Updating Google Ads for a website or company rebranding is essential to ensure maximum visibility and performance. In order to get the most out of an advertising campaign, it’s necessary to keep up-to-date with all changes in branding, messaging, keywords, and more.
This outlines key steps businesses should take when updating their existing campaigns: conducting an audit of current ads; updating ad copy; targeting settings; landing page content; testing & measuring performance. Following this process will help advertisers achieve strong outcomes from each stage while optimizing overall results along the way.
Regularly reviewing existing ads is also important so that any outdated elements can be retired swiftly as part of SEO best practices – including obsolete product lines no longer offered by companies or expired special offers which could reflect poorly if not removed promptly upon expiry date given customers might forget about them being discontinued otherwise.
Last but not least – staying true to brand values through consistent execution across all digital channels (including Google) helps build long-term trust amongst consumers who may come back again once positive experiences gained previously create beneficial recall bias going forward.
Conducting an audit of existing Google Ads should begin by reviewing campaigns and ad groups. This allows marketers to identify which elements need immediate updating, whether it involves retiring old ads or replacing them with new content that reflects a company’s rebranding efforts.
While doing this review, some keywords may be obsolete while others can remain in place; likewise for the ad copy used across multiple platforms and any landing pages associated with these particular campaigns/groups.
Analyzing performance metrics during the auditing process is also key as they help marketers decide what needs optimization versus being retired completely from use under its current format.
When conducting an audit of existing Google AdWords, it is important to identify keywords, ad copy, and landing pages that need updating in order to ensure maximum performance.
This involves examining current campaigns and ad groups for relevant information such as the type of keyword phrases being used, the accuracy of messages included within ads text copies, and formatting across key webpages or designated URL links. By doing this analysis regularly, you can determine what needs further improvement so your brand remains aligned with consumer interests while maintaining a successful digital marketing campaign over time.
When it comes to conducting an audit of existing Google AdWords, one important task is determining which ads can be retired and which need replacing. This involves reviewing performance metrics such as impression share, click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), and conversion rate for each ad group or campaign using Google Analytics to gain deeper insights into user behavior and ad effectiveness.
If certain ads have consistently low CTRs, poor conversions, or high CPC compared with other campaigns/ad groups, then they should typically be retired in favor of new Google Ads that better reflect your current brand messaging and products/services offered. Additionally, look at search terms reports to identify any unprofitable keywords that could drag down ad performance if not removed from accounts altogether.
Creating new campaigns or ad groups that reflect the new brand and messaging is an essential component of updating a website’s Google Ads. Companies should create separate campaigns for each product, service, or message to ensure ads are more narrowly targeted and effective at reaching their desired audience.
Additionally, brands can include various elements such as keyword clusters targeting certain demographics in order to further optimize performance while staying within budget limits. Finally, companies should update all existing advertising copy with branding details from the newly launched identity program so customers will immediately recognize them on any page they visit online.
Updating ad copy to reflect new messaging and brand elements is an essential step when updating Google Ads campaigns. This involves replacing existing headlines, descriptions, calls-to-action, product promotions, or discounts with fresh content that aligns with the company’s current branding message.
Also, take into consideration any changes in tone or style of writing that have been incorporated after rebranding so as not to confuse users by sending out contradicting messages through different channels. The ultimate goal should be creating succinct ads which represent the updated identity while still having a clear focus on conveying key selling points effectively.
Updating keywords is a critical step in updating Google Ads campaigns for a website or company rebrand. Keywords should be changed to better reflect the new messaging and brand elements, while also considering potential search volumes, difficulty of advertisement competition, and other factors such as local market penetration rates when selecting terms that will have an impact on conversions.
The objective here is to select words that are both relevant to the ad’s content but can attract users with intent towards conversion – making it essential for businesses looking at maximizing their return from online advertising activities through PPC channels like Google Ads.
When updating Google Ads campaigns for a rebrand, it is important to review the targeting settings and make any necessary adjustments.
This includes reviewing current audiences targeted by each campaign as well as geographic filters or language options that are configured. It may also be helpful to leverage new audience options such as lookalike or affinity audiences if they fit with your business needs. Adjustments should be made based on budget limitations and desired objectives of each ad group so that ads can effectively reach the right prospects most likely to convert into customers.
