Why Managing a Google Ads Account Is Like Managing a Football Team?

Let’s go back to 2002. The French maestro Zinedine Zidane scored maybe the best goal ever seen in a Champions League final. Ronaldo, The Phenomenon, got redemption securing the World Cup for Brazil. And Thierry Henry helped Arsenal win their second premier league title, he also helped Renault sell a boatload of Clio’s but that’s a conversation for another day.

During this year, Google Ads opened in the UK for the very first time. The first business to advertise on the platform was a live lobster mail-order firm! I know how you’re feeling, just as shell-shocked.

Two decades later and the landscape for both football and Google Ads has considerably changed. There are some similarities when it comes to managing a successful Google advertising campaign and a championship winning football team. This article explores those similarities.

The Stadium

As football fans, we know there’s a big difference between our team playing at home and away. For Carlisle United fans, their closest neighbour is Newcastle United which is still a 103-mile round trip.

When setting up your Ads campaign, help ensure that your ads reach the customers you want by selecting the correct location options.

Although Google recommends the first target option, we find that showing adverts specifically to people within your target area tends to work better for our clients.

The Kick-Off

Yes, I know this is very basic, but it is so important to know when exactly the game will start. Players in the Premier League have been taking a knee before kick-off to call attention to the issues of racial inequality. Sadio Mane, an incredible human being and footballer, was so geared up for the Merseyside derby, he ran into the Everton half whilst the other 21 players showed their support for the cause. Timing is crucial.

Creating an ad schedule for your advertising campaign is crucial. By default, Google will show your ads all day, every day. For a lot of businesses, this is not ideal. It is therefore important to specify certain hours or days of the week when you want your ads to show and maybe even think about including bid adjustments at certain times.

The Formation

The manager decides which formation their team plays depending on the list of available players and the opposition. Pep wants to keep the ball while Mourinho wants to sit back and counter, Jurgen wants gegenpressing whilst Ole wants to keep control of that wheel.

The way we organise our Google Ads account will dictate how successful the campaigns can become. A good way to break down your campaign is by segmenting your products or services into categories and then base the campaign structure on this. An option is to mirror the structure of your website.

The Defence

The teams who perform well not only have a lethal attack but a strong defence to keep the opposition from scoring. Whether it was Puyol & Pique for Barcelona, Vidic & Ferdinand for Manchester United or Chiellini & Bonucci for Juventus, without them, their teams would not have won the silverware they did.

Our defenders in Google Ads are our negative keywords as they allow you to exclude undesirable words or phrases from triggering your adverts from appearing. Best practice amongst experienced Paid Media Managers is to add a list of generic negative keywords to the campaign like “free”, “cheap”, “jobs”, “courses” etc. as well as more specific negative keywords to each ad group to ensure the most relevant advert always appears.

Not only can we add negative keywords, but we can also limit the source of traffic by including negative bid adjustments to locations, devices, ad schedules and more.

The Midfield

“If you have control of the midfield, you have control of the game, so you have more chances to win” – Xabi Alonso

Our Google Ads midfield is controlled by the correct use of keywords. When picking keywords, the goal is to choose terms you feel people will search for whilst they’re looking online for what you offer. It’s integral that our keywords are as relevant as possible to the ad they trigger.

Midfielders come in many shapes and sizes, some control the tempo of the game like Andrea Pirlo or Xavi Hernandez, some are box-to-box powerhouses like Patrick Viera or Steven Gerrard whilst others fall somewhere in between.

Keywords are no different. The “keyword match type” option is a setting in Google Ads that lets you refine when your ad will show. The three current options are “broad match”, “phrase match” and “exact match”. A blend of these match types is used during the initial set up of a campaign by Northern Media.

The Attack

The forward line is the first set of players who venture into the opponent’s half and therefore, naturally draw the most attention. In Google, your ad is the first impression many people will have of your business, so make sure it communicates that you have what they need.

The role of the attackers is to score a goal, the role of your adverts (and website) is to attract converting customers. It’s therefore important to write unique relevant ads to reach interested customers.

The Number 10 Role

For decades, some of the most creative and gifted players we have ever seen play in the number 10 position; Bergkamp, Riquelme, Ronaldinho, Messi amongst others. Through their magic, they unlock the oppositions defence and provide an alternative option for their team.

Ad extensions maximise performance and ad space by including additional information such as phone number, sitelinks, promotional offers, product prices, location, images and more. You will not build a successful Google Ads campaign without them.

The Backroom Staff

Although away from public view, the backroom staff play an integral role in keeping the football club running as it should providing a host of services for the team.

Conversion tracking plays a similar role for your ads. It is paramount to have it set up correctly so you’re fully aware of the search criteria that has led to a conversion. Although there are certain pieces of code which need installing on your website, once complete, your Google Ads are ready to run.

The Final Whistle

Although the article is not a step-by-step guide of how to create a successful Google advertising campaign, I hope the comparisons with our favourite national pastime helps you understand the many different aspects involved in creating something that works well for your business.

If you would like to find out more about how Northern Media can help your business become discoverable to the right people at the right time, get in touch today. But I implore you, don’t take our word for it, read what our customers have to say about us.

I’d like to finish this article with a quote from the late great George Best: “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered on Google Ads” .. or something along those lines