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ired of pouring money into Google Ads campaigns that fail to deliver quality leads? The problem may not be your ads, but who (and when) you're targeting. Many businesses mistakenly focus their Google Ads on bottom-of-the-funnel searchers. But by shifting your targeting up the funnel, you may dramatically improve lead quality and ROI.
The Missed Opportunity
When setting up a Google Ads campaign, it's tempting to go after searchers showing clear purchase intent with keywords like "buy <solution>" or "<solution> pricing." But these bottom-funnel clicks are often wildly expensive and fail to convert at a profitable rate. Users may not be ready to make a purchase decision based on a quick Google search, or they have already done most of their research and have a good idea of which solution they are looking to buy. Simply put, by this stage other brands have probably already beaten you to the chase.
Hitting the Consideration Sweet Spot
The real secret is targeting the "consideration" phase of the buyer's journey. These are people actively researching and evaluating their options. While they may not convert immediately, you can build brand awareness and position yourself as a trusted industry expert by providing resources aligned with their research process.
Some key advantages of the consideration approach:
- Less expensive clicks due to reduced competition
- Higher quality leads who convert at a higher rate
- Ability to nurture prospects through the entire sales cycle
- Establish thought leadership and credibility
The Path to Consideration Mastery
Of course, getting the consideration strategy right takes meticulous planning and audience insight. You must intimately understand the buyer's journey and craft content mapping to each stage.
A few key activities to get started:
- Audience Research: Build rich personas and map the paths they take from problem/need to purchase
- Keyword Analysis: Identify consideration keywords like "best <solution> for [use case]" or "<solution> comparison"
- Content Planning: Develop a library of guides, tools, assessments and other assets
When you take a consideration approach and provide value upfront, you'll see higher quality Google Ads leads that convert better and have a higher lifetime value.
If you think your Google Ads strategy may be too shortsighted and focused only on the bottom of the funnelthen it's time to rethink your approach and start attracting consideration-phase prospects with higher-intent and better conversion rates. Contact us for a free Google Ads audit.
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