Are you going offline for a few weeks soon? Then you’re probably thinking about your absence notification, your calendar and maybe an autoreply. But don’t forget your Google Ads.
Many business owners simply let their campaigns continue while on vacation. The result: you pay for clicks you can’t follow up on. A waste of your money. Fortunately, you can easily avoid this.
In this blog, I’ll explain how to use Google Ads smartly before, during and after your vacation without missing out on sales.
What happens if you run your campaigns while offline?
If you can’t be reached, no one can call, email or visit you. But Google doesn’t know that. Your ads just keep running, and that means:
You pay for clicks that lead nowhere
Customers get no response, which can damage your reputation
You’re missing opportunities because your traffic isn’t converting properly
That’s why it’s smart to take measures in advance. That way you stay in the picture, but on your terms.
How do you get your ads to cooperate rather than oppose them?
You don’t have to completely shut down your campaigns. There are multiple ways to customize your ads, depending on how you want to set up your vacations.
The easiest option: put your campaigns on pause temporarily. You pay nothing, and no one sees your ads.
Disadvantage: you also temporarily lose your visibility. Not ideal if you want to receive online orders, for example.
You can continue to show your ads, but change them to a different action. For example:
Send traffic to a contact form instead of calling
Customize your ad copy: “On vacation through Aug. 15 – we’ll be in touch after that.”
Have a colleague or VA temporarily follow up on requests
Ad rules allow you to set campaigns to automatically pause or resume on a certain date and time. Handy if you don’t want to do this manually while you’re poolside.
How do you pick up the thread quickly when you get back?
Once you are back, of course, you want to be visible again. Then it’s important that your campaigns:
Getting ready to restart
Being up to date in terms of budget and bidding strategy
Generate enough traffic to refill your calendar quickly
So before your vacation, make sure you already have a plan for after your vacation. This will prevent you from not getting back on track until week 2 or 3.
How a landscaper smartly carried on during his vacation
A landscaper from the Bulb Region wanted to go on vacation for three weeks in July, but not miss any applications. We adjusted his Google Ads campaigns so that:
Call campaigns were temporarily turned off
Ads only sent traffic to an application form
He was able to start work immediately after his vacation with 12 new applications
That way he remained visible, but without wasting or frustrating customers.
Specifically, what do you need to do to make your Google Ads holiday-proof?
Determine your vacation period
Choose whether you want to pause completely or have limited visibility
Adjust your ads, landing pages and bidding strategies
Set automatic rules for start and stop
Schedule reactivation right after your vacation
Would you rather outsource this? Our SEA packages include standard support for seasonal and absence campaigns. That way you don’t have to think about anything.
With a few minor adjustments, you can ensure that your Google Ads budget remains effective even when you are offline. No waste, no missed opportunities – just peace of mind and results.
Want to get this right the first time? Check out our SEA packages or contact us for a vacation check of your campaigns.
