Given its popularity as the world’s most widely used search engine, harnessing Google’s power in your favor can be monumental in driving your organization’s success. When a potential customer searches for a product on Google, what shows up first? Your product or your competitor’s? Understanding how to advertise on Google and its potential benefits can propel your business to the top. In this blog, we’ll discuss what Google Ads are, how they work, and how to get the most out of them.
What Are Google Ads?
Google Ads is Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform. It helps businesses gain visibility and potential customers across Google’s programs through various ad types, the most common of which are search ads and display ads.
Google Search Ads
These are the search results that appear at the top of the page when you search for something in Google. They are labeled as ‘sponsored’ or ‘ad’ to inform readers that the company paid for them to be placed there. Typically, if you scroll past a few of the top hits, you’ll find the organic results, which are the results Google has deemed most relevant and would be at the top of the page if there was no sponsored content.
Google Display Ads
You can also display ad campaigns on networks other than Google’s own. There is an extensive network of outside, third-party websites that Google has contracted to display ads. This allows for even greater visibility and audience targeting, as it dramatically increases the exposure gained from more than one website and allows for remarketing. Google Display ads can take on several multimedia forms, including text, images, videos, and more.
Google Shopping Ads
Like Google Search ads, Google Shopping ads appear at the top of the search landing page when consumers are looking for a specific product. Along with an ‘Ads’ disclaimer, shopping ads provide product images and a link to view the product directly on the seller’s website. While you can’t target keywords, you can maintain an in-depth catalog of your products, which Google matches to searches.
How Do Google Ads Work?
From the perspective of a bidding company, on a basic level, you create an ad, place a bid, wait for it to become effective, and watch your sales rise. But let’s break it down to better understand how this process works. This process has three major players: the consumer, the advertiser, and Google. So, how does it all come together? For this example, we’ll imagine the advertiser is selling a dog leash.
1. Advertisers bid on specific keywords in the Google Ads interface
Bidding on keywords is how Google understands the categories advertisers want to put their products in. Applying this to our example, the advertisers could use keywords like ‘dog leash,’ ‘small dog leash,’ or ‘retractable dog leash.’
Keyword bids can range from just a few dollars to hundreds of dollars per keyword, depending on how popular the term is. Advertisers usually have daily budgets set to fund individual keyword bids. The Google Ads tool helps you stay under your monthly cap by allowing you to pause or stop bidding at any time.
2. Consumers search for a keyword on Google
Potential customers search for a keyword that the advertiser has bid on. For our example, we’ll assume they searched ‘retractable dog leash.’ On the search engine results page (SERP), consumers will see ads for products or services that match those keywords—in this case, that’s our retractable dog leash.
3. Google shows ads for that keyword based on ad rank
In the split second it takes from the consumer hitting ‘search’ on a keyword and the SERP appearing, Google is working behind the scenes to rank advertisers based on keyword quality score and the number of advertisers who bid on that keyword. Those results are then displayed to the consumer in the determined ad ranking order on the SERP.
For example, say two advertisers, one selling a premium retractable dog leash and the other a basic nylon leash, both bid on ‘retractable dog leash.’ Google uses ad rank to decide which ad appears first. If the premium leash advertiser has a high-quality score because of a relevant landing page, well-targeted ad copy, and high bid, their ad might show at the top, while the other ad appears in a lower position (or not at all). These rankings help ensure that the most relevant ads are shown to consumers so the search results display in the determined ad ranking order.
4. The consumer clicks through to one of the websites provided by the search
After reviewing the ad options presented on the SERP, the potential customer can decide to click through on one of the ads that seems to best match their search. For instance, if they searched ‘retractable dog leash’ and saw ads for both a high-end, feature-rich leash and a more affordable basic model, they might choose to click on the ad that best fits their needs and budget. From there, they could explore the product, read reviews, and potentially make a purchase. If they don’t find what they’re looking for, they might return to Google to refine their search or try a different keyword altogether.
How Do Advertisers Create Google Ad Campaigns?
Creating a comprehensive Google Ads campaign can seem daunting at first, but following the eight steps listed below can simplify the process.
1. Pick which campaign type to use
Google provides several services, including the option to have most of the campaign set up for you. By answering a few questions, you can ask Google to create a customized campaign based on its suggestions. Alternatively, you can set it up manually by selecting ‘Switch to Expert Mode’ when asked. Don’t worry—you don’t actually have to be an expert; this just allows you to set up a few more steps yourself.
There are a variety of different campaign types that can be used in a Google Ad campaign, and each serves a different purpose. Some of the more common types of campaigns include search (arguably the most common), display, video, shopping, app, discovery, and more. Google helps narrow the choice by asking about the campaign’s goal—whether you want to increase brand awareness, website traffic, sales, etc. The program walks you through it extensively and even offers the option to create a campaign without guidance.
2. Set up the campaign logistics
This is the most actionable step, where advertisers create the campaign name and determine the networks they want it to run on. As mentioned earlier, Google partners with other networks to display certain campaigns there. This helps to broaden your reach without much additional effort or cost, but it does make it trickier to achieve a high impression share. This step is also where you set the time, location, and language in which you want the campaign to run.
3. Calculate your daily budget
To ensure your campaign stays within budget, it’s important to set clear parameters to maximize effectiveness while adhering to your financial limitations. We suggest starting by calculating an estimate of your monthly spending and doing some light research to learn the average cost-per-click (CPC) rate for your industry or field. Then, divide the monthly budget by 30.4 (the average number of days a month) to arrive at your daily budget for the campaign.
4. Choose a bid strategy
The next crucial step is to select a bid strategy. Google offers the option to choose what you want to focus on (maximizing conversions, clicks, etc), or you can pick the option to select a bid strategy directly yourself. If you decide to do it yourself, you’ll have to choose whether to do manual or automated bidding. The manual option requires you to input your maximum CPC bid for each keyword, which can be tedious but does give you complete control over your campaign’s actions. Alternatively, automated bidding allows Google’s algorithm to determine your max CPC bids, which can help increase performance. The only potential issue with that option is if you aren’t keeping an eye on the data, you may not know how much you’re spending on the campaign.
5