How to Improve Google Ads Performance in 2025?

Google Ads continues to rule the digital landscape with its high potential to drive targeted traffic, generate hot leads, and boost sales. However, getting the full benefits of Google Ads requires following the best practices when setting up, managing, and monitoring ad campaigns.

Here are some simple ways to improve your Google Ads performance:

1. Refine Search Queries

Google Ads campaigns are based on search queries. Google shows your ads with matching queries. Refining your search queries will help direct targeted traffic to your ad campaigns and increase your ROI.

Refine your search queries in the following ways:

Add Negative Keywords: These keywords are irrelevant to search queries for which you want Google to show your ads. Adding negative keywords maximizes ad relevance, enhances quality scores, increases click-through rates (CTR), and boosts return on investment (ROI). Also, they are available in your Google Ads account.

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Select Long-Tail Keywords: A set of two or more words is called a long-tail keyword. It is a good choice because it shows intent. Only serious buyers search Google using long-tail keywords. These keywords have lower cost-per-click (CPC) as fewer people Google them. Also, your ad campaigns can achieve better rankings in both organic and paid search results.

Competition Monitoring: Take advantage of the free Google Ads Transparency Center tool to monitor your close competitors in Google Ads. The tool will help gain insight into strategies, keywords, and ad messaging used by your competitors. You can improve your bidding strategy and ad performance by taking a clue from your competitors.

2. Prioritize Single Theme Ad Groups (STAGs)

A Single Theme Ad Group contains highly related keywords around a specific theme. STAGs work well even if Google makes changes to close variants such as spelling mistakes. Since SKAGs focus on syntax, they are always hit hard by Google’s changes.

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STAG benefits:

Improve Ad Spend: Assigning a budget to an ad group is more practical and profitable than bidding for single keywords. STAGs can save you money in the long run.

Enhance Quality Score: Creating themes can refine your ad groups. Your click-through rate (CTR) will increase and so will the Quality Score.

Convenient Ad Management: Managing ad groups is much easier than improving individual ads. You can easily add, remove, or modify keywords in a group instead of individual ads.

3. Utilize Server-Side Tracking

Third-party tracking scripts have multiple issues such as ad-blocker restrictions and cookie limitations that make them unsuitable for Google Ads tracking. They give unreliable data that can impact ad targeting and overall performance. You should use the GTM container or Google Tag Gateway that captures data directly from browsers, bypassing the ad blockers or browser restrictions.

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Benefits of server-side tracking:

• Complete data protection from ad blockers or browser restrictions improves the reliability and authenticity of data
• Server-side tracking improves compatibility with data regulations by providing more control over data tracking
• Server-side data processing improves page load speed as compared to browser processing

The server GTM Container and Google Tag Gateway work in a similar way and provide similar benefits, but they are different. You can choose any of them for server-side tracking.

4. Enable Audience Segmentation in GA4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) allows audience segmentation for better insights into marketing campaign performance. You can enable this feature by connecting your Google Ads to GA4 in the GA4 admin section. Audience segmentation can provide greater insight into the journey of a visitor from Google Ads to the landing page. You can check at what stage visitors drop your site.

For example, you can check how many visitors clicked on the CTA but didn’t convert or visited the Contact Us page but didn’t fill out the form. Segmenting can highlight areas that need improvement.

Benefits of audience segmenting:

• Build data for remarketing campaigns using potential G4A audiences
• Improve ad targeting based on user behavior or interest
• Boost customer retention by strengthening your funnel

Audience segmenting allows you to create as many segments as you need. You can define your audiences into segments such as demographics, time, age group, and profession.

5. Use Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSAs) for Remarketing

RLSAs are primarily used for display ads, but little do you know that RLSAs can help retarget the visitors who clicked on your Google Ads but didn’t convert. The advantage of RLSAs is they allow more flexibility in targeting broad-match keywords. Aligning your retargeting list with RLSAs will increase your chances of reaching potential buyers. The ads will be shown only to searchers interested in your offer and had previously visited your site.

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Benefits of RLSAs:

• Use display/social media ads to target previous visitors
• RLSAs can be aligned with demographic data in Google Ads admin
• Better customization of ad campaigns

RLSAs aren’t new to Google Ads, but you need to learn more about their uses in retargeting potential customers.

