Everyone knows that Google Ads is an extremely powerful marketing tool. But how much should you be investing to help you hit your goals?

Luckily, in the world of Google Ads, not all budgets are created equal. And spending more money does not guarantee better results.

You don’t need a huge budget to get results with Google PPC. In fact, low-budget campaigns sometimes get better ROI than big-ticket campaigns.

Below, we’ll discuss ways that you can create traffic, brand awareness, and sales for your flooring business with Google Ads—no matter your budget.

3 Steps to Making the Most of Your Google Ads Budget

The good news: there are many ways you can increase the value of your Google Ads campaigns for no additional ad spend. Follow these three steps to get the most of a tight Google Ads budget.

I. Set goals using the SMART framework

As with any marketing campaign, your Google Ads efforts should target a specific goal. Clear-cut goals make your campaign easier to measure and optimize because you can track precisely what’s working and what you need to adjust.

However, many flooring retailers—especially those not very familiar with Google Ads—focus on sub-optimal or ineffective goals. Or, they try to target too many goals at once. As a result, they have trouble getting the most out of their ad spend.

This is where the SMART framework comes in. This framework helps you set focused, appropriate, and effective goals for your Google Ads campaign. Improved goals mean improved optimization. And improved optimization means a better ROI.

II. Break down your budget and stick to it

It can be very tempting to throw money at PPC campaigns, especially when you’re not seeing the ROI you were hoping for. 

But investing more money in a Google Ads campaign doesn’t guarantee it will be more successful. 

In order to get the most out of every cent you spend, break down your monthly budget into a daily budget. Then, set that figure as your maximum daily ad spend. 

By optimizing your campaign for a more specific daily budget, Google Ads will run you a tighter, more optimized campaign.

Just keep in mind that Google may occasionally go over your maximum spend to get you more results. If you’re very budget-sensitive, consider setting a maximum slightly below your true limit.

III. Limit your options

It might seem counterintuitive, but limiting your ads campaign can help you make the most of a small budget. There are three main campaign elements you should consider limiting: keywords, location, and scheduling. 

1. Limit Keywords

It’s difficult to rank for a wide variety of keywords on a limited budget. Example: if you target 50 keywords on a $200 monthly budget, you can’t expect any of them to rank well.

Solution: limit the number of keywords you target. Since you’re running a local business, narrow them down by targeting specific long-tail keywords or keywords that include local queries like “near me.” These hyper-specific keywords may get fewer clicks, but they’ll bring more relevant traffic to your site. 

To find the best keywords for your campaign, use Google Keyword Planner. Look for keywords with medium to high traffic and low competition. The lower the competition, the less you’ll spend. This way, you’ll get more clicks on a tighter budget. 

And don’t forget to limit your campaign using negative keywords. Negative keywords tell Google when you don’t want your ad to display. For example, if you sell high-end products, you wouldn’t want your ad to show for keywords like “cheap” or “free.” Limiting negative keywords reduces irrelevant clicks and wasted ad spend.

2. Limit Location

Google Ads enables you to target customers across the globe. And while showing your ad to a wide audience can seem like a good idea, it’s actually less effective than targeting specially chosen locations. 

To get more out of your budget, limit where your ad shows. Rely on customer data to figure out exactly where your ads will convert most effectively. For example, if 65% of your business comes from the Sarasota area, run your ads there first. Targeting high-potential areas reduces wasted ad spend and sets you up for success.

Google also allows you to do negative location targeting. Just like negative keywords, negative location targeting prevents your ads from showing in certain geographic areas. Use customer data to make negative location targeting work for you as well.

3. Limit Ad Scheduling

By default, Google Ads will show your ad at any time of day or night. But that’s not always a good thing. 

Ad scheduling limits when your ads are displayed. This feature reduces erroneous or fraudulent clicks and conserves your budget. Consider running your ads during waking hours, business hours, or over the weekend—whenever your audience is actually online.

And again: use the customer data you’ve worked so hard to collect! If you see most of your digital marketing leads coming in on weekends, schedule your ads to deliver then. If you’ve found that your customers are weekday morning shoppers, have your ads show on weekday mornings.

The Bottom Line

Google Ads offers an amazing ROI, but only if you use it strategically. So remember: a higher budget does not always mean more sales. It’s entirely possible to make the most out of a small budget with just a few optimizations. 

Apply these best practices to your Google Ads campaigns and make your budget work harder for you! And don’t forget: if you’re too busy running your flooring business to focus on digital marketing, we can help. Schedule a demo today!