Google AdWords is one of the most advanced advertising platforms that allow big and small businesses to have their products and services advertised in front of potential customers.

If you’ve been using the platform, you’ll know that there are numerous targeting options and settings that cater to different types of businesses.

Running an effective AdWords campaign requires intelligent work. You can’t simply throw $5,000 at Google and expect to get leads. Instead, you need to do your homework and leverage the targeting (and other) tools the AdWords platform puts at your disposal.

Here are some tips we use when we create campaigns:

Good account structure

A well-structured AdWords account is a must if you want your ad spend to turn a profit. Keywords, ads and ad groups in each campaign should be tightly related. In turn, Google will reward you by lowering advertising costs.

Put your money on Search network campaigns

The Search network is the bullseye when it comes to targeting the hottest potential customers for your products and services. Unlike marketing on the Display network, which interrupts your prospects as they browse the web, prospects on the Search network have actually taken an action by searching for a solution to their problem — already qualifying them as a lead.

Ad copy and images are important

Ad copies are responsible for attracting the right prospects while repelling those who won’t convert to customers. Your target audience will always respond better to one of the two big ideas. For ads that run on the display network, images are just as important as ad copy. The images you choose for your ads need to grab the attention of prospective customers to make them want to click on your ad.

Test and track your ads

Testing different keywords, ads, and bid strategies will help you find the best option to meet your CPA goals.In order for Google to properly track conversions, the AdWords conversion tags must be properly placed on the thank-you pages your prospective customers land on, after taking the desired conversion action on your website.

Set up campaigns for different devices

It’s not a good idea to assume desktop and mobile traffic produce the same results. With mobile usage on the rise, there’s a good chance a large percentage of your AdWords traffic is coming from mobile devices. Structuring your campaigns by device type allows you to handle desktop traffic independent from mobile traffic.

Use negative keyword list

It’s a good idea to make sure you’re not receiving clicks from unrelated searches in your campaigns. Setting one main negative keyword list at a campaign level will cover all of your ad groups inside each campaign. Keep in mind, negative keywords can also use broad, broad match modifier, phrase, and exact match types to control the traffic that triggers your ad.

Short conclusion

The work of an AdWords marketing campaign is never done. Once it’s up and running, you’ll want to constantly make adjustments. Try small variations on ad copy, keywords, landing pages and anything else you can think of to see what works and what doesn’t. Even a small improvement can make a big difference.