Client Profile

Click 4 Compliance is a B2B company selling online courses for corporate compliance and ethics training.

The Problem

Their Google AdWords campaign wasn’t receiving enough conversions, and they were paying too much for visitors that did convert.

Our Goal

To increase conversions, reduce the cost of those conversions, and do so within the same budget.

Strategies Taken

1. Removed all keywords that were too broad to attract the right audience and, ultimately, paying customers. If offering “anti-bribery training,” for example, bidding on keywords such as “bribery in business” or “examples of bribery” were not likely to bring in leads that convert.

Tip: It’s generally best to avoid keywords that can be misinterpreted or have multiple meanings.

2. Removed all keywords that, based on data, were costing too much per conversion. This is why conversion tracking is so important to the success of an AdWords campaign!

Tip: If a keyword is costing more per conversion than a sale or lead is worth to your business, cut it loose!

3. Continued to add negative keywords based on monthly keyword search term analysis. This remains an ongoing process and is an important step for any successful AdWords campaign. For example, if you sell a piece of computer software, potential negative keywords might include free, cheap, torrent, download, “file sharing,” etc.

Tip: By going to “Keyword details” -> “All” you can view a full list of keywords that have triggered your ads. Add anything irrelevant to your negative keyword list.

4. Continued to optimize ad copy. A lot of ads were either too generic or targeting individuals instead of companies.

Tip: Always continue to A/B test ad copy!

5. Expanded ad groups and made them more specific to increase quality score. For example, there was initially a single ad group for all harassment training, harassment prevention, discrimination training, sexual harassment training, supervisor harassment training, etc. By regrouping these terms and adding separate ad groups, we increased both quality score and the rate at which they converted.

Tip: It always pays to organize based on relevancy.

6. Added new campaigns. Initially, there were various training courses provided by Click 4 Compliance for which they weren’t running any ad campaigns. By adding these, we increased conversions.

Tip: Continue to look for new advertising opportunities!

The Results

Cost Per Conversion

In January and February, 2012, cost per conversion was at an all-time high of $1,049.42.
Our goal was to lower this figure to below $500 per conversion. By August and September, 2012, the cost per conversion was reduced to $322.59.
C4C AdWords Cost Per Conversion
We reduced their cost per conversion by 69.26%.

Total Conversions

In January and February, 2012, there were a total of 14 conversions, or 7 per month.
In August and September, 2012, there were a total of 55 conversions, or 27.5 per month.
C4C AdWords Total Conversions
We increased their conversions by 292.86%.

Questions? Comments? Take a look at our pay per click management services or leave a comment below.