‍What is Ad Relevance? Tips for Small Business Owners Advertising on Google

Ad relevance can improve your ad’s position on the search engine results pages, secure more leads, and generate a higher ROI!

This begs the question: What is ad relevance and how exactly can you increase your ad’s relevance on Google?

This internet marketing company in Florida will tell you what you need to know.  

What Is Ad Relevance?

Ad relevance refers to how helpful an ad campaign is in satisfying a user’s search intent. It also shows how closely a campaign matches a user’s search in terms of keywords, ads, and post-click landing page.  

For example, if you search for “CRM for Small Business”, this ad will appear:

The ad relevance here is strong because the terms used in the search are found directly in this ad's headline. This leads to more clicks and higher conversion rates.

Here are a few things you want to keep in mind about ad relevance:

• Your ads should always contain your main keywords.
• Your post-click landing page should always match your ads.  
• Both of these elements should always correspond to a user’s search intent.  

Why Is Ad Relevance Important?

Ad relevance is important because it can help you rank higher on Google search results, lower your cost-per-click, and give you the opportunity to earn more clicks for the same budget.

To Google, ad relevance is important because it is what users want. Searchers want to find results that are helpful and will aid them in achieving a certain goal. So, it’s Google’s job to encourage advertisers to make relevant ad campaigns.  

How to Measure Ad Relevance

Google Ads uses the Quality Score metric to identify at which rank your PPC ad should appear in the paid search results and how much you should pay per click.  

Quality Score has three main criteria:

• Ad relevance: how closely your ad matches a user’s search intent.
• Expected click-through-rate: the percentage of users that are expected to click on your ad when shown.  
• Landing page experience: how helpful your landing page is to users who clicked on your ad.  

A high Quality Score means that your ad, landing page, and keywords are relevant. The higher the Quality Score, the higher the ad position and the lower the cost-per-click.  

On the other hand, a low Quality Score means that your ads, keywords, and landing page are irrelevant. When your ad is irrelevant to a user's query, there's a big chance that prospects won’t click it.  

Each of the criteria above is evaluated with a status of:

• Average – An average rating means that there are no major problems with your keyword relevance.  
• Above-average – This status indicates that your keyword and ad copy are highly relevant.  
• Below average – A below-average rating means that your ad or keyword is not relevant or specific enough. It could also be that your ad group contains a wide array of topics. Always tailor your keywords to the ad copy of your new ad group.

Poor ad relevance can usually be traced to one of two factors:

• Your ad groups are not centered around a singular keyword theme.  
• Your ads were copied from one group to another without tailoring them for the new ad group.  

As your trusted internet marketing company in Florida, we suggest that you check your account structure to make sure your campaigns and ad groups are laser-focused around a keyword theme.  

6 Ways to Increase Ad Relevance to Boost Your Ad’s Performance

1. Research your keywords and make sure they relate to the theme of your ad group.

The more your ads match your keywords and the user’s intent, the more prospects will likely click on your ads and convert.  

So, your ultimate goal is to figure out the key terms your intended audience uses to search for each of your offerings online and the intent behind their queries.  

This way, you can group similar keywords/variants and create ad groups that match their search terms.  

Research your keywords and their close variants. As the leading internet marketing company in Florida, we recommend that you choose long-tail keywords. More specific key terms tend to capture leads that are closer to a point of purchase compared to more generic terms.  

For instance, if you're a divorce attorney promoting your services in Miami, use a long-tail phrase like "divorce attorney in Miami" instead of just "attorney" or "divorce attorney."

Using long-tail keywords in your ads and landing page will make them more relevant to what a user is searching for online.  

2. Your ad group should focus on a specific product or service.

One way to be more relevant is to make sure that your campaigns and ad groups are focused on a specific product or service.  

For example, if you’re a jeweler that specializes in rings, you should create a different ad group for every kind of ring there is – one for engagement rings, one for wedding bands, one for promise rings, and so on.  

Check your ad groups and see if they contain many different keywords that cannot be covered by a single ad. Group the same keywords into themes. These themes can be based on your offerings. Then, create more specific ad groups based on these themes to better match a user’s query.  

For instance, if you do flower arrangements for a living, you can have a group of keywords for “Mother’s Day” and another group for “Anniversaries”.  

Your goal is to match the users’ search terms with the language of your ad text to boost your Ad Relevance.  

3. Naturally incorporate keywords in your ad text.

When people see their search terms in your ad text, they will automatically think that your ad is relevant to what they’re looking for. So, they end up clicking it.  

This means that it’s crucial to include main keywords in the headline and description lines in your ad text.  

In the example below, we can see that the long-tail keyword is “emergency dentist Miami FL,” so it’s incorporated in the headline. A close variant, “dentist for emergencies,” is also used in the description.  

4. Optimize your post-click landing page.

Landing pages are one of the most effective ways to secure leads and generate sales from a PPC campaign. This is why you must optimize the post-click experience by sending prospects to a highly relevant and personalized post-click landing page.  

So, how exactly can you create a highly relevant landing page that will boost your ad relevance? Consistency and continuity are the keys.

Here’s how to achieve this:

• Use the same keywords you used in your ad on your landing page.  
• Make sure the title or headline of your landing page is similar to your ad.  
• Use the same fonts, colors, CTA buttons, and visuals on your pre-click and post-click elements to create a sense of continuity.  

• The offer on your ad should be the same as the offer on your landing page.  
• Avoid placing multiple CTAs or offers on a single landing page. Instead, create a dedicated landing page with one offer for each campaign.  
• Add social proof to your landing page. However, don’t just pick out any random customer testimonial and base it on the message of your campaign. For example, if your landing page is to get customers to avail of your wedding photoshoot package, include the testimony of a customer who was glad to have gotten this specific bundle. The more specific and relevant, the better.  
• Make sure your landing page delivers what your ad promised.  

5. Make your ads simple yet compelling.

Simple ads tend to be more effective at capturing your target customer’s attention compared to complex ones.  

Since you only have a very small window to try and gain a user’s interest, it’s best to keep your ads simple. Focus on your keywords, what you have to offer, and your unique selling proposition. Then add a compelling CTA that encourages clicks.  

6. A/B test your ads.

It’s never a bad idea to test your ads to determine which strategy works best for this campaign and your intended audience. This can help you optimize the performance of your campaigns and improve future campaigns as well.  

Experiment with different keywords, ad copy, offers, power words, CTAs, and more to see what will get your ideal customers to click and help you achieve your goals. Google rotates ads within an ad group continuously, which is useful for helping you see exactly what does and doesn’t work.

Always review your ad performance. If you don’t like the results you’re seeing, don’t hesitate to make tweaks and split test your campaigns to keep your ads relevant.  

Are Your PPC Campaigns Performing As Well As They Could Be?

Improving your ad relevance is quite simple. All you have to do is make sure that your keywords and post-click landing pages match with a user’s query and intent. The more closely related they are to each other, the better the ad relevance.  

Getting your ad relevance right also results in overall campaign advancement. Make it a point that your ad relevance score always hits an “above average” rating to secure a top spot in Google search results and lower your CPC!  

Digital Resource is an internet marketing company in Florida that specializes in helping small businesses promote their business online. If you’re not getting the returns you expect from running ads on Google, don’t hesitate to ask for professional help.  

Contact us today so our team of digital marketing experts and advertisers can work with you to create a custom PPC strategy that will enable you to get better returns for the same budget.

‍