This is the very first instalment of a series we call “Critiquing Your Google AdWords Campaigns”.

We Google a search term an evaluate the top 3 Google Ads as well as their landing pages for their ability to ATTRACT and CONVERT visitors.

We grade each campaign out of 10

5 Points ATTRACT: the actual Google Ad

5 Points for CONVERT: the landing Page experience

Let’s get started! This week we Googled the term “housecleaning services Oakville“.

Google Ad#1

Company: Maids.com

Google Ad:

The Good:

• I like the 96% Referral Rate. What others say about your service is far more important than what you, the company, say about your service.

The Not So Good:

• The ad’s url is maids.com. Without even clicking on the ad I know that it’s not a local Oakville business, it’s a large business that services Oakville. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you’re looking for.
• I don’t see any type of offer or promo that’s really going to draw me to click on the ad

ATTRACT Score: 2.5/5

Landing Page:

Landing Page url: http://www.maids.com/190/

The Good:

• I like the image of car and the smiling employees, setting expectations with your customer and personalizing your brand is always a good idea.

The Not So Good:

• Call for a “Free Estimate” really isn’t a strong call to action, I need more incentive like an offer or promo for first time customers.
• It seems strange that the company lists all the local neighbourhoods in Oakville for which it serves (this is an SEO play), yet the “Request and Estimate” form asks you to select what province you’re in. Not exactly giving you the “local business” vibe.

CONVERT Score: 3.5/5

TOTAL GOOGLE ADWORDS CAMPAIGN SCORE: 6/10

Google Ad#2

Company: Merry Maids Canada

Google Ad:

The Good:

• It looks like I’m dealing with a company with national coverage, as it’s Merry Maids Canada. This could be a positive or a negative depending on the searcher’s expectations.

The Not So Good:

• I Googled “Oakville” and yet the ad mentions Milton (a city close by city) twice, but not Oakville.
• The ad says “call us today” but there’s no number in the ad to call.
• Again, as someone looking for housecleaning services I need more of an offer: “30 years experience” isn’t going to drive me to click on your ad.

ATTRACT Score: 2/5

Landing Page:

Landing Page url: http://www.merrymaidscanada.com/milton/

The Good:

• Great call to action: “Save up to $150 on your home cleaning services”. Yep, I’m in.
• I like how how you can click through the benefit statements without leaving the page.
• Tagline of “Relax. It’d Done.” is very benefit-oriented, I like it.

The Not So Good:

• Again, I Googled “Oakville” yet all I see is “Milton” in the landing page. I know the cities are close, but need to create ad and landing page specifically for Oakville.
• The offer is great, but why does it ask me to “click here”? I’ve already clicked on an ad to get here, don’t make me click again. Besides, when I do click it, I’m just taken to a page with the same form as the one I’m clicking away from.

CONVERT Score: 4/5

TOTAL GOOGLE ADWORDS CAMPAIGN SCORE: 6/10

Google Ad#3

Company: Maid Day Makeovers

Google Ad:

The Good:

• Good use of keywords “Cleaning Services” and “Oakville” in the main title.
• I like the Eco-Friendly angle, it’s definitely a differentiator.
• Great call to action “Book 4 Weeks, Get 1 Free” – I’m definitely clicking this.

The Not So Good:

• “Call today” but no number to call
• “Satisfaction Guaranteed” is a little on the cliche side, it’s not going to make your business stand out

Google Ad Score: 4.5/5

Landing Page:

Landing Page url: hhttp://www.maidday.ca/ServiceSelection.aspx?gclid=CLePvO6EkLICFac7MgodrT0Avw

The Good:

• 1-888-MAID-DAY is an easy to remember phone number, if only it wasn’t presented to me on two rows.

The Not So Good:

• The landing page asks me “What are you thinking about today?” Organizational services? Laundry Services? Renovation Services? Well, you should know that I’m thinking about “Cleaning Services” because I clicked on your ad. Need to create a custom landing page for each of these services.
• The design of this page is poor, way too many links and things that would distract me.There’s no mention of the promo on this page!

Landing Page Score: 0.5/5

TOTAL GOOGLE ADWORDS CAMPAIGN SCORE: 5/10

Who’s Getting My Business for “Cleaning Services Oakville”?

It’s a tie between Maids.com and Merry Maids Canada, but I’ll give the edge to Merry Maids Canada because they have a promo that’s going to drive me to give them a call.

Need Help Launching or Improving Google AdWords Campaigns for Your Business?

We’re Certified Google AdWords Partners and Microsoft Advertising Accredited Professionals and would love to help!

Call us today to talk about how our PPC Services can boost Your Business.