What is Google Ads?

Given Google’s expansive reach, with somewhere with over 8.5 billion searches per day, chances are you’ve seen (and probably clicked on) a Google ad, and so have your potential customers.

Curious about the magic Google Ads can work for your business and how your competitors are stealing the spotlight? Worry not, dive into our articles for an eye-opening journey into the realm of Google Ads. Let the insights unravel the benefits and reveal the strategies that place your rivals at the forefront of minds.

Chapter 1: What is Google Ads?

Google Ads is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform, where advertisers pay per click (or impression) on an ad. Google Ads is an effective way to drive qualified traffic, or good-fit customers, to your business because they're searching for products and services like the ones you offer.

With Google Ads, you can boost your website traffic, receive more inquiries, and increase in-store visits. Over time, Google Ads will also help you analyse and optimise those ads to reach more people.

Why advertise on Google?

Google is the most used search engine, receiving billions of searches per day made by millions of users. Not to mention, the Google Ads platform has been around for nearly two decades, giving it some seniority and authority in paid advertising.

Your competitors are using Google Ads (and they might even be bidding on your branded terms). Hundreds of thousands of companies use Google Ads to promote their businesses, which means that even if you’re ranking organically for a search term, your results are being pushed down the page beneath your competitors.

Chapter 2 : How does Google Ads work?

There are three players in the Google Ads process: the searcher, the advertiser, and the Google Ads platform. Each one has a role to play in making Google Ads work so that advertisers and businesses can make money and customers see (and potentially buy) products and services that meet their needs.

1. Advertisers bid on keywords in Google ads.

Bidding on keywords is how advertisers let Google know which keywords they want their ads to show up for on the SERPs. Keyword bids can range from a few bucks to hundreds of dollars per keyword. Advertisers typically set a daily budget which is used to fund the individual keyword bids.

Additionally, no matter the size of your business or your available resources, you can tailor your ads to suit your budget. The Google Ads tool allows you to stay within your monthly cap and even pause or stop your ad spending at any point in time.

2. The potential customer searches for a keyword in Google.

Next, the potential customer searches for a keyword that an advertiser has bid on. On the SERP (Search Engine Result Page), they'll see ads for products or services that closely align with the intent of their query. The order of the ads they see largely depends on ad rank.

3. Google shows ads for that keyword based on ad rank.

Between the time it takes for the user to type their search into Google's search bar and the moment the SERP for that keyword appears, Google is working quickly in the background to perform a process called ad rank.

Within seconds, Google ranks advertisers in positions one through the total number of ad spaces available on the SERP. They use keyword quality score and the amount the advertisers have bid on the keyword to determine who gets the number one spot, number two, three, and so on.

4. The potential customer clicks through to one of the websites listed on the SERP.

Once the customer sees the ads for the keyword they searched, they may decide to click through on one that they believe best matches the intent of their search. From there, they may decide to make a purchase, or click back to the SERP and choose another ad or an organic SERP result to click on. They may also choose to end the search without a click or a purchase.

Chapter 3 - Top Tips for Maximum Impact

Crystal Clear Goals: Before you even start crafting your ad, define your objectives clearly. Rather than adjusting your ad to fit goals after creation, plan ahead. Sit down with your marketing squad, create a solid advertising plan, and establish SMART goals for your Google Ads campaigns.

Relevant Landing Pages: The URL you provide while crafting your ad must lead to a landing page that's closely related. Don't let all the hard work of crafting an enticing ad go to waste by directing visitors to a lackluster landing page. Optimize your landing pages to ensure your ad converts curious visitors into delighted customers.

Keyword Magic: Choose your keywords wisely. Long-tail keywords are your pals as they're ultra-specific, targeting a particular business. For instance, if you run a cat clinic, 'cat clinic' might not cut it, but 'cat clinic in Belvedere' would be the purr-fect choice to attract the right crowd.

Automate Success: Bidding smartly can ramp up your conversions. Tools like Smart Bidding can dynamically adjust bids based on the likelihood of success. This way, your spending is optimized for maximum impact.

Extension Excellence: Add extensions to kick your ad performance up a notch. These extensions let you spotlight your locations, services, products, or promotions. You could even feature a phone number for instant inquiries about your services.

Negative Keywords Rock: Google Ads lets you use negative keywords. These specify what your product or service isn't, preventing your ad from showing up in irrelevant searches. Say you're all about cats and not dogs – exclude terms like 'dogs' and related qualifiers.

Measure, Refine, Excel: By integrating your ads with Google Analytics, you can track crucial metrics like page popularity and top-performing keywords. Collecting and analyzing this data empowers you to enhance ad quality, turbocharge conversions, and crank up revenue over time.

Conclusion
Navigating the Google Ads universe might seem like an adventure into the unknown, but armed with these strategies, you're not just setting sail – you're charting a course for success.

Remember, in this dynamic landscape, creativity is your secret ingredient, strategy is your compass, and flexibility is your superpower. Just as a skilled chef tweaks their recipe for perfection, be ready to adapt and refine your approach as you go.

So, gear up and prepare to dive into the exhilarating world of digital advertising. With these insights, you're not just an aspiring marketer – you're a Google Ads conqueror, ready to transform your business's visibility and impact starting from today!