What Are the Advanced Features to Boost Your Google Adwords Campaign?

People that deal with Google Ads, like me, often ask the same thing: How can I get more out of my campaigns? If you're using basic settings for your Google advertisements, you're probably missing out on a lot. I now know that even little changes can have a big effect on a marketing campaign.

In this post, I'll show you tools, settings, and strategies that I and others have used to go from "just running ads" to campaigns that actually convert, grow, and do well all the time. There is always opportunity for improvement, whether you are new to Google Adwords campaign management or have been running them for a while.

Smart Bidding with Real-Time Signals

Let’s start with bidding, the part most people try to ‘set and forget.’ But I’ve seen campaigns turn around when switched to smart bidding methods like Target CPA (Cost per Acquisition) or Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend).

These strategies use Google’s machine learning to make bid adjustments during each auction based on:

• Device type
  
  

• Location
  
  

• Time of day
  
  

• Search query
  
  

• Browser history
  
  

• Language

Instead of setting manually, I allow the system to adjust bids dynamically. This doesn’t mean giving up control, it means letting the data work harder. I still monitor performance daily and make adjustments when needed. But now, I don’t miss out on high-converting traffic just because of a rigid bid cap.

Responsive Search Ads

We used to spend hours developing numerous kinds of adverts and testing them by hand. That has changed. I now make Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) by producing a lot of headlines and descriptions. Google then tries different combinations to see which ones work best.

What works for one person might not work for another. RSAs change based on what the person is looking for, what device they are using, and what they have done in the past. After switching from extended text advertising to RSAs, I saw CTRs go up by more than 30%. That difference could equal an extra thousand dollars in sales over the course of a month.

I still don't just put in any headline. I produce straightforward messages that focus on the benefits and continuously try out different ones. Google gives scores based on performance, so I keep working on the ones who aren't doing well.

Audience Segments and Custom Audiences

Keywords are still vital, but I now give audiences just as much weight. Some of the most successful campaigns I've worked on had fewer keywords but very specific audiences.

With Google's In-Market, Affinity, and Custom Intent audiences, I can reach folks who are currently looking for certain goods or services. For example, if I'm advertising a travel agency, I won't just go after "cheap flights." I'll also add folks who are looking for travel information on blogs or viewing YouTube videos about certain places.

With custom segments, I may include the URLs, keywords, or themes of my competitors. After that, Google finds people who are interested in such items and generates an audience around them. This isn't just a theory; I've developed whole campaigns around researching my competitors and seen them do better than efforts that use generic keywords.

Location Targeting at Zip Code Level

Some businesses, especially those in the area, demand accuracy. I don't just go after "New York." I can go down to ZIP codes, districts, or even a one-mile radius surrounding a certain place.

One of my clients, for instance, has a high-end gym. Instead of showing ads to all of Manhattan, we just showed them to neighborhoods with higher incomes. We didn't include places where conversions were low and CPCs were high. What happened? The same amount of money brought in twice as many leads.

Google also gives information about how well things are doing in different places. I check that often and change bids or exclusions based on what actually happens. It's boring, but it pays off.

Ad Schedule Adjustments

If your target audience doesn't buy anything at all hours, you don't need to broadcast adverts all the time. I use ad scheduling to choose the exact days and times when ads show up, based on when customers actually buy something.

I once ran a B2B software campaign that acquired most of its leads on weekdays between 9 AM and 3 PM. It was a waste of money to run ads outside of that time frame. I now utilize ad scheduling on almost all of my accounts and change my bids based on how well they do at different times of the day. I increase the bid modifier for that time slot when conversion rates rise on Thursday mornings. This helps make the budget go further and obtain better leads.

Negative Keywords Lists

Building good lists of negative keywords is one of the fastest ways I've improved campaigns. These stop your adverts from showing up for searches that don't have anything to do with them.

For instance, a client who sold custom suits continued getting clicks from people looking for "funny tuxedos" or "Halloween costumes." We didn't know there was a problem until they had spent hundreds. We put in negative terms like "cheap," "funny," and "costume." Within a week, the bounce rate went down and the number of conversions went up.

I keep master lists of negative keywords and customize them for each sector. I also look at the search terms report once a week to see if any searches that don't make sense get through.

Call Tracking and Call-Only Ads

Phone calls can be great leads for businesses that provide services. I utilize call monitoring to find out which advertising get people to call. Tracking form submissions alone doesn't provide you as much information about ROI.

Google lets me make call-only advertisements that go straight to the phone without going through a landing page. In fields that deal with emergencies, like plumbing, towing, or medicine, I've seen call-only ads do well.