Identifying which landing pages need to be updated is an important part of the Google Ads updating process. Website owners should look at their existing campaigns and ad copy and assess what needs changing in order to match with a new brand or messaging.
Landing page content, such as text, visuals, videos, and other forms of media can all benefit from being refreshed for optimal performance when attracting visitors via paid advertising. Additionally, website owners may find it beneficial to test different versions of the same landing page before settling on one that offers the best results—both in terms of conversions but also maintaining consistency across ads within each campaign group.
Updating a website or company’s Google Ads landing pages is essential for effective rebranding.
When updating the content of these pages, it’s important to ensure that all elements reflect and emphasize the new brand messaging. This includes changing text blocks, visuals (such as images/videos), the descriptive language used in calls-to-action, etc., while also ensuring they provide value to potential customers.
Additionally, optimizing landing page design can help drive more conversions by providing an improved user experience and making navigation easier for those looking for specific information related to their search query.
Updating a website or company’s Google Ads landing pages is essential for effective rebranding. When updating the content of these pages, it’s important to ensure that all elements reflect and emphasize the new brand messaging.
This includes changing text blocks, visuals (such as images/videos), the descriptive language used in calls-to-action, etc., while also ensuring they provide value to potential customers. Additionally, optimizing landing page design can help drive more conversions by providing an improved user experience and making navigation easier for those looking for specific information related to their search query.
Testing and measuring performance is essential for ensuring the success of a website or company rebrand. Creating A/B tests to optimize ad copy and landing page elements can help maximize your conversion rates by allowing you to determine which version performs best in different scenarios.
Utilizing tools like Google Optimize, AB Tasty, or Apptimize should be considered when setting up experiments on how changes affect user behavior; as this will make it easier to measure results in real-time with analytics metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), cost per action (CPA), etc. Regularly testing your content helps identify where improvements need to be made, ultimately helping ensure maximum ROI from campaigns while targeting the right users.
Testing and measuring the performance of Google Ads is essential to ensure that they are delivering optimal results. Regularly monitoring performance metrics allows advertisers to identify any areas where further improvement can be made, such as ad copy or landing page elements.
Tracking engagement levels with different versions of ads (A/B testing) can also help refine campaigns for maximum profitability by highlighting what works well and what needs modification or removal. Understanding how each element in a campaign contributes to overall success makes it easier to adjust accordingly when needed so budgets will have more impact on desired outcomes than ever before.
It is essential to regularly monitor and measure the performance of Google Ads campaigns. This can be done by tracking relevant metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions, etc., which will give an indication of whether or not goals are being met.
When particular ads start underperforming compared to others in terms of these metrics it may be necessary to make adjustments so that those specific ads perform more optimally in order to maximize overall campaign performance. Such potential adjustments range from changing keyword selection, ad copy wording/structure or even landing page design if needed – however testing should always take place before any radical changes are implemented.
Updating Google Ads for websites or company rebrands can be a complex process. It involves conducting audits to identify areas that need updating, creating and optimizing campaigns, adjusting keyword targeting settings, testing performance metrics, and much more.
Regularly monitoring the performance of your ads is essential in order to maximize success with audience engagement rates as well as conversions. By diligently applying these steps you’ll have an effective system that supports iterative optimization while staying within budget parameters allowing new brand initiatives greater visibility thus translating into positive financial returns.
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Launching an online course is easy once you’ve created your content. Filling your virtual classroom with motivated, paying learners is a little more challenging. Advertising strategies aren’t intuitive no matter how user-friendly a platform might be, and trying to guess at how to market your courses online can feel like you’re shouting into the void. But with a little knowledge and some expert PPC ad strategies, you can get your courses in front of people who are hungry to learn what you teach.
With precise targeting, a professional strategy, budget control, and regular tracking, a PPC ad campaign can transform your course into a thriving program. The key is knowing how to structure your ad campaigns for both clicks and hot leads that convert.
