Solved: PPC Ads Not Working for New Nail Salon

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch. I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your Google Ads campaign for your nail salon. I understand it's not performing as well as you'd hoped, and I'm confident we can identify some areas for improvement.

First Impressions: Understanding Your Goals

Before diving into specifics, let's ensure we're aligned on your goals. What exactly do you want to achieve with your Google Ads campaign? Are you primarily focused on increasing appointments, driving more walk-in traffic, or perhaps promoting specific services like manicures or pedicures?

Understanding your core objectives will help us tailor your campaign strategy and choose the most relevant metrics to track. For example, if your main goal is to increase appointments, we'll want to focus on optimising for conversions (e.g., appointment bookings) and closely monitor your cost per acquisition (CPA).

We'll need to look at traffic quality and your website...

One of the first things I'd be wanting to look at, is the quality of the traffic your ads are attracting. This is absolutely key to getting the results you want. If you're getting lots of clicks but no conversions, it could indicate that your ads are targeting the wrong audience or that your landing page isn't effectively converting visitors into customers. This also depends on what you are using for a landing page - is it just your website, or a specific landing page for the campaign?

I had a quick look at your website, and here are my initial observations:

-> It's visually appealing and easy to navigate.
-> You clearly showcase your services and pricing.
-> Online booking system is pretty slick.

However, I think there are definitely a few areas where you could improve the user experience and boost conversions. For example:

-> Adding customer testimonials or reviews can build trust and credibility.
-> Including high-quality photos of your salon and your work can make a big difference.
-> Making your call to action (e.g., "Book Now") more prominent could encourage more visitors to take the next step.
-> I didn't see any obvious promotions or offers, these can often encourage a customer to convert.

Keyword Optimisation: Targeting the Right Customers

Keywords are the foundation of any successful Google Ads campaign. It's essential to choose the right keywords to ensure that your ads are reaching the right audience. When picking the keywords, make sure you are picking very specific keywords.

Here's a quick overview of the keywords, and I'd suggest going through each of the keywords and checking their search volumes:

-> Start with broad keywords like "nail salon" and "beauty salon."
-> Then, add more specific keywords that target the types of services you offer (e.g., "manicure," "pedicure," "acrylic nails").
-> Also, try including location-based keywords to target customers in your area (e.g., "nail salon near me," "nail salon [your city]").
-> Finally, consider adding long-tail keywords that are even more specific (e.g., "gel manicure with nail art," "pedicure with callus removal").

Use Google Keyword Planner to check search volumes and competition levels for your keywords. This will help you identify the most promising keywords to target and fine-tune your bidding strategy.

Ad Copy: Crafting Compelling Messages

Your ad copy is your chance to grab the attention of potential customers and convince them to click on your ad. It's essential to craft compelling messages that are clear, concise, and relevant to your target audience.

Here are a few tips for writing better ad headlines:

-> Highlight your unique selling points (e.g., experienced technicians, high-quality products, relaxing atmosphere).
-> Include a call to action (e.g., "Book Now," "Get a Free Consultation," "Visit Our Salon").
-> Use strong verbs and persuasive language.
-> Test different headlines to see which ones perform best.

Also, make sure your ad copy is consistent with your landing page. If your ad promises a special offer, make sure that offer is clearly visible on your landing page.

Location Targeting: Reaching Local Customers

Since you're a local business, location targeting is absolutely crucial. This will ensure that your ads are only shown to people who are located near your salon.

Here's how to set up location targeting in Google Ads:

-> Go to your campaign settings and select "Locations."
-> Choose the targeting method that's right for you (e.g., radius targeting, zip code targeting).
-> Enter the locations you want to target (e.g., your city, surrounding towns).
-> Exclude any locations that are too far away or outside of your service area.

I'd say to keep your location radius quite small, this should help increase the amount of calls you will get from people nearby. For example, keep it within a mile or two.

I'd say you need to give it more time...

It can take time for Google Ads campaigns to start generating results. Don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate improvements. Keep testing, optimising, and refining your strategy until you find what works best for your business. Remember to test everything, including headlines, images, locations and keywords.

It's hard to put an exact figure on it, but I'd say it takes around 3 months to fully optimise a campaign and get all the data you need to fine-tune and improve it.

Recommended Actions

To give you a clearer overview, here is a list of actions you could take:

Area	Recommended Action
Website	Add customer testimonials, high-quality photos, and make your call to action more prominent.
Keywords	Review and refine your keywords, using Google Keyword Planner to check search volumes.
Ad Copy	Craft compelling ad copy that highlights your unique selling points and includes a call to action.
Location Targeting	Set up location targeting to reach local customers.
Budget	Consider allocating a budget of $1-$2k per month.
Patience	Give your campaign time to optimise and gather data.

Why You Might Consider Expert Help

Running successful Google Ads campaigns requires time, expertise, and ongoing effort. While the tips above can help you get started, you might find that you need additional assistance to achieve your desired results.

An experienced PPC agency like ours can provide a range of services to help you optimise your Google Ads campaigns and maximise your ROI. We can handle everything from keyword research and ad copy creation to bid management and conversion tracking.

Having worked with many clients, we’ve helped B2B businesses lower their cost per lead by 84% by optimizing their LinkedIn Ads and Meta Ads. We also have experience with getting 4,622 registrations at just $2.38 for B2B Software by testing a wide variety of audiences.

If you're interested in learning more about how we can help you grow your business with Google Ads, I'd be happy to schedule a free consultation to discuss your specific needs and goals. Just let me know.

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh