Want to learn how search intent impacts lead quality and “true” return on ad spend? We’ve got you covered. Keep reading to learn more about return on ad spend and how lead quality differs between Google Ads and Facebook Ads based on search intent.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) Explained
Return on ad spend is a metric that measures the amount of money your business earns for each dollar it spends on advertising. Therefore, ROAS is very similar to another popular metric known as return on investment (ROI). It measures the overall effectiveness of your marketing efforts, providing insights into what’s leading conversions, as well as the amount of revenue being generated from said conversions. The higher your business’s ROAS, the better. ROAS can be measured at various levels via your Google Ads or Facebook Ads account. All you need to know is how much you’re spending and how much you’re earning through your advertising campaigns.
Lead Quality Explained
Moving on to lead quality. Lead quality refers to the quality of the prospective buyers you attract through your ads based on the specific parameters you’ve set. Quality leads are defined as those that not only have a clear intent to buy your product or service but that also have the means to do so. Lead quality is typically measured through a method known as lead scoring, which ranks prospective buyers on a scale that represents each lead’s perceived value to your company. Lead scoring helps identify which leads should be prioritized above others based on their actions and behaviours, as well as the type of engagement best suited to that lead. To measure the quality of a lead, data that will be analyzed about each buyer includes the types of web pages they visit, the amount of time they spend on each page, and how they found that page (e.g. via social media, search engines, etc.). Ultimately, lead quality can have a huge impact on the success of a company’s advertising efforts. The more data you have, the more you can target your ads to the right customers, and the higher your chances of converting users into customers.
Search Intent Explained
Next, let’s dive into search intent. Search intent is, as the term suggests, the reasoning behind a user’s search query. It seeks to address the question, “why is this person searching this particular keyword?” It can help businesses with keyword research and both SEO and SEM campaigns. Analyzing keywords according to search intent can significantly improve your SEM and PPC efforts, as it allows you to identify what information users are searching for and work them into your campaigns. For example, search intent can help businesses determine whether their audience is looking to purchase a product or service or whether they simply want an answer to a question. It’s worth noting that in SEM marketing, search intent is often divided into four categories: informational keywords, navigational keywords, commercial investigation, and transactional keywords. Knowing which keywords to use when based on search intent will allow you to optimize your strategy.
How Does Search Intent Influence Lead Quality and ROAS?
Now that you know what ROAS, lead quality, and search intent are, let’s consider how the latter influences the former. There are several ways that search intent can lead to improved lead quality and return on ad spend. First, search intent allows businesses to better fulfill the needs of their customers. By focusing on matching search intent, you will help your audience gain access to the information they need, which increases the odds that they will keep coming back to your website and/or may eventually purchase your product or service. Second, search intent is key if you want to keep users on your website. By providing them with the right kinds of information (one that responds to their search query), they won’t need to go to multiple websites to get an answer to their question. And as we all know, the more time a user spends on your web page, the better when it comes to SEO. Third, the more you match a user’s search intent, the better your odds of being seen as an authority on a certain subject. Relevant, thoroughly-researched information shows your audience (and the search engines) that you have expertise on a certain topic, which gives you authority. In turn, more people will trust the content you publish and are likely to visit your website, resulting in higher quality leads. Finally, increasing brand awareness is another way that search intent can influence lead quality and ROAS. If you want your website to generate leads and rank as high as possible on search engines, creating relevant content that matches search intent is critical. As mentioned, when content matches search intent, a user is more likely to stay on your page for longer, which not only increases your SEO ranking but allows them to become more familiar with your brand, boosting your brand awareness in the process.
Search Intent on Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads
Google Ads and Facebook Ads are the leading digital ad platforms in the world right now. That said, they are two distinct products with unique features. Generally speaking, Google Ads is best suited to brands, products, or services an audience is actively searching for, while Facebook Ads shines when it comes to advertising something to users that they may not necessarily be looking for but are likely to be interested in. In terms of search intent, Google Ads reigns supreme as their targeting basis is centred on two metrics: search intent and keywords. In contrast, Facebook Ads’ targeting basis is on interests and demographics. Further, in terms of how they work, Google Ads shows advertisements based on user queries and search intent while Facebook Ads shows advertisements based on audience-targeting parameters. Ultimately, both platforms have a lot to offer businesses. However, if search intent is a top priority for your business and your business is looking to target customers who are already searching for your product or service, Google Ads might have the edge.