6. Make Use of Display Ads

Display ads or visuals can have more impact on the targeted audiences. Photos, videos, gifs, and other visuals can help make a good first impression on viewers and entice them to visit your site for more information. While RSLAs will take your display ads to previous customers, you can try more settings to expand your reach to others:

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In-Market Targeting: It involves targeting customers looking for information about products or services like you offer. They could be potential customers for your business.

Affinity Targeting: Your display ads will be shown to searchers who could be interested in your offer. Google will locate potential customers using its algorithm.

Testing new approaches can open more avenues to expand your reach to searchers who can be potential customers for your business.

7. Landing Page Optimization

The landing page design can play a crucial role in your marketing funnel. A user-friendly design can hold the attention of visitors and increase conversions. A landing page design includes the following features:

Faster Load Time: Landing pages download fast to retain the attention and interest of searchers.

Responsiveness: Landing pages are made responsive so that they download decently on every platform and fit into any screen size.

Clear Buttons: Landing pages have all their buttons clearly visible and accessible for single-hand operation.

Complete Page: Landing page design comes complete with the main header, sub-headers, and call to action (CTA) button.

CTA Placement: A call to action (CTA) button is always placed above the fold. Viewers go through the page from the main header to CTA and take the desired action.

Check whether your landing page has all the important features. Also, optimize your landing page for better ad performance.

8. Capitalize on Demographics

Study your targeted audiences such as which age group they belong to, what their gender is, and their income so that you can tailor your PPC campaigns according to the needs and intent of the targeted audiences.

Segmenting demographics:

Age: User intent and behavior change from one age group to another. For example, young buyers value personalized experiences and rely more on social media reviews and influencer recommendations.

Gender: Men make their decisions based on functionality, efficiency, and brand loyalty. Also, they often make quick decisions. Women tend to research more and compare options. They also value emotional connections when making decisions.

Income Group: High-income group people are premium customers. They invest more in quality and luxurious products. Middle-income group buyers seek value for money. Lower-income group customers look for discounts and budget-friendly options.

Use your findings to create compelling display ads that entice viewers to click on CTAs and take desired actions.

9. Test Automated Bidding

Google offers automated bidding to keep you free from the hassle of manual bidding. Google can easily adjust bids based on your business goals and budget. It will predict your future bids from your past PPC campaigns. It will study your bidding pattern and adjust the present bids accordingly.

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Automated bidding benefits:

Improved Efficiency: Google can adjust bids in real-time and save you time on manual adjustments. It will study user behavior to maximize conversions.

Better Performance: It will optimize bids using factors such as location, audience, and device. Automated bidding will increase your cost-per-click (CPC) and return on investment (ROI).

Adaptability: Automated bidding ensures the ads remain competitive by quickly responding to market trends and competition.

Enable automated bidding in the “Bid strategies” section of your Google Ads account. Its advantages are hard to achieve with manual bidding.

10. Expand Your Keywords

Monitoring search queries is a good strategy for Google Ada. Every time you go through the search queries, you get ideas about new keywords that can inch you closer to the potential buyers. The search report in your Google Ads has a wealth of information on fruitful search terms. You can include those search terms in your keywords.

Benefits of keyword expansion:

Increased Reach: Expanding your keywords will extend your search to new queries that can connect you to potential customers.

Better Ad Performance: A diverse set of keywords can make your ads relevant for new search queries, increase quality score, and lower cost-per-click (CPC).

Higher Conversion Potential: More keywords in your list will mean more opportunities and increased chances of connecting to potential buyers.

Find your search report in Google Ads and get ideas on keywords you can add to your list.

11. Test Your Google Ads

It is worth testing your PPC ads before making the ads live on Google search result pages. Follow the trustworthy method of A/B testing to determine the effectiveness of your ads. The test results will help identify areas that need improvement and achieve your business goals.

Text Message: Check different ad formats such as different styles, various CTAs, and benefits of your business.

Visual Appeal: Test the visual appeal of display ads to make sure they present your business in the right light.

Landing Page: We have already discussed the important features of landing page design and their importance in Google Ads.

Targeted Audience: Study how different viewers react to the ads. Study their behavior and predict their actions.

With A/B testing, you can rest assured that your ads work as expected and give desired results.

Conclusion

How your Google Ads perform depends on how you utilize Google tools. The good thing is that Google wants to help you in optimizing your PPC ads and achieve your business goals. Starting with optimizing your campaigns to A/B testing your PPC ads, you can do so many things that can improve your control over the performance of your ads and results. If you follow the above tips, you will see a significant improvement in your Google Ads performance in 2025.