If you're like most pregnancy centers, you spend a lot of your donors' dollars on Google ad spend. And, like most centers, you've probably outsourced the management of your paid ads to a marketing company. But how can you tell if your ads are being well-run, and what can you ask your agency to do to fix them if they are?
In this blog, we'll discuss some very common Google ad mistakes made by individual centers and ad agencies alike.
Targeting the Wrong Audience
The average client entering your center is likely a young woman in her early 20's from a low-income household. Did you know you can target this specific demographic in Google Ads?
If your ads are being seen by men and older women who would never need your services, then your demographic targeting is likely off.
For Google ads, men should almost always be excluded from targeting. Additionally, Google has age groups and income buckets you can exclude.
For 828Collective ads, we setup ad accounts with the following parameters:
- Gender: Females only
- Age: 18-24, 25-34
- Income: Bottom 50% Only
You might be thinking, "But I want men, older women, and wealthier individuals to see my ads, too! We have services for them and want to make sure that the boyfriends of abortion-minded women find our center as well."
If you have an unlimited Google ad budget, by all means, bid on everyone. But if you're like most centers, your resources are limited, so you should look to spend your ad budget on a targeted audience that's most likely to be abortion vulnerable.
Using the Wrong Keywords
There's a big difference in the intent behind someone searching "free pregnancy test" vs. "obgyn near me." In the former, the woman is uncertain if she is pregnant and may be considering termination. In the latter, she is clearly intending to carry to term.
When you bid on generic pregnancy keywords, you'll get variation. With broad-match keyword bidding, there are bound to be many searches from women who do not need your services.
This is where negative keywords come in. For example, if a young woman does a Google search for "birthing center near me," does an ad for your center pop up? If so, you'll need to have that term added to your negative keyword list.
Targeting Too Large an Area
Most women who visit your pregnancy center live within a 15-minute drive. So, if your center's ads are being seen in geographies outside your service area, this likely means you're targeting an area that is too broad.
With Geofencing, you can restrict where your ads are shown, so you're not wasting your budget bidding on women who aren't likely to set foot in your center.
On your Google ads account, you also need to make sure your targeting is set to presence, not interest. Interest means you could still be bidding on women who don't live near your center.
Getting Help with Your Google Ads
If you'd like help fixing any of the issues discussed here, or if you simply want a free audit of your existing Google ads campaign, reach out to us. At 828Collective, we're happy to help your pregnancy center use your paid ad budget more effectively.