One of the main Educational Marketing tools to attract people interested in enrolling is the use of ads in search engines (Google and Bing, for example).
However, just writing a message and paying for its delivery is not the best strategy. You need to work on ad relevance and ensure that search engines will see your content as the best option for responder a “pain” do lead (interested person).
Therefore, we have separated some of the main measures that you should adopt to make your announcement relevant. Check out!
What you will see in today's post:
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Responsive Ads: Machine Learning do Google
As of June 30, 2022, Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) are now the only format available for creation or editing in standard campaigns in Google Ads. Pre-existing expanded ads remain active but cannot be edited. As such, mastering the RSA format is essential to keeping campaigns effective while taking advantage of the flexibility and automation that this format offers.
Search engines work with a logic called Machine Learning. It allows the machine (the robot responsible for Google searches, for example) to constantly learn.
The more search engines receive new access,The better they filter information and identify, for example:
- the contextual way of interacting with campaigns;
- terms most clicked by users;
- times with greater engagement;
- terms that are most frequently returned in the search;
- combinations that have a greater chance to become.
Google Ads RSAs allow up to 15 different headlines and 4 descriptions, using machine learning to test combinations and automatically identify the best versions for each user. The algorithm analyzes factors such as user behavior, location, and search terms to increase the relevance and effectiveness of campaigns, providing better click-through rates and conversions due to the dynamic personalization of the ads displayed.
Furthermore, every day these digital tools get closer to human behavior and not only understand the keywords used in the search, but also the user's search intent.
This way, the results that appear on each person's screen are related to their habits and what they usually look for.
Remember to advertise to people, not search engines
Taking Machine Learning into consideration, we always have to think about composing ads focused on the people who are searching (the user). The keywords must be present in the text, but it must be worked to respond to the intention of whoever is searching.
When a person searches for: “agronomy course sp” they want to find a page for a course inAgronomy offered inSão Paulo. It seems obvious, but if you search for terms like this, you will notice that many educational institutions create generic advertisements that direct people to the home page and not to the specific course.
A good match for this search would be: “Open enrollments — Agronomy Course in SP”. And the text of the ad could say something like: “Take advantage of the registration period and join theAgronomy of [Name of Institution]”.
For this to work you need to use everything that Digital Marketing can offer for yourInstitution education. We will talk about this later.
Perform excellent targeting
For an ad to generate good results, it needs to strike a balance between investment and return. For this, the lead segmentation it's essential. The precision of this definition affects the performance of the online campaign.
An excellent way to do this is through a detailed study of the profile of each course. By understanding who your persona is (fictional character who represents the main students of your Educational institution or a specific course), your team can focus on this target and create a personalized shopping experience, from the announcement to the completion of enrollment.
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Create specific ad groups
Search engines offer advertisers the option to create ad groups. Each group of these can be made up of multiple ads and multiple keywords.
To optimize the result and increase relevance, you need to focus on personalization. Use each ad group for a single objective, but with several different strategies.
Instead of making a single advertisement talking about the entrance exam of yoursEducational institution, create an ad group with some advertising display alternatives for each course that has vacancies available.
This allows multiple strategies to be tested simultaneously and improves overall ad performance. If you are unsure between two title models, for example, test them both and see which gives the best result.
But it is important to do this for each product or service that is advertised. Are you going to talk about the Civil Engineering course? Create an ad group on top of it and make different descriptions and titles to see which performance is better.
Best practices for RSAs include providing varied and unique titles and descriptions, avoiding repetition and including relevant keywords. Additionally, you can use the element pinning feature to ensure that specific titles or descriptions always appear in desired positions, combining the flexibility of RSAs with strategic control, resulting in better campaign performance and more assertive ads.
Work with all aspects of your website’s Digital Marketing
The relevance of an ad in search engines is measured by several aspects. This includes the target website and the experience the user has when clicking the link.
Therefore, the ad should not be used separately. Instead, it needs to be part of a Digital Marketing strategy that takes into account the different points of contact that the student has with your brand.
Before creating an ad, ask yourself:
- Does the page to which the person will be directed have all the content?;
- Will the student find the answer to their main questions (level of training, duration, monthly fees, subjects, information about entrance exams, etc.)?;
- Is the page loading time ok?;
- the page has a good mobile performance (more and more searches are being carried out using mobile devices)?;
- Is the call to action button (entrance exam registration button, for example) clearly visible?
An optimized landing page is essential to the success of your responsive ads. Make sure your landing page is fast, responsive, and delivers on the promises made in your ad by offering clear content that aligns with user intent. A good experience increases conversion rates and improves your Google Ads Quality Score, resulting in lower costs per click and more efficient campaigns.
Caption: Responsive ads: the combination of technology and strategy that puts your brand at the top of the results.
Test your ads constantly and evaluate the results
Just like any well-structured Marketing strategy, the use of advertisements must be closely monitored and the results must be measured by your team.Educational institution.
You need to track the conversion rate of each ad in each of the ad groups you create. Based on the results, the campaign budget should be directed to those that show better performance.
It is also interesting to test new approaches and see if they can perform better than those that are giving good results or not. Therefore, the tendency is for your ads to always be updated and relevant.
By following all the points we touched on throughout this text, your Marketing strategy will feature relevant ads and the results generated will be excellent. Always remember that the important thing is to create something that responds to the students' search intent.
Summary: To boost enrollments through ads, investment alone isn't enough—relevance is key. Responsive search ads (RSAs), audience segmentation, optimized landing pages, and continuous testing drive better performance. Google's Machine Learning personalizes campaigns based on user intent, improving conversions and lowering costs by aligning messages with what students truly seek.
How to create educational ads that actually convert
What are responsive search ads and how do they work in Google Ads?
They are ads powered by machine learning that combine up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, automatically testing combinations to show the most relevant one based on the user's location, behavior, and search intent.
Why is search intent more important than keywords?
Because search engines now focus more on user behavior and context. A great ad must directly address what the lead is looking for—not just repeat generic keywords.
How can ad segmentation improve performance?
By understanding the persona profile for each course. This enables precise targeting and personalized communication, increasing conversion rates and reducing wasted budget.
What’s the benefit of creating specific ad groups?
It allows testing different versions for the same goal (e.g., Engineering admissions), identifying top performers, and quickly optimizing campaigns for better ROI.
How does the website affect ad performance?
The landing page must be fast, mobile-friendly, and content-rich. A strong user experience boosts your Quality Score, increases conversions, and lowers cost per click.
Why is it crucial to constantly test ads?
Testing reveals what truly works. Tracking performance helps refine strategies and ensures your campaigns stay current, relevant, and successful.
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