Google Ads Update: Automatic Pausing of Low-Activity Keywords

pause button on a keyboard

In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, efficiency and effectiveness are key. Google Ads is introducing a new feature that aligns perfectly with this ethos. Starting June 2024, Google Ads will automatically pause low-activity keywords to streamline advertising efforts and focus on high-performing elements.

What Are Low-Activity Keywords?

Low-activity keywords are defined as positive keywords in search ads campaigns that have been created over 13 months ago and have zero impressions over the past 13 months. These keywords are often remnants of past campaigns or products that no longer align with current marketing strategies.

The Rationale Behind the Change

The primary goal of this update is to simplify accounts and optimize performance. By eliminating clutter and focusing on keywords that actively drive results, advertisers can allocate their budgets more effectively and improve their campaign’s overall ROI.

What This Means for Advertisers

If you’re an advertiser, this change requires your attention. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Review Your Keywords: Before June 2024, take the time to review your keywords. Identify any that may fall into the low-activity category and assess their relevance to your current campaigns.
  • Unpausing Keywords: If you find that a paused keyword is essential for your campaign, you have the option to unpause it. However, it’s crucial to unpause only those keywords you believe will generate impressions shortly.
  • Ongoing Management: Keep in mind that any unpaused keywords will need to maintain activity. If they fail to receive any impressions over the subsequent 3 months, they will be automatically paused again.

Google Ads’ proactive approach reminds advertisers of the dynamic nature of online advertising. It encourages advertisers to regularly audit and update their campaigns, ensuring that every element works hard to achieve their marketing objectives.

For more information on managing your Google Ads account and optimizing your keyword strategy, stay tuned to our blog or reach out to our team of experts. Together, we can navigate these changes and continue to drive success in your digital advertising efforts.

Is it Time To Update Your Website?

When you work in web development, one of the most common questions you’ll get asked is How do you know when it’s time to update your website?

A manufacturing client of ours recently came to us about updating their website. While the website we created for them last year has been doing well, they were ready for some changes. Our client identified a perfect opportunity for a restructure to their product pages: While on sales calls, he realized that his company’s site should be organized more by industry and not product category. Over the last several weeks, we have collaborated with him to make this possible, and we are looking forward to making his job easier!

This caused us to start thinking about other reasons that it might be tell-tale signs that your website needs some TLC. Let’s dive in!

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

Over time, if you have a live website and your business is doing well, it can be easy to forget that your online presence needs love and attention. Let’s cover a few instances of reasons to update your site:

  1. Your website is not SEO-optimized.
    • It’s assumed that most websites and their content are optimized for positive SEO results, but we also understand that this is not something every small to medium business knows about. Without proper SEO optimization, your website will not show up in Google searches as readily or won’t initiate enough conversions for you, among many other negative impacts. SEO optimization is one of our main services and we’d love to chat with you if SEO makes you say, “huh?”
  2. Your website traffic has slowed down.
    • If you’re tracking your website’s traffic, and you see that visitors, interactions, and conversions have been dwindling over time, your site might be due for some changes. While many factors go into why traffic may have slowed, it’s important to also keep up with the times. A digital audit is a perfect way to figure out where areas of opportunity are. You can also utilize remarketing techniques to bring visitors back to your website and close your conversion loop.
  3. Your website is not mobile-friendly.
    • 52% of online traffic is done on mobile devices. Check out how quickly mobile has taken over in the graphic to the right! That means that no matter how gorgeous your website is on your desktop screen, it’s vital to check how it looks on various mobile devices. If you have even the slightest feeling that it’s not easy to navigate while on a cell phone or tablet, it might be time to check your mobile settings and devise an update plan.
  4. Visual trends have changed.
    • All smart marketers know that following trends is a necessary nuisance. The trick is to accommodate trends in your visual identity without subscribing fully to them. This allows your branding and “look” to fit in with what’s popular without expiring too quickly. For instance, if an image slider on home pages is a successful visual addition, it’s a quick edit to make without compromising the current integrity or branding you have.
  5. You’re not using form fills, subscription sign-ups, or value add options.
    • If a prospect visits your website but doesn’t take anything away from it, have you really captured their interest? If your site doesn’t have a newsletter sign-up form, you’re missing out on engaging with prospects in the long run. Not sure about email marketing or email lead gen? We can help you with that! Other value add examples are downloadable PDFs and case studies—don’t forget to make downloads a conversion goal in your Analytics account! This allows you to gather even more information about potential customers. 

All Things Considered

There are dozens of reasons why you need to update your website. Whether it’s simply a matter of “it’s been too long” or you want to drive more qualified leads into your sales funnel, your website deserves an update. Think of it as an online, living extension of your brand and company. Provide it with the right development and attention, and you’ll see ongoing positive impact.

Do you still feel like your website needs some TLC and aren’t sure where to start? Let us know! We love helping businesses explore and identify their options. Click the link below to drop us a line.

Client Case Study: Leveraging PPC Tactics

Welcome back to our blog! We’ve shared a lot about email lead gen lately and we wanted to jump back to another topic near and dear to our hearts: PPC advertising.

One of our clients wanted to increase their website leads by leveraging pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. They are a non-profit company, so we knew that it was extremely important to be good stewards of their budget.

With our guidance, they were able to increase their advertising budget to accomplish this. However, we needed to make sure that this additional spend wouldn’t drastically increase their cost-per-lead (CPL).

And we had good news for this client! Through our proprietary approach to PPC advertising, we have driven leads at an increase year-over-year while also keeping their CPL low. With an additional spend of 33%, Decantery achieved a 27% increase in leads while only increasing the CPL by 4.61%.