. Experienced Google Ads Specialists know that Google Ads is just one piece of the broader strategy.

Take off your blinders, look beyond Google Ads, and don’t work in silos. Cooperate with your team for maximum results (especially if you run ads on other channels like Meta & TikTok).

Improving your Google Ads performance is important, but always look at it from a holistic perspective across everything you’re doing. This also applies to what you do within your Google Ads account: always look at your data holistically, not just by campaign type.

5: Embrace automation, don’t fight it

Automation has become the norm, whether you like it or not. When used correctly, it’s a powerful tool.

Lean in, but provide restrictions where needed (e.g. with portfolio bid strategies, exclusions, targets etc.). Don’t try to ‘beat’ the algorithm, but find ways to leverage it so it works FOR you.

6: Data input is crucial

Google’s algorithm uses historical data to predict future conversions. It’s our job to feed it with high-quality, relevant data:

• Conversion tracking
• Real business results (profit, qualified leads, closed deals etc.)
• First-party audience segments
• Product feeds
• Bid strategy targets
• Ads

… And more

Remember: trash in = trash out!

Whoever has the most high-quality relevant data, wins.

7: Your account structure sets you up for success

Next to providing the right data input, your account structure is one of the biggest drivers of success. With your account structure, you control what data Google’s algorithm can utilize to steer on your desired result.

Think carefully about how you structure your accounts, and test methodically to get the best performance.

Pro tip: Performance-Based Bucketing works really well right now for ecom (Shopping & pMax). Here’s a full guide on how it works.

8: What happens before and after the click is equally important.

Obviously, what you do inside of your Google Ads account is super important.

But this is what sets the best Google Ads Specialists apart from the rest:

• They establish a seamless synergy between pre and post-click elements.
• They challenge their clients whenever they feel CVR is low or the offer isn’t good enough.
• They create highly optimized landing pages with clear value propositions and persuasive messaging.
• They apply conversion rate optimization principles and conduct A/B testing to improve user experience and boost conversion rates.

You don’t make money with traffic. You make money with conversions. Real impact is made by optimizing what happens after the click.

9: Not all Google Ads products are suitable for everyone

Google reps will often push specific products as if they’re the only viable option, making you feel bad if you don’t implement them.

But the campaigns and tactics you should use, depend on your goals. Make informed decisions and understand that not every product is suitable for everyone.

Understand the difference between push and pull marketing (creating demand vs. capturing demand).

10: Don’t complain and adapt fast

Google Ads is changing faster than ever. Before you do anything, you need to fix your mindset:

• Do not complain.
• Be skeptical, but curious and practical.
• Stay up to date with and study all the latest developments.

If you apply these mindset fixes, you will already be ahead of 99% of other PPCers!

Ever think it’s unfair what Google is doing? Feel like they’re only trying to fill their own pockets? Well, maybe… But what are you gonna do about it?

Unless you have legal powers, stop complaining — it will not get you anywhere.

Pro tip: don’t fully trust a new feature? Just run a (small) experiment, and let the data decide!

Leave your emotions out of it and focus on real data.

And follow Adriaan Dekker on LinkedIn. He shares a LOT of updates, big and small. He’s our primary source of news updates.

Every now and then, go back to the basics

Every now and then, go back to the basics and revisit the 10 commandments for success with Google Ads:

1. Understand your why: why do you exist.
2. You need an irresistible offer: Google Ads can’t fix a bad product.
3. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy.
4. Google Ads is just one piece of your broader strategy.
5. Embrace automation, don’t fight it.
6. Data input is crucial.
7. Your account structure sets you up for success.
8. What happens before and after the click is equally important.
9. Not all Google Ads products are suitable for everyone.
10. Don’t complain and adapt fast to frequent changes.

A fun thought experiment: how many of these 10 commandments have you actively thought about?

That’s all for today — we’ll see you again next week!