Unlike search engine optimization (SEO), which can take months to gain even a little traction, PPC provides you with immediate visibility right where your target users are hanging out. SEO is important but it’s a long-term game that should be executed alongside PPC ads for the best results. While you’re waiting, PPC generates immediate clicks and drives traffic to your website on the spot.
The best part is that when done right, PPC ads offer a high ROI compared to many other advertising methods. According to the data, businesses earn an average of $2 for every $1 they spend on Google Ads, making PPC a powerful resource for course providers. Here’s everything you need to know about mastering PPC to generate hot leads for your online courses.
1. Understand the learner’s journey
If you want your PPC ads to generate leads ready to buy and not just curious clicks, you need to align your ad strategy with how learners make decisions. Signing up for an online course is not an impulse purchase. It’s a journey that usually starts with curiosity and then moves to research and comparison. When successful, that journey ends with enrollment.
A one-size-fits-all ad won’t work because a student who is just browsing isn’t ready for the same pitch as someone about to hand over their credit card. Understanding the different parts of the funnel, and tailoring your ad campaigns to match each stage, is what will make your course successful. A typical buyer’s journey for learners involves the following stages:
At this stage, your potential students are still exploring broad ideas related to the courses you’re offering. They may not know exactly which course or platform is right for them, but they’re actively looking for options. You’ll need to use a certain type of keyword phrase to capture their attention.
Searches like “learn coding online,” “how to get TEFL certified,” and “language courses for beginners” will work well at this stage. PPC ads in this phase shouldn’t hard-sell enrollment, but rather, focus on positioning your course as credible and informative.
Think free guides, introductory webinars, and blog posts that answer frequently asked questions about your topic. By nurturing your leads’ interests and providing value right off the bat, you’ll have an easier time becoming a trusted brand that people keep in mind as they move deeper into the journey.
During the consideration state prospects know what they want but they’re comparing their options. They’ve narrowed down their choices and are considering factors like price, flexibility, depth, instructor quality, platform, and accreditation. Ideal search terms in this phase are related to specific things that your prospects value or want to achieve like “affordable Python bootcamp,” “online MBA with scholarships,” or “best UX design course with certification.”
Your PPC ads should also highlight unique selling points for your course like “self-paced learning,” “industry-recognized certificate,” or “job placement success.” It’s at this stage where comparison charts, testimonials, and detailed course previews are highly effective. The goal is to show your prospects why your program beats the competition.
At this point, hesitation is minimal. Prospects are ready to sign up but might need one last push. This is where urgency, social proof, and simplicity make all the difference. Ads should feature strong calls to action like “Enroll Today,” limited-time incentives like “Save 20% - Ends Sunday.” This is the perfect time to showcase real student success stories. Landing pages for ads in the decision stage should remove all friction. Avoid long forms and distracting links. Just provide a clear and simple path to enrollment.
Keep in mind that most of your ideal market will encounter your brand multiple times along their journey across different devices and platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Mapping your PPC ad campaigns to these three stages ensures you’re showing up with the right message at the right time. When done correctly, focusing on all three stages with separate messages will turn casual searchers into qualified leads ready to buy your course.
The backbone of every PPC campaign is your keyword selection. You can write the most convincing ad copy in the world, but if you’re bidding on the wrong phrases you’ll either waste your budget or attract people who have no intention of enrolling.
Your goal isn’t just to drive traffic to your site. You need to drive qualified traffic – people who are serious about learning what you teach and are ready to invest in themselves. This requires targeting a mix of high-intent keywords, longtail phrases, and negative keywords.
Broad keywords like “data science” and “coding” cast a net that’s too wide. You’ll get clicks but most will be from people who are just curious or looking for free resources. To reach people who are committed, you need to target high-intent keywords that show purchase intent. Phrases like “enroll in our data science course” and “online JavaScript certification with ongoing support” will attract users who are actively seeking instruction.
You’ll pay more for high-intent keywords but they deliver more value and higher conversion rates, and that will increase your ROI when you choose the right ones.
Longtail keywords are used to target a smaller pool of people and that’s a good thing. Since these keywords are more focused, the traffic they generate is more valuable. Instead of competing for saturated, general terms like “learn graphic design online,” you target specific phrases like “best graphic design program for working professionals with evening classes.” The people searching with this level of specificity already know what they want, which means they’re more likely to convert.