I make sure to only plan these during business hours. Directing a call to voicemail after investing in an ad may not be the most efficient use of resources.

Ad Extensions for More Visibility

Ad extensions take up more space on the SERP, making your ads more visible. I add as many relevant extensions as possible:

• Sitelink Extensions – direct users to specific pages
  
  

• Callout Extensions – highlight features or benefits
  
  

• Structured Snippets – list services or categories
  
  

• Price Extensions – show pricing directly in the ad
  
  

• Location Extensions – show the business address

They don’t cost extra and can increase CTR significantly. I once compared two identical ads, one with extensions, one without. The ad with extensions got 40% more clicks.

We never skip this step now, even for small-budget campaigns.

Dynamic Search Ads (DSA)

Making advertising for every product might be a pain if you own a lot of websites or online stores. That's where Dynamic Search Ads come in. DSAs use information from your website to match adverts with queries that are related. Google makes headlines and chooses landing pages on the fly. I don't depend on these completely, but they help me out if I haven't made manual ads. 

Offering professional Google Ads management services allows me to effectively integrate tools like DSAs to maximize reach and performance. For example, a client with a catalog of more than 3,000 products utilizes DSAs as a catch-all. They identify fresh keywords that we might not have thought of and even bring in traffic that we might have missed otherwise.

Conversion Tracking and Attribution Models

You can't make anything better if you don't measure it. I always set up conversion tracking, whether it's a purchase, a lead form, a call, or simply how long someone spends on a page. After that, I pick an attribution model that shows how individuals interact with the adverts.

Last-click attribution is the default setting; however, I've changed most of my accounts to data-driven attribution. This methodology gives credit for conversions to more than just the last click. It helps you understand better what is truly behind the outcomes.

This change makes it easier to spend your money wisely if you conduct remarketing campaigns or multi-channel funnels.

Remarketing Lists and RLSA

Not everyone makes a purchase on their first visit. That's why I utilize RLSA, or Remarketing Lists for Search Ads. This lets me bid more aggressively for those who have already been to the site or clicked on a previous ad.

I made lists based on how long it's been since the last visit, what products they liked, or what they did when they left their basket. People who left a checkout page see one set of adverts, while people who read a blog see another.

These lists always do better than cold traffic. They already know the brand; they just need a little push.

Campaign Experiments

Not even experienced marketers can say how a change will work out. That's why I do tests with campaigns.

I don't just change a campaign and hope for the best. Instead, I make an experiment that sends traffic to both the original and the test version. I let statistics decide what to do with my ad copy, bidding strategy, or landing page.

One test that was done recently was converting from manual CPC to Target ROAS. The test lasted three weeks, and we witnessed a 22% increase in conversions. We would have had to guess and maybe lost money if we didn't have this technology.

Shopping and Performance Max Campaigns

Google Shopping campaigns bring in people who are very interested in buying things from online retailers. I make sure that product feeds are as good as they can be by making sure that the titles, descriptions, and photographs are all clear.

I've gotten results with Performance Max advertisements more lately. With just one campaign, these travel across Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail, and Discover. They need great creative materials and a defined aim, but they have worked effectively for a number of my clients. I look at placement data and asset performance to see how things are going over time.

YouTube as a Search Boost

People don't simply use Google to look things up; they also use YouTube. I use YouTube advertisements to help search efforts as well as get views.

People who watch videos often come back later and buy something through a search. By tracking visitors and making remarketing lists, I build a loop of brand awareness and intent.

The impression matters even if someone avoids the ad. After starting video marketing, we've seen an increase in searches for our brand.

Shared Budgets and Portfolio Strategies

It can be hard to run more than one campaign for the same brand. Some campaigns use up their budget quickly, while others don't do as well.

I use pooled budgets so that I may be flexible. Google divides the budget among campaigns based on what is most likely to work. This saves time and often leads to better results for the same aims, like sales.

When I want numerous campaigns to reach the same CPA or ROAS target, I aggregate them into portfolio strategies for bidding.

Final Thoughts

Google Ads is a huge platform, and it can be difficult to keep up with everything. But I doubt that showy tricks have much to do with how well you do. Over time, the tiny, steady changes, like greater audiences, smoother tracking, and bid tweaks, add up. Simply replicating settings from another business won't help them succeed. 

Every account is different. The true value comes from trying things out, changing them, and staying curious. Every week, I learn something new. For anyone looking to boost their website’s SEO and online visibility, Rankyfy offers expert services and tools designed to help you rank higher and grow faster. 

If your campaigns are flat or difficult to forecast, try one or two of the tips I've given you. Don't try to change everything all at once. Just keep getting better. The results will come.