Back in the days when I was learning PPC[1], one of the two biggest growing pains I had were:
- Learning the difference between segmenting campaigns out to maximize efficiency
- Reaching the point where the juice is no longer worth the squeeze
Rather than creating clutter and a burdensome account to manage, I’ve since learned to make use of everything I can to speed up my workflow and free up bandwidth to focus on things that actually make a difference.
IF functions are a versatile means to tailor your ads to users in real time, using either the type of device they’re browsing on or the audience segment they belong to as signals to serve up specialized ad copy. The right message at the right time can make all the difference between a conversion or another bounced visitor. Search marketing is rapidly moving towards heavy automation and personalization, so IF functions are helpful because they’re a simple way to keep your seat at the table.
Setting up IF functions
The process of setting up IF Functions is painless. You could easily set one up in the time it will take to finish this article, regardless of your comfort level with Excel formulas. And if doing it on Excel is too daunting, you can set them up directly in the Google Ads UI under the Ads tab.
The basic logic is as follows
{=IF(condition is met, show this text):If not, show this text}.
So, if you wanted specific messaging for users on mobile, the logic runs something like this:
IF the user is ON a mobile device, show mobile-friendly CTA. If not, show the general CTA.