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

This is the 15th 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 “Influencer Marketing Software”.

Google Ad #1
Company: Izea

Google AdWords Ad:

The Good…

• My keyword (influencer marketing software) right in the headline title, nice!
• A clear call to action – schedule your free demo
• “Get Access to Leading Influencers” tells me a little bit about what the software does

The Not so Good…

• Very little information overall – no use of special site-links, callouts, or even phone number that would give the user more info, not to mention take up more real estate in the AdWords search results
• Who is the software for, small businesses, enterprise, or everyone?  Need to identify your audience
• I’d test the call-to-action between a “free demo” and “free trial”

Ad Score: 2/5

Google AdWords Landing Page:

The Good…

• Good message match: the headline of the page matches my original search for “influencer marketing software”
• Nicely designed, clear call to action above the fold
• Good use of client logos to demonstrate credibility

The Not so Good…

• I don’t know what the “largest influencer marketing platform means” – I think it means largest database of influencers, but that should be made more clear in the subline
• Again, it doesn’t say who the platform is for – if it’s not for small businesses and pricing is too high for them, Izea will be wasting a lot of time and resources qualifying low quality leads
• Should be supported with some testimonials
• Just like the ad, I would test a “start a free trial” CTA against the “get a demo”

Google Landing Page Score: 3/5

TOTAL ADWORDS SCORE: 5/10

 

Google Ad #2
Company: Ambassador

Google AdWords Ad:

The Good…

• Influencer software in the headline as well as the display url
• Some detail about the software (“track, manage and reward”)

The Not so Good…

• Just like Izea, very little information in the ad – need to use sitelinks, callouts, and phone extension to give user more options
• Doesn’t identify who the software is for
• No CTA (call-to-action), that’s a very big miss

AdWords Score: 1/5

Google AdWords Landing Page:

The Good…

• A nice overall design
• Prominent contact form
• Giving user option of watching video above the fold is key – generally speaking landing pages with video content tend to have a higher conversion rate
• Good use of client logos and testimonials

The Not so Good…

• Strange to not see an image or sceenshot of the actual software (there is one at bottom of the page that isn’t captured in my screenshot, but definitely needs to be more prominent)
• There needs to be more information above the fold besides a headline and client logos.  I’d look at replacing the form with the video, and having the form popup in a lightbox
• The “Let’s Talk” form submit button is a poor CTA.  It’s too ambiguous and the user has no idea what they’re getting by submitting their contact info – is it a demo, more information, a free trial?
• The form is a bit long, not sure need all those fields – but I’d test a two-step form to see if it helps lift conversion

Google Landing Page Score: 2/5

TOTAL ADWORDS SCORE: 3/10

 

Google Ad #3
Company: Domo

Google AdWords Ad:

The Good…

• Izea and Ambassador can learn from Domo – this is how you write a full ad, including detailed info, sitelinks, and a CTA, BUT…

The Not so Good…

• The ad has no mention of my original search (influencer marketing software) and thus is irrelevant, and would not be click on

Google AdWords Score: 0/5

Google AdWords Landing Page:

The Good…

• Well designed, no links or navigation
• Prominent contact form
• I like “The Challenge” and “The Domo Solution” setup – pretty much any piece of software is made to overcome a challenge or problem, so state it right up front
• Good use of client logos and credibility at bottom of landing page (it’s cutoff on my screenshot)

 

The Not so Good…

• Again, this landing page has nothing to do with “influencer marketing software”
• The headline is well, very plain, and offers no benefits
• I’m not a big fan of asking people to fill out a long-ish contact form just to see a recorded demo, shouldn’t that be something anyone can view on YouTube?
• In small text it says that Domo is an “enterprise business management platform” – it’s good that they’ve identified their audience but this really needs to be highlighted much better in both the ad, and the landing page
• Need testimonials for added credibility

Landing Page Score: 1/5

TOTAL ADWORDS SCORE: 1/10

 

Who’s Getting My Business for “Influencer Marketing Software”?

Izea is the winner by virtue of the fact that it’s really the only proper influence marketing software.

Even with a so-so ad, Izea is the most relevant ad and landing page for my original search intent – and relevancy often trumps everything.