We are a Certified Google Partner, and love seeing what brands are up to with their Google AdWords budget.

This is the 14th instalment of a series we call “Critiquing Your Google AdWords Campaigns”.

We Google a search term and evaluate the top 3 Google Ads as well as their landing pages for their ability to “Attract” and “Convert” visitors into leads.

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 “Subscription Billing Software”.

Google Ad #1
Company: Aradial

Google AdWords Ad:

The Good…

• I like how they identify the audience (ISPs, Wifi, etc.)

The Not so Good…

• I’m searching for “subscription billing software”, not sure what “converged billing” is
• If your solution is only for certain industries/verticals such as ISPs, you need to include that in the main headline (don’t always count on people to read anything past the headline)
• No sitelinks
• No offer or Call to Action

Ad Score: 1/5

Google AdWords Landing Page:

The Good…

• Identification of audience (ISPs)

The Not so Good…

• Not using a landing page but driving users to website, where they can click navigation links, read about news, or visit your Facebook page (in other words, taking them off the conversion path)
• Far too much text
• Very poor design
• No visible phone number, form, or Call-to-Action.

Google Landing Page Score: 1/5

TOTAL ADWORDS SCORE: 2/10

Google Ad #2
Company: Vindicia

Google AdWords Ad:

The Good…

• My keyword (Subscription Billing) right in the headline and display url
• “Free Trial” CTA right in the headline
• Helps reduce customer churn 25% (that’s a good thing)
• Nice use of sitelinks

The Not so Good…

• Nice use of sitelinks, but I don’t know what “better serve millennials” means
• Doesn’t indicate who product is for (e.g. SMB, Enterprise, or both)
• Should add a sitelink for reviews
• No mention of pricing, but that would be something worth testing

AdWords Score: 3/5

Google AdWords Landing Page:

The Good…

• Nice key messaging about how the solution isn’t just another cost, but helps your business grow revenue
• A contact form

The Not so Good…

• Need to remove links and use a dedicated landing page (e.g. don’t send users to website)
• Too much text, shorten it down and make use of bullet points
• The form doesn’t tell you what you’re getting – if I’m getting to “try” the software, am I getting a free trial? What happens when I click “submit”?
• The form is too long, try removing unnecessary fields such as industry, job title, and annual company revenue (you can get that information later).

Google Landing Page Score: 2/5

TOTAL ADWORDS SCORE: 5/10

Google Ad #3
Company: Quickbooks/Intuit

Google AdWords Ad:

The Good…

• Online Billing Software in headline – good
• Start my free trial CTA – good

The Not so Good…

• I’m specifically searching for “subscription billing software”, so not sure if this is a match
• Need to identify the audience better – is it for SMB, larger businesses, or both?
• Use keyword in display url
• Sitelinks to reviews and/or ratings would be helpful

Google AdWords Score: 2.5/5

Google AdWords Landing Page:

The Good…

• Well designed, great visuals
• Video on landing page is very key
• Nice clear CTAs above the fold
• Does well to highlight credibility (#1 online accounting solution, 1.5+ subscribers, etc.)
• No navigation links except to sign in or sign up – nice

The Not so Good…

• I’m not so sure about having two CTA buttons, are people going to buy the software before they take it for a free trial test drive?
• No mention of whether it will help me with “subscription billing software”

Landing Page Score: 3.5/5

TOTAL ADWORDS SCORE: 6/10

Who’s Getting My Business for “Subscription Billing Software”?

This is a tough one, as although Quickbooks had an overall higher score (6/10), neither the ad or landing page specifically mention “subscription billing software”.

Thus, even though Vindicia had a lower ad and landing page score, their emphasis on “subscription billing” and growing my revenue may give them the slight edge.