It’s not easy to run an online business, especially when you have to compete with companies like Amazon that have huge marketing budgets to spend on advertising. Everyone knows it’s very competitive to try to get onto the first page of Google search results. Even if you have great SEO, it could take months or even a year to get onto the first page, if ever.
About 3.5 billion searches are made on Google each day, offering opportunities for your brand to be seen by more users.
This means increasing leads, conversions, and sales.
What Are Google Ads?
Google Ads are part of a paid online advertising platform that allows you to create and run ads on Google.com and across the Google network.
What was once called Google AdWords is now known as Google Ads, a change that happened in 2018.
The results you see when you search a keyword on a search engine results page (SERP) include paid advertisements that were targeted for that keyword.
Advantages of Using Google Ads
1. Precise Targeting
Google’s many targeting options allow business owners to ensure their ads are only displayed to potential customers. Business owners can filter their audience on the basis of geographical location, age, keywords and more. Additionally, they can also choose the time of day when their ads will be displayed to their targeted audience. A common example that a lot of businesses use is running ads only from Monday – Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM. This is typically due to the fact that businesses are closed or are slower on the weekends. This can help maximize ad spend.
2. Target Specific Devices
Since 2013, Google Ads have given businesses the option to select which devices their ads will be shown on. For the search network, businesses can target ads for desktops, tablets and mobile devices separately. On the display network, businesses can target ads for specific types of devices, like iPhones or devices running Windows. Additionally, Google Ads offer bid adjustments, which allows businesses to automatically bid higher or lower on devices that are more likely to convert on their site, based on data from Google Analytics.
3. Pay Only For Results
One of the most popular advantages to advertising on Google Ads is that businesses are only charged for the clicks on their ads. The advertising model is called pay-per-click (PPC), which means businesses save money because they’re only paying when a user takes action to view their website.
4. Performance Tracking
Google Ads allow businesses to track the performance of their ads in terms of the number of views and clicks. They also allow businesses to track the number of conversions ie the number of users that take the desired action after viewing the website.
According to Google’s Economic Impact report, businesses make an average of $2 for every dollar spent on Ads. Therefore, using Google Ads as part of your online marketing strategy has the potential to produce positive results. However, this is not always the case for every industry or advertiser. The best way to find out if Google Ads will be profitable for your business is to try it out.
How Google Ads Work
Google Ads operate on a pay-per-click model, where marketers bid on keywords to compete with others targeting the same keywords. When their ad is clicked, the marketer pays Google for the click.
The bids you make are the maximum you’re willing to pay for an ad.
Marketers have three options for their bids:
- Cost-per-click (CPC). How much you pay when a user clicks on your ad.
- Cost-per-mille (CPM). How much you pay per 1000 ad impressions.
- Cost-per-engagement (CPE). How much you pay when a user performs a specific action on your ad (signs up for a list, watches a video, etc).
Google then takes the bid amount and pairs it with an assessment of your ad called a Quality Score. According to Google:
Quality Score is an estimate of how effective your ads, keywords and landing pages are. Higher quality ads usually result in lower prices and better ad positions.
PPC is an advertising model in which a marketer pays a small fee for each user that clicks on their ad.
The more people that click on an advertisement, the more likely it is that the advertisement will be successful in achieving its goals.
How To Use Google Keyword Planner For Your Ads
Google Keyword Planner is a free keyword tool from Google to help you choose the right keywords for your business.
If you want to use the keyword planner, all you have to do is search for words and phrases related to your business. The planner will then give you insights on those keywords, such as how often people search for them.
Getting started is simple.
Sign Up
Go to the Google Ads website and sign up using your Google account. If you don’t have a Google account, you’ll have to create one, but it shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.
After you have input the required information, you will be taken to a page where you can create your first advertisement campaign. On this page, you can select your budget, target demographic, adjust your bids, and draft your ad text.
Set Your Budget
The first thing you need to do is figure out your budget. You need to know how much you’re willing to spend each day, so you don’t go over your budget. The best way to figure out your daily budget is to look at how many visitors you think will buy your product. If you’re just starting out, it’s okay to use averages.
Go to Google Keyword Planner
Once you arrive at your Google Ads campaign dashboard, click on Tools & Settings in the top menu. After that, click on Keyword Planner.
To find new keywords to target, use the Discover new keywords tool. This tool allows you to search for relevant keywords and generate a list of ideas for new keywords you could target.
Select Your Target Audience
Make sure your ad is only shown to users that search using your keywords and are in the geographical location you specify.
Choose A Network
The next step is to choose between Google’s Search Network and Display Network. The Search Network puts your ads on the list of results that google generates after a user types in a query, while the Display Network will display your ad on any website that shows ads.
