Optimizing results for your Google Ads investment
Algorithms.
It’s a word we’ve all heard at this point, and a word that can make many business owners cringe. Because those ever-changing algorithms can make or break how your business is seen by potential customers. It’s true for social media, and it’s true for Google Ads.
While unfortunately no one has a lot of insight into the inner workings of Google algorithms, and they change so frequently that anything we post about them would probably be outdated the moment we hit “publish” on our website, there are some basic principles that don’t change and can help your solar company find success with Google Ads, regardless of the algorithm gobbledygook.
First, Make the Plea
The most important aspect of your solar company’s Google Ad is the call to action – the plea for the customer to actually do something. This should live in your Google Ad headline in some fashion, as well as in the ad text.
There is a place for Google Ads that are simply about brand awareness, in which a call to action may not be necessary. But the most successful Google Ads are those that get clicks and result in a solid lead or even a sale.
According to Google Ads Help, you have three headlines to work with, each limited by 30 characters and separated by a vertical pipe (“|”). Examples of effective call-to-action phrases on Google Ads headlines for solar companies would include:
- Solar Panels for Energy Savings | Make an appointment | Get yours now!
- Lower Your Utilities Bill | Get a solar panel quote | Call now!
- Save Money With Solar Energy | [Company Name] | Shop options!
Additionally, the most effective call-to-action words tend to be (in order of most used):
- Get
- Buy
- Shop
- Try
Tell Them What’s Up
Now that you have the consumer’s attention, you’ve got to sucker punch them with why clicking on your ad for solar panels is the best thing they’ll do all day.
Google Ads allow for two description sections, each of 90 characters. This is where you tell potential customers why your solar company is their best choice, and/or why solar power is a valuable investment. Keep in mind that 90 characters don’t take you far either, so you have to be concise, but clear. You need a call to action here too – keep reminding them that they’ve got to do something in order to make this great thing you’re offering happen in their lives.
Keywords Without Oversaturation
Keywords are the bread and butter of Google Ads, but the most successful ads refrain from a lot of repetition. It’s this difficult balance of satisfying Google algorithms for ad placement and getting potential customers to see your company as legitimate and not just some ad bot.
There are some obvious keywords for solar companies to use in Google Ads (and then maybe some that will surprise you):
- Solar panels
- Solar power
- Solar company
- Energy savings
- Lower utility bill
- Free energy
- Sunpower
- Solar system (Yeah, you’re gonna catch some space nerds with this one.)
- renewable energy
- Green energy
These will get you started. You have to think about what people are going to type in Google search to find you. So another important keyword phrase to include is location, whether that’s a city or service location. Most of the time, someone looking to buy solar panels is going to search “solar panels [city],” which means your ad needs to indicate the where just as clearly as the what.
Target and Incentivize
Part of creating a successful Google Ad for your solar business is to have a goal in mind before you even get started. What do you want the results from the ad to be? How many more leads do you want it to generate? This will aid you in measuring the ad’s success and help you determine later if it’s worth extending or exterminating.
You’ll need to determine your target audience and demographic and write the ad to appeal to them. It also wouldn’t hurt to create an incentive within the ad, such as a BOGO deal, a discount, or something even more enticing so that whoever sees your ad thinks “I gotta see what this is all about,” and… you guessed it… [insert mouse click here].
Mitigate the Task
In truth, this is a really oversimplified discussion of what it takes for a solar company to successfully navigate Google Ads. There are plenty of companies that do this on their own, follow all of the obvious rules, and see no results. (It’s those algorithms – they’ll bite ya.) You can give that a go, or you can enlist the help of a knowledgeable advertising conglomerate to create a Google Ads campaign plan that will bite those algorithms right back! The Get Smart Group, as you might have guessed, has your back. We can put a crazy-good Google Ads strategy together for your solar business with guaranteed results. We have experts in Google Ad content creation and setup to be certain you’re not only getting clicks but leads.
And those algorithms… well, they won’t know what hit ‘em.
