Google Ads are a powerful tool for businesses aiming to expand their online presence and reach potential customers through other media. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned marketer, understanding the Google Ads basics is essential for driving traffic, generating leads, and ultimately boosting sales. Let’s dive in…
What are Google Ads?
Google Ads is an online advertising platform developed by Google, where advertisers display text advertisements. Through Google Ads, you can create online ads to reach people at the exact moment when they’re interested in the products and services that you offer.So this could be great to gain warmer leads.
Google Ads operate on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, where advertisers (unknowingly perhaps) bid on keywords and pay for ad clicks. So it isn’t a free tool. However, setting up an account is free and Google will normally entice you in with free credits once you have spent a certain amount. It can also offer free ad credits periodically to existing users. This also includes special programmes such as free credits to nonprofits and charities.
Google Ads is the largest digital ad publisher in the United States, accounting for 28.4% of all ad revenue.
How do Google Ads work?
Stripped down to the basics – Google Ads works on a pay-per-action pricing model, usually cost per click (CPC). This means that once you have written and listed your ad, you pay a certain price every time a user clicks on it.
This price changes often and is dependent on the demand of the search term or place you are trying to advertise. Factors that affect the demand for an ad spot are the number of other brands currently targeting the keyword, search volume, expected reach, time of day or year, quality of your page and website and many more.
To ensure you get good value for money with your Google Ads, you can specify your “maximum bid” – the most you’re willing to pay for a click.
So if your maximum bid is £2 but Google values the price of that click at £3, your ad will not show. If your maximum bid was £3.01 your ad would be more likely to get the placement.
How to budget a Google Ads campaign
Your maximum bid is different to the overall campaign budget. You can set a daily average budget and let Google handle your individual ad bids or set your overall budget and fine-tune the maximum bid for each ad.
So, let’s say you had a budget of £1000. You could run a campaign for 30 days with a maximum daily budget of £33 or run it for 14 days at £66 per day. This is what you need to be aware of as well.
As an example, break down your monthly budget to a daily spend. If you only want to spend £300 per month, that equates to £10 per day – if your clicks are £2 each then that will only be 5 clicks a day. So beware of this and keep your campaign really tight to avoid spurious clicks.
Where your Google Ads are displayed
Whether you’re a giant retailer willing to spend £50 million a year on advertising or a local tradesman looking to expand, a Google Ads campaign can help you achieve your goals. Here are some of the locations where your Google Ads can be displayed, depending on what you select:
- Google search engine results pages (SERPS): Ads can appear above or below search results on Google Search.
- Google Play store: Ads can appear beside, above or below search results on Google Play
- Shopping tab: Ads can appear beside, above or below search results on the Shopping tab (only for e-commerce though)
- Google Maps: Ads can appear beside, above or below search results on Google Maps, including the app too!
- YouTube: Ads can appear beside, above or below search results on YouTube. Additionally, ads can play before, during or after content.
- Google search partners: Ads might appear with search results on the websites of Google search partners.
- The Display Network: A group of more than 2 million websites, videos, and apps where your ads can appear.
Why choose Google Ads?
Be seen across the web
You may use Google Ads to grow your brand. So even if your ads aren’t translating to clicks or sales, your business is getting exposure. With targeted ads, you can display your business to the people who are interested in your product and services. Whether it’s search, video, or display ads, you can give your business the exposure it deserves.
Don’t forget, someone is making that search when they find you so this is definitely a warm lead!
Google has over 4.3 Billion users; a small percentage of which will be your exact target audience.
Control
Advertise locally or globally within your chosen budget. Reach out to potential customers within a few miles of your business, or broadcast your ads to entire regions or countries.
Be seen fairly quickly – this is a massive bonus for Google Ads. Organic SEO is longstanding but takes a lot more hard work. There are definite merits for both.
Track, learn and optimise
Track conversions to get unmatched audience insights. Google’s budget-optimising automation helps you capture new customer opportunities with the highest ROI. Link up to GA4 to ensure you can relate the conversions alongside the rest of your data.
Measure your success
With Google Ads, if someone clicks your ad, you’ll know. If they clicked your ad and then did something valuable to your business — purchased your product, downloaded your app, or phoned in an order — you can track that, too.
With this information, you can track which products or services are worth investing in your campaign. Additionally, you can also use analytical tools to learn about your customer’s shopping behaviours, such as the duration they typically spend researching your product before making a purchase.
But Be Aware
You can waste an awful lot of money running a Google Ads campaign. Check your stats, keywords and more importantly, add in plenty of negative keywords on a regular basis to ensure you are not being clicked upon for incorrect searches!
If your landing pages are no good, then Google won’t like them and won’t rank them well. Also, potential customers will click and leave which will use up your budget very quickly. Make sure the page they land on is exactly what a potential customer will want!
There are many many companies advertising with Google Ads now. The organic listings are so saturated that Google Ads are thought of as a necessity by many. However, this means that your ads may get lost in the mix, especially if your web page doesn’t rank well, your budget runs out too fast, your keywords are too broad and your ad doesn’t capture people’s attention enough!
Google Ads are very instant, compared to organic SEO but they can be a real money pit! So be careful.
Google Shopping
Google Shopping is set up in a different way and you can only be a part of this if you have an online shop. These are the visual ads that show products and will sit either along the top of your browser or running down the right hand side. Typically click costs are cheaper for Google Shopping, rather than Google Ads. You need to upload your product feed, making sure your descriptions are good as you don’t actually create adverts – they are picked up from your feed.
This is a great way to show your products; show your whole range or only certain products. Again, along with google Ads, this is very competitive and you will often be lost amongst the “big boys”.
Looking for help with your Google Ads Campaign?
Ready to skyrocket your online presence with Google Ads? Let our seasoned experts take the reins and optimise your campaign for maximum impact and return. From setup to ongoing maintenance, we’re dedicated to ensuring your ads are seen by the right audience, within your budget. Get started today and watch your business thrive!
And don’t forget, it doesn’t matter where you are in the country – we can help to get you seen online! Give us a call at 01435 817 226 or drop an email to enquiries@sokada.co.uk for some more information. Your success is just a click away!