Its advertising platform, Google Ads falls under the PPC or CPM marketing channels, which requires the advertiser to pay per click or pay per impression on an ad. Whether an ad gets clicks or generate leads depends heavily on how interesting and engaging an ad is.
This guide will cover all the tips and tricks of getting started on Google Ads, including how it works, the different features available, and effective bidding strategies.
How Google Ads work
Google Ads displays your ad to customers based on their search queries for products and/or services—recently, however, the platform has added the ability to show ads based on user interest. The way this works is through bids. Marketers bid on specific keywords (search terms) and the winners are placed at the top of search results and other pages, websites, and content related to the ad campaign.
- Ad Campaigns
There are three types of campaigns that Google lets you use: search, video, and display. Each comes with their own advantages and disadvantages and as such, you may decide to choose one type of ad over the other. Let’s take a look at each ad:
- Search Ads. Ever looked up a specific item on Google and noticed sponsored results all the way at the top? Those are search ads. These text ads provide advertisers with a number of benefits, including placing your ad on Google and displaying it in the same format as other search results (except with an indication that it’s an “Ad”).
- Video Ads. Video ads are displayed on Youtube videos, usually before or after a video (sometimes in the middle!). Most users don’t realize that YouTube acts as a search engine as well, and with the right keywords, your ad may be placed before a video, which can help you capture a user’s attention.
- Display Ads. One of the benefits of working with Google are the various websites in different industries it has. Because of this, and the amount of audiences that choose to display Google Ads, advertisers are able to get their content in front of audiences that align with their interests. These ads also benefit the website owner since they are paid per click or impression on an ad.
- Keywords
When creating ads, it’s important to take note of the keywords being used. Effective keyword research tells you what your audience is looking for and what words they’re using to look for it when they use Google. Keywords must directly match searcher intent so that Google matches your ad with user search queries.
Google will also pull you from the bid on certain keywords. These keywords are referred to as negative keywords. These terms are ones you don’t want to rank for as they may be somewhat related to the search term you want but does not encompass what you offer.
- Location
When you’re setting up your Google Ad, you’ll be asked to include a specific geographical location to show your ad. The location you put must be within a reasonable radius around your physical location, especially if you own a store. For those who own both an ecommerce store and a physical location, you will need to include the locations where you ship your products.
- Ad headline and description
Your ad’s copy is what will generate clicks and/or impressions from online users. An ad’s copy must reflect a searcher’s intent and your target keywords as well as indicate a solution to a person’s potential issue.
- Extensions
When you’re running Google Ads, it’s important to use one feature for an extra boost in audience interaction with your ad: Ad Extensions. It is absolutely free and it gives users more information about your service or product that encourages them to look further into your ad.
How to Set Up Google Ads
Setting up paid campaigns on Google is a piece of cake since the platform itself guides you through the setup and provides helpful tips. The whole process, according to Hubspot, takes you around 10 minutes to complete and set up.
Sounds simple and easy so far, right? Well, there’s more. In order to optimize your ads, there are some extra tasks you must do to make sure your ads are trackable. These include:
- Linking up Google Analytics
If you have a website, you more than likely have Google Analytics set up to track traffic, conversions, and other metrics to reach your goals. For effective tracking between channels, we recommend linking up your Analytics accounts to your Google Ads. This helps you track and analyze the effectiveness of your campaigns and channels since it’s all available for your view in one place.
- Tracking conversions
Tracking your conversions lets you know the amount of customers or leads generated from your ad campaign efforts. With this information, you can evaluate the ROI of your ads and track various activities, such as sales on your website.
- Merging Google Ads with CRM
Your CRM is used to track contact data and lead flows. You can also merge it with Google Ads to give you the opportunity to track and analyze the ad campaigns that are engaging your target audience. That way, you can create similar ad campaigns that use relevant offers.
Bidding Strategies for Google Ads
Once you have your ad campaigns and tracking set up, you are ready to start bidding. Bidding is very important when it comes to ranking in Google Ads. Of course, the amount you bid depends solely on your individual budget and overall goals, but there are a couple strategies to consider as you launch your ad campaign.
There are two bidding options for keywords: automated and manual bidding. With automated bidding, you set a maximum budget and Google will do the rest of the job for you. The platform works within your budget range to adjust your bids based on your competitors. Manual bidding lets you choose the bid amounts you want for ad’s keywords, which reduces your spending on ads that aren’t performing well.
Get Started
With its popularity and effectiveness in reaching users, Google Ads can definitely help you achieve your goals for your career and business. Remember that Google Ads campaigns may need refining and editing to continue working. By referring to our tips and strategizing your next steps, you will be on your way to creating successful ad campaigns.