Have Google ever rejected one of your ad campaigns? In addition to being annoying when you’re trying to increase sales on your website, it frequently takes time to determine the precise reason Google suspended your campaign.
You are about to read a special PPC case study that demonstrates how we assisted a firm that provides replacement diplomas in getting its advertisements enabled and increasing its average conversion rate by 412%.
This case study is for you if you’ve ever had trouble getting your advertisements off the ground. Learn how we achieved it in the paragraphs that follow.
Background
Initially, this client contacted us in need of assistance with their completely disapproved ad account. They were shut down by Google as a result of violating the “Enabling Dishonest Behavior” policy. The company wasn’t dishonest, but it was simple to see why Google would flag their incredibly distinctive offering.
For those who have lost or damaged their original diploma, they specialize in creating novelty replacements. Orders for diplomas are also regularly made as novelty presents or set dressing for movies or television. Google was unable to distinguish between the two.
The client eventually approached Google for assistance with their problem, and they received a quotation for more than $25,000 per month to cure it. When they needed assistance turning on the ad account and maximizing their paid advertisements, they came to us.
Audit
Our initial action was to thoroughly evaluate their website and Google Ads account. We needed to understand the precise reason why they were being shut down.
Our main objective was to authorize their ad account, but we also collected some data to see how their previous campaigns were doing. These would act as our future benchmarks.
When we started looking around, we discovered more than 90 advertisements that were deemed to be “Enabling Dishonest Behavior.” View a few of the following examples:
The client’s data was the subject of our subsequent step. They claimed that their paid advertisements were effective before Google closed their account. While it was true that their advertisements were gaining traction, we were able to optimize them for truly unparalleled growth.
They had run over 50 different ad campaigns and spent over $600,000 before working with us. This is how they performed:
These stats appeared to be appropriate for a typical e-commerce campaign. They didn’t appear unrealistic.
With close to an average of 2.70 or a 270% Return on Ad Spend, our customer was experiencing the highest conversion rates and returns on their branded keywords (ROAS).
Even though this campaign appeared to be in good shape, all of them had Search Partners enabled. These are websites that collaborate with Google to display advertisements and free product listings to increase your online visibility.
See how 44 out of 57 campaigns had Search Partners activated, and some even had Display Partners, by looking at the table below.
The fact is that Search and Display partners frequently result in a reduced cost per click, or CPC. An advertiser’s problem is that they are getting fewer qualified traffic.
Any client would be interested in these two platforms, and we can see why. Google presents them as a cost-effective approach to reach thousands of potential consumers.
Amazing, isn’t it?
Wrong.
Search’s effectiveness has completely vanished. Your funds are currently divided among three platforms:
- Google Search
- Google Search Partners
- Google Display Partners
You’re actually spending more money than necessary on low-quality traffic, despite the fact that you may think you’re saving a few dollars. This traffic is unlikely to convert at the rates you desire.
Check out how we activated their account and raised their conversion rate.
How We Fixed It
Getting their account back on would be difficult.
It’s important to note that often when your Google account is disabled or suspended you may never get it reinstated.
But, we couldn’t help them get more sales until everything was turned back on.
Disapproved Ads
Our PPC team examined the client’s website and determined that no Google policies were being violated. Instead, there was a breakdown in communication between Google and their ad copy.
Specialized in producing novelty or replacement diplomas, this client. Although customers are aware that these items are humorous imitations, Google crawled the advertising and alerted the client for offering authentic diplomas for sale.
Since we were certain that everything was just a major mistake, we followed the established procedure and contacted Google Support immediately. Documentation proving the customer solely sold novelty degrees was included in our usual review request.
The disclaimers that display on each product page were also included in our documentation, along with a screenshot of the Disclaimer Page we created for each.
After a week, Google responded, which was positive considering that it may often take them up to 14 days to respond.
Even if the information in their email wasn’t the finest, it still helped us figure out how to resolve the problem.
In essence, Google examined the client’s advertising internally. The adverts in the account interface were also appealed, but that was only partially effective.
Google discovered that the client’s ad content made references to diplomas being “realistic” and “genuine.” They claimed that the diplomas were unclear as to whether they were originals or replacements, which looked to be a violation of their prohibition on the sale of forged papers.
This required us to go back and delete any copy from the advertisements that described the diplomas as “realistic” and “genuine.”
After revising the copy, we were accepted after the initial evaluation. Below are the variations between their rejected and authorized advertising.
Now with everything back up and running, we could focus on improving their conversation rate.
Finding Qualified Traffic for Our Client
We desired the best qualified traffic for this client, as was already discussed. So, we cleared the boxes next to the Display Partner and Search Partner options.
We made the decision to concentrate all of our efforts on users of the powerful Google Search. To begin with, we had to adjust their keywords to reflect their brand.
This client was particularly focused on attracting NEW users or clients who had never heard of their business.
For that reason, we concentrated on keywords with high intent like “purchase a diploma” and “buy college diploma.” Some of the brand names we used in their advertisements are listed below.
How will honing their marketing and enhancing their keyword performance impact traffic in general? It would bring in other visitors who were searching for a particular answer to their current issue.
Even though we limited the audience for these advertisements, we were confident that each one would be seen by customers who were prepared to order a novelty diploma.
How Did We Do?
Our strategy was also to conduct split testing of ads, locations, keywords, and site destinations.
For this client, we started off by sending traffic to the homepage, which led to not the best results in the first month.
Below you can see more details about how their campaign was converting.
We had a little movement after the first month but nothing to brag about. Remember, it often takes some time to properly optimize a campaign.
Next, we decided to change the ad destinations from the client’s homepage to individual product pages. This simple change delivered impressive results. Take a look below:
Even with the CPC almost tripling after four months, the PPC team surpassed their original branded ads. Their average conversion rate jumped from 1.96% to 10.03%, which is an increase of 412%.
And we did all of this while also bringing in new customers.
How? We removed all irrelevant traffic sources, tested out multiple destinations, and focused on high-intent keywords. We never chase the lowest cost-per-click.
Conclusion
You can see why we thought this was such an intriguing case study to share now. A problem that would have cost our client time and money was presented to us. They didn’t know how to reactivate their ad account after it was suspended.
Working with our PPC division has several advantages, one of which is our familiarity and expertise with the Google Ads platform. We were aware of the procedures to follow in order to allow our client’s account.
Once we gained access to their dashboard, we made adjustments that would keep them from being disabled once more and draw in new clients. It took some time and careful observation, but we eventually discovered the ideal configurations to treble their conversion rate.
Do you need help configuring your ad account or optimizing your campaigns to get more sales? Simply book a call with us to discuss strategy.