GOOGLE ADS REQUIRE CRAZY NINJA SKILLS to be successful, right? Well, yes and no. With the proper knowledge, anyone can start seeing positive results.

When done correctly, online ads are among the most successful ways to gain profitable leads in the security industry. Doing them well, however, is a monumental challenge. The Google ads system is intricate, complicated and constantly in flux, and small changes can easily derail your campaign. To make matters even more difficult, keywords for the industry are costly, so it is critical to only attract the right leads that want the security services you provide.

Some will say success can only happen at the hands of ad experts. That's nonsense. There are things anyone can do to improve their ads. Whether you are a dealer, integrator or manufacturer, cultivating effective ad campaigns requires research, ongoing optimization and a whole lot of patience. Jump through all the hoops, though, and you’ll eventually connect your business with scores of potential customers.

First, you need to understand the objective of your ad. One huge rookie mistake is creating a Google ad assuming the customer does not know enough about security. Google ads are pull campaigns, meaning they are visible to people already showing intent through their online searches. So, if your ad regarding access control appears to someone, you can be reasonably certain they have a base level knowledge of access control and have a need they want to fulfill — you do not have to convince them of that. Instead, your objective is to convince them to call.

Next, understanding that the cost of keywords in this space is high — large companies can have budgets between $5,000 and $10,000+ per month — you must compete smarter. To do this, it is important to get good at creating hyper-specific, long-tailed keywords. Long-tailed keywords are written how someone may actually search. You can significantly cut down Cost-Per-Click (CPC) by building out a campaign with 10-20 long-tailed keywords versus using one broad, non-specific keyword.

Here are some examples of non-specific broad keywords vs. long-tailed hyper specific keywords: “Virtual Guards” vs. “Virtual Security Guards Near Me,” or “Camera Monitoring” vs. “Camera Monitoring Cost Miami Florida.”

Also helpful to keep in your marketing bag of tricks is to lead with value in the headlines. The headline is the first thing your potential customer sees and can be the difference between a click and sending them to a competitor.

Just consider “ACE Camera Monitoring| Over 10k Happy Miami Customers” vs. “No. 1 in Miami Home Security | ACE Security Solutions.”

Be interesting, be bold and lead with what matters. It will take many tries to find what works, so keep testing your copy.

Another way to improve your conversion rate is to use negative keywords. When you use negative keywords, your ads will not show when people use those particular keywords. For example, if you want to attract people wanting high-end solutions, you might include the word “cheap” as a negative keyword.

Your CTAs are another area worth your attention. CTAs, or Call To Actions, are what bring your ad to life. Without getting this right, even a $10,000 budget will be worthless.

“Find your security solution today!” vs. the more compelling “Snag ABC Company’s deal on home security cameras now before time runs out!” You get the picture.

Of course, once you get them to click on your ad, you’ll want to be sure it leads to a great landing page. Optimize it with a compelling headline, appealing copy and eye catching call-to-action. Be sure the landing page copy and ad copy align. Making your landing page easy to navigate, informative and relevant will help increase conversions.

Make no mistake, getting Google ads right is a difficult and ongoing process, but overcoming the challenge of improving your Google ads conversion rates is well worth your while.