If you skip targeting longtail keywords you’re leaving money on the table. Data shows that 70% of all online searches involve longtail phrases – it’s just how people naturally search when they know what they want.
Your negative keyword list is how you’ll preserve your budget and prevent wasting money on irrelevant clicks. Without a list of words you don’t want your ads to show up for, you’ll end up paying for clicks that never convert.
Build a negative keyword list of words that indicate someone is looking for something free or irrelevant to your course. For example, words like “free,” “PDF,” “torrent,” and “Reddit” are usually used in searches when someone is looking for shortcuts and freebies. Adding these and similar words to your negative keyword list will filter out tire-kickers and boost ROI by preserving your ad budget for relevant prospects.
Once you have the right keywords that generate impressions, your ad copy has to do the work to get clicks. Your ads need to grab people right away to prevent them from scrolling and possibly clicking on another course provider’s ad. For e-learning, your ads need to inspire people. Instead of talking about your course you want to highlight what your course will do for the learner. This is accomplished with benefit-driven messaging, emotional triggers, and strong calls-to-action (CTAs).
· Benefit-driven messaging. Most course providers list features like “40 hours of video content” and “downloadable PDFs,” but these details aren’t going to capture attention at first glance. In fact, telling learners they’re going to need to sit through 40 hours of content right off the bat might be a deterrent.
Instead, your ads should highlight tangible outcomes like “land high-paying clients with our program,” or “start a new career as a web developer in just 12 weeks.” Benefits speak directly to a person’s goals and aspirations, which is far more compelling than a list of specs.
· Emotional triggers. Emotional triggers are the heart of every marketing strategy, including PPC ads. People make emotional buying decisions and buy courses because they’re chasing a dream, avoiding a fear, or seeking transformation.
Great ad copy taps into these emotions and creates a sense of urgency. For instance, “Don’t miss the enrollment deadline” plays into the fear of missing out, while “Join 10,000 successful graduates” leverages social proof. The right emotional triggers will give people a good reason to act now rather than bookmarking your page and forgetting about it.
· Clear CTAs. Irresistible ad copy includes a direct, compelling call-to-action that tells the prospect what to do next. Generic instructions don’t cut it. “Learn more,” “Click here,” and similar phrases don’t communicate urgency or value. Choose CTAs that direct prospects to sign up for your course. For example, “Start your free trial” and “Reserve your seat today” work well.
In a crowded marketplace where hundreds of course creators are competing for the same attention, clarity and emotion will generate better results. Lead with benefits and tap into people’s emotions and your ad copy will generate serious leads.
Generating clicks from your ads is only the first half of the equation. Once a prospect clicks your landing page needs to convert them to a paying customer or your ad spend goes to waste. Your landing page is like the final pitch where prospective students choose whether to enroll in your course or move on. If your landing pages create any confusion, friction, or distrust, your prospects will lean toward other course creators. On the other hand, an optimized landing page can become a conversion generating machine.
Your landing pages should be simple and clean without too much information. The page content should be specifically designed to direct people to sign up for your course. You want to eliminate navigation menus and sidebars to prevent people from clicking away from the page and getting distracted. Each landing page should have one end goal, either to get sign-ups/purchases or apply for acceptance if required. Too many options will create cognitive overload and reduce the chance of any action.
It’s crucial to include trust elements on your landing pages. When people are thinking about investing their time and money in an online course, they’re naturally going to be skeptical. This is where trust signals can help. Testimonials, instructor bios, refund guarantees, and case studies will help build your course credibility. The goal here is to reassure people that your program is legitimate and worth their investment.
Clicks are important but they’re somewhat of a vanity metric when measured on their own. The only time clicks matter is when you’re looking at your conversion rate. If you generate 100 clicks and get 40 people to enroll that’s much better than generating 1,000 clicks and only getting one person to enroll in your course.
The metrics that matter most are your conversion rate, your cost per lead (CPL), and lifetime customer value (LTV). For instance, you’ll want to track completed signups, demo requests, and enrollments rather than overall clicks.
Cost per lead is a simple measurement that can tell you how efficient your campaign is. For instance, if you’re paying $50 per lead but your average enrollment fee is $500, your margins are good. If your CPL is too close to your revenue then your course might be priced too low or you need to adjust your targeted keywords.
For e-learning, many students invest in more than one course or renew their subscription, which increases their lifetime value to your business. Tracking LTV will help you determine how much you can afford to spend acquiring each new student. For example, if your LTV average is $1,500, it makes sense to spend $200 to acquire each lead. This long-term view helps you maintain profitability and allows you to outbid your competitors who aren’t willing to spend much.
PPC ads require fine-tuning and you can’t just “set it and forget it.” What works today might underperform tomorrow or not perform at all on other platforms. Even small changes can make a huge difference in conversions and that’s why it’s important to test variations. For example, Dell is just one example of a company that saw a 300% increase in conversions from A/B testing.
By running experiments to test different elements you can identify what resonates most with your target audience and optimize your ads based on those results. The most important elements to test are your headlines, CTAs, and images.
· Testing headlines. Your ad headline is usually the first thing a prospect sees. Testing different headlines can help identify which promises resonate most. For example, “Land your dream job” might appeal to people looking for a new career, while “Get certified in 12 weeks” might hook people in a hurry. If you get more conversions from the former, your main audience is likely people looking for a new career, and you can tailor your ads to that group.
· Testing CTAs. A strong CTA can generate more clicks, but what works will depend on your audience. For example, “Get started today” might work for some courses while “Reserve your spot” works better for others. Avoid vague CTAs like “Learn more” that don’t instruct people to take action.
· Testing visuals. Images can put people off or draw them closer. Visuals are processed faster than text and are perceived in a split-second. A single image can make or break an ad. For instance, sometimes a photo of an instructor works well, but other times it’s better to use abstract graphics.
Split testing isn’t optional when you’re running PPC ads. It’s the only way to know which elements make your ads more effective.
At the end of the day, PPC is a great way to build a pipeline of motivated students who want to enroll in your courses. By aligning your campaign with the learner’s journey and optimizing your ads and landing pages for conversions, you can turn your PPC campaign into a reliable growth engine. As the e-learning market becomes more competitive, ads that hit hard are a must.
If you’re ready to stop wasting ad spend and start filling your online classrooms with qualified leads, it’s time to bring in PPC experts. At PPC.co, we specialize in turning clicks into enrollments through high-converting campaigns that deliver qualified leads for online course creators . Contact our team today and let’s build campaigns that fill your classroom.
Pay-per-click (PPC) remains one of the fastest paths to pipeline, but the economics vary widely by industry and are shifting as AI reshapes the SERP. CPCs are up versus prior years, conversion rates have improved in many categories, and lead quality is increasingly a function of how well advertisers feed first-party data into bidding models.
The table below summarizes 2025 search-PPC benchmarks by sector—CPC, conversion rate (CVR), and cost per lead (CPL)—so you can compare what “good” looks like in your niche and calibrate ROI assumptions.
Use these numbers as directional guardrails, then layer in your own close rates and LTV to get to the only metric that matters: profitable growth.
In short, AI is changing the way PPC campaign management is occurring, and it's happening FAST.
ROI ≈ (Close-Rate × Avg Customer LTV ÷ CPL) − 1
Example (legal): if close-rate 12% and LTV $6,000 on CPL $132 → ROI ≈ (0.12×6000 / 132) −1 ≈ 4.45x (345% net). Improve any one input (faster intake bumps close-rate; better routing lowers CPL) and ROI jumps. Benchmarks for CPL/CVR above provide solid starting points. LocaliQ
PPC will keep paying when two things are true:
(1) you can convert and qualify leads quickly, and
(2) your bidding models are trained on the outcomes that actually make you money.
As AI compresses differences in targeting, the edge shifts to first-party data, creative velocity, and value-based bidding.
Treat the benchmarks above as starting points, then rebuild your ROI math from the ground up: ROI ≈ (Close Rate × LTV ÷ CPL).
Contact us today for your customized PPC audit to see how we can improve your search engine marketing ad spend.