Choose Your Keywords
When a user enters a search term or phrase into Google’s search box, this is known as a keyword. You can choose around 15-20 keywords that may cause your ad to appear on the results page. Don’t worry if you can’t think of them all at once, you can always add more later.
It’s recommended to choose a few keywords that you are sure of bringing results, instead of choosing 20 that you may find sort of relevant. Having said that, also pay attention to the search volumes of the keywords you choose. While it might seem tempting to choose a keyword that has a search volume of 450,000, doing so might not be the best idea.
Keywords Types and Determining the Right “Keywords Match”
The broad match setting is the default setting on Google Ads. Google states that this setting allows ads to be shown for searches on similar phrases and relevant variations, including synonyms, singular and plural forms, possible misspellings, and stemmings.
Broad match allows you to reach a large portion of your audience. However, your ad may also show up for synonyms and related keywords, meaning you may get a lot of irrelevant search results.
The broad match modifier allows you to have more control over your search terms. You can lock a term in place by adding a ‘+’ before it. Your ad will only appear in the results if the search term contains the phrases or words after the ‘+’.
For example, if you advertise for “fine dining in Manchester”, your advertisement will not appear for searches like “pizza in Manchester”.
This option will ensure your ad only appears when someone searches with a search term identical to your chosen keywords.
Your ad will only appear for the exact keyword, “fine dining Manchester.” It will not appear for other similar keywords, such as “best fine dining restaurants in Manchester.”
If you want to find a restaurant with specific keywords, you can put those keywords in brackets.
Starting a campaign can be difficult, but using exact match can help ensure its success. Exact match allows you to select specific keywords related to your product or service, which can help attract qualified leads. Additionally, starting with a smaller campaign can be a safe way to ease into the process.
Negative keywords are the terms that help you ensure your ad is not shown to irrelevant audiences. This feature of Google Ads comes in handy if you have a product/service that may share keywords with something that is not related.
Set Your Bid
Google Ads uses a bidding model, where you set the amount you’re willing to pay for a click on your ad. If you and a competitor are both bidding on the same keyword, and you’re willing to pay more per click, your ad will likely show up above theirs.
The text presents two options. The first option is letting Google automatically set your bid amount to get the most out of your budget. The second option is to do your own research to set your bid amount.
Write Your Ad
The most important part of creating an advertisement is writing the copy. Be sure to put thought into making the advertisement effective. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Copywriting Best Practices
- Keep it short: There’s not a lot of space for text. So keep your message to the point.
- The headline is crucial: The headline of your ad is the first thing a user will encounter. Make sure it calls out to them and convinces them to click on the ad.
- Have a clear call to action: A clear call to action tells the user what you want them to do.
Anatomy of an ad:
- Headlines: Google Ads allow for up to two headlines to be included in an ad, each accommodating 30 characters. Make sure you use this limited space wisely. Additionally, it is recommended to include at least one of your chosen keywords in your headlines.
- Description: The description space is 80 characters. Use it to convey your message to the user clearly. If possible, include any offers or discounts in this section to ensure the user clicks on your ad. Additionally, triple check for spelling and grammatical mistakes.
Create your Ad
Once you are done writing your ad, click on the “save” button and continue to the last step of the process. In this section, Google will ask you about your business and payment information. You will be charged once your set budget has been exhausted or 30 days later – whichever comes first.
Running Multiple Ads
There will be multiple ad groups within each campaign. Each ad group will share similar keywords. The landing pages for each ad group will share a similar theme.
However, both ad groups can be included in the same campaign. The ad groups in a single campaign will share the same budget, location and device targeting settings. If you want to target multiple locations or devices, you will need to create separate campaigns.
Campaign Evaluation
In order to evaluate a campaign, the first step is to select a conversion source. For small businesses, the two most common conversion areas are:
- Websites: When a customer clicks on your ad, visits your landing page, and performs the desired action.
- Phones: When a mobile user calls you on the phone number mentioned in your ad or by clicking on the call button on your website or landing page.
Tips For Running Google Ad Campaigns
If you want your Google ad campaign to be successful, follow the tips below.
Optimize your landing page
Your landing page is the page where users go after they click on your ad. This page is very important to the customer’s experience.
The ideal landing page is easy to scan and has a clear call to action. There should be no large blocks of text and the page’s goal should be obvious.
Nail the headline
The headline of your Google Ad is one of the most important aspects.
Google Ads can be difficult to master but can be very beneficial for most businesses. They allow you to target a huge audience based on search intent and other factors.
If you want to be successful in running digital marketing campaigns, it is important to learn about the Google Ads platform and your options. You can either invest the time and money into learning how to do it yourself, or you can rely on the services of an agency or expert.
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