We are a Certified Google Partner, and love seeing what brands are up to with their Google AdWords budget.

This is the 14th instalment of a series we call “Critiquing Your Google AdWords Campaigns”.

We Google a search term and evaluate the top 3 Google Ads as well as their landing pages for their ability to “Attract” and “Convert” visitors into leads.

We grade each campaign out of 10:

  • 5 Points ATTRACT: the actual Google Ad
  • 5 Points for CONVERT: the Landing Page experience
Let’s get started!

This week we Googled “Subscription Billing Software”.

Google Ad #1
Company: Aradial

Google AdWords Ad:
The Good…
  • I like how they identify the audience (ISPs, Wifi, etc.)
The Not so Good…
  • I’m searching for “subscription billing software”, not sure what “converged billing” is
  • If your solution is only for certain industries/verticals such as ISPs, you need to include that in the main headline (don’t always count on people to read anything past the headline)
  • No sitelinks
  • No offer or Call to Action
Ad Score: 1/5
Google AdWords Landing Page:
The Good…
  • Identification of audience (ISPs)
The Not so Good…
  • Not using a landing page but driving users to website, where they can click navigation links, read about news, or visit your Facebook page (in other words, taking them off the conversion path)
  • Far too much text
  • Very poor design
  • No visible phone number, form, or Call-to-Action.
Google Landing Page Score: 1/5
TOTAL ADWORDS SCORE: 2/10

Google Ad #2
Company: Vindicia

Google AdWords Ad:
The Good…
  • My keyword (Subscription Billing) right in the headline and display url
  • “Free Trial” CTA right in the headline
  • Helps reduce customer churn 25% (that’s a good thing)
  • Nice use of sitelinks
The Not so Good…
  • Nice use of sitelinks, but I don’t know what “better serve millennials” means
  • Doesn’t indicate who product is for (e.g. SMB, Enterprise, or both)
  • Should add a sitelink for reviews
  • No mention of pricing, but that would be something worth testing
AdWords Score: 3/5
Google AdWords Landing Page:

The Good…
  • Nice key messaging about how the solution isn’t just another cost, but helps your business grow revenue
  • A contact form
The Not so Good…
  • Need to remove links and use a dedicated landing page (e.g. don’t send users to website)
  • Too much text, shorten it down and make use of bullet points
  • The form doesn’t tell you what you’re getting – if I’m getting to “try” the software, am I getting a free trial? What happens when I click “submit”?
  • The form is too long, try removing unnecessary fields such as industry, job title, and annual company revenue (you can get that information later).
Google Landing Page Score: 2/5
TOTAL ADWORDS SCORE: 5/10

Google Ad #3
Company: Quickbooks/Intuit

Google AdWords Ad:
The Good…
  • Online Billing Software in headline – good
  • Start my free trial CTA – good
The Not so Good…
  • I’m specifically searching for “subscription billing software”, so not sure if this is a match
  • Need to identify the audience better – is it for SMB, larger businesses, or both?
  • Use keyword in display url
  • Sitelinks to reviews and/or ratings would be helpful
Google AdWords Score: 2.5/5
Google AdWords Landing Page:

The Good…
  • Well designed, great visuals
  • Video on landing page is very key
  • Nice clear CTAs above the fold
  • Does well to highlight credibility (#1 online accounting solution, 1.5+ subscribers, etc.)
  • No navigation links except to sign in or sign up – nice
The Not so Good…
  • I’m not so sure about having two CTA buttons, are people going to buy the software before they take it for a free trial test drive?
  • No mention of whether it will help me with “subscription billing software”
Landing Page Score: 3.5/5
TOTAL ADWORDS SCORE: 6/10
Who’s Getting My Business for “Subscription Billing Software”?

This is a tough one, as although Quickbooks had an overall higher score (6/10), neither the ad or landing page specifically mention “subscription billing software”.

Thus, even though Vindicia had a lower ad and landing page score, their emphasis on “subscription billing” and growing my revenue may give them the slight edge.