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Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
1. Defining Your Small Budget
2. Stick to Search Campaigns
3. Focus on Your Best Service
4. Target the Right Location
5. Choose Cost-Effective Keywords
6. Pre-Qualify with Ad Copy
7 Ruthless Optimisation
8. Pro Tip: Performance Max (Controlled)
9. Closing Thoughts: Google Ads Success on a Budget
Are you struggling to get results from your Google Ads campaigns? Imagine turning every dollar into a powerful lead generator, even with a limited budget. This guide will show service businesses how to run profitable Google Ads campaigns on a shoestring budget, ensuring you don’t miss out on potential clients.
Key Strategies:
- Focus on Search Campaigns: Maximise your budget by prioritising search campaigns.
- Prioritise Your Best Service: Concentrate on your highest-performing service.
- Target Local Customers: Refine your location targeting your ideal audience.
- Use Cost-Effective Keywords: Choose specific, less competitive keywords.
- Pre-Qualify with Ad Copy: Attract relevant leads with clear and targeted ad copy.
- Optimise Aggressively: Regularly monitor and adjust campaigns for optimal performance.
- Performance Max (Controlled): Implement a tightly controlled Performance Max campaign for added visibility.
1. Defining Your Small Budget
A “small budget” in Google Ads typically means anything under $3,000 per month, or less than $100 per day. Even with a few hundred dollars a day, success is achievable with the right strategy.
2. Stick to Search Campaigns
With a limited budget, avoid spreading resources thinly. Focus solely on search campaigns. This approach ensures you pay only for users actively seeking your services, allowing for faster data collection and improved results.
3. Focus on Your Best Service
Concentrate on your highest-performing service. Analyse past data to identify what generates the most leads or profit. This focused approach maximises ROI and provides a clear path to scaling.
4. Target the Right Location
Refine your location targeting to reach your ideal audience. For example, a dental practice should focus on its city or neighborhood to avoid wasting budget on irrelevant areas.
5. Choose Cost-Effective Keywords
Opt for specific, cost-effective keywords over broad, high-competition terms. For instance, “affordable home cleaning” is more targeted than “cleaning services.”
Pro Tip: For new campaigns, start with broad match keywords to gather data on search terms and conversions. Then, switch to exact match for better control and efficiency, while consistently adding negative keywords.
6. Pre-Qualify with Ad Copy
Use clear, detailed ad copy to filter out irrelevant clicks. Mention pricing, service features, or location. For example, “Luxury Cleaning Services from $500” targets the right audience.
7. Ruthless Optimisation
Regularly monitor and adjust campaigns. Pause underperforming keywords and ads. For small budgets, daily search term checks and weekly adjustments within the first 30 days are essential.
8. Pro Tip: Performance Max (Controlled)
For scaling, add a controlled Performance Max campaign with clear location restrictions and well-defined ad copy. Allocate approximately 20% of your daily budget. This uses Google’s machine learning to expand reach.
Closing Thoughts: Google Ads Success on a Budget
To recap:
- Focus on search campaigns.
- Concentrate on your best service.
- Target specific locations.
- Use cost-effective keywords.
- Pre-qualify with ad copy.
- Optimise aggressively.
- Implement a controlled Performance Max campaign.
If Google Ads feels overwhelming, Campaigns You Love can help.
Next Steps
Ready to enhance your Google Ads campaigns? Schedule a free Discovery Call to develop a tailored strategy.
At Campaigns You Love, we specialise in helping service-based businesses maximise their ad spend. Book a free consultation to learn how we can improve your campaigns.