Google Ads is a great way to expand your business and reach more customers across the internet. If you are new to Google Ads, you can quickly find yourself in over your head and seeing zero dollars for your efforts. Inexperienced users may end up spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars on ad placements and not see any increase in web traffic or sales.
Google Ads is a great way to expand your business and reach more customers across the internet. - WESFED Click To TweetWhat Are Google Ads?
Google ads allow you to advertise your business or products in emails, webpages, online videos, and apps across their content network. If you are unsure whether Google Ads is right for you, the best way to find out is to invest a small amount into a campaign and see what kind of return you see. The majority of companies that advertise through Google Ads will potentially double their return on investment (ROI) when they properly build their campaigns. (see: “Why Advertising Is Important For Small Business”)
12 Things to Know Before You Begin
Google Ads can be very daunting if this is your first time dabbling in digital marketing. If you would like help setting up your ad campaigns, email WESFED for more information about our digital marketing solutions.
Advertising Only Works if You Have a Product or Service to Sell
The first thing you should know about Google Ads is that it is not a cure-all for your business. If you have a product or service that people want, then you can successfully advertise through Google Ads and drive more business to your online store.
Terms to Be Familiar With
- Ad campaign – Ad campaigns are ads that you create with the same budget, type, and reach. Impression – This represents the number of times your ad appears on a webpage.
- Landing page – The page where customers will go when they click on your ad.
- Keywords – A set of words or a phrase that will bring up your ad based on the customer’s search criteria.
- Ad rank – This is what determines where your ad shows up on Google searches and relevant pages. It comes from your quality score and bid amount.
- Click-through rate (CTR) – The CTR measures the number of people who click on the ad to get to your website.
- Conversion rate – The ratio of people who click on your ad and purchase from your website.
Four Types of Ads
There are four general ways you can display your ads online:
- Display – Display ads appear in emails and websites.
- Video – These are video ads that appear in YouTube videos.
- Search – Text ads that come from Google search criteria.
- App – Ads that appear inside apps on your smartphone or tablet.
Understand How Google Ads Works
The Google Ads system bases itself on whoever has the highest ad rank for a certain keyword auction. Whoever has the highest ad rank will get the highest ad position in a search. The formula to determine your rank is as follows: your bid amount * keyword quality score * ad extensions = ad rank
Define Your Goal
Before creating your first ad, you need to know what your goal is for the ad. Do you want people to buy something, give you a call, or read up on the latest trend? The more specific your ad is, the higher your CTR will be.
Create an Attractive Landing Page
The landing page is the first impression new customers will have of your business. Creating a well-designed landing page can help keep potential customers on your site. The longer they stay, the better chances you have at a conversion.
Setting Your Location
Google Ads lets you select specific cities, counties, and states to display your ads. Setting your target location can be tricky. If you are not careful, you may end up paying for clicks from people who have no desire to buy your service or products.
Choose Effective Keywords
Keywords are very important for your ad. If you choose the wrong keywords, you will not get the desired traffic you want. There are four types of keyword match types:
- Exact
- Phrase
- Broad
- Negative
Expanding Across Relative Content
To expand your reach to as many sites as possible, Google Ads allows you to advertise on the content network by choosing specific keywords or select the type of websites you want your ad to appear on. Choosing both options will increase your ad range and the amount of traffic to your site.
Ad Extensions
Ad extensions allow you to put your company information in the ad, like your address, phone number, and links. This can help increase your CTR and ad rank.
Search Term Report
This report can help you pick the best keywords for your ads. The search term report shows a list of keywords that people are searching for the most, allowing you to better target your ads and get the most CTR.
Measuring Your Success
Google’s updated dashboard allows for easier tracking of your campaigns and keeping an eye out for ads that are not performing as they should.
At WESFED, we are a leader in innovative internet marketing solutions with business partners nationwide. We help them achieve a specific goal with our customized digital solutions. If you are new to Google Ads and need help navigating the process, call us today at (931) 546-9373, or email us for more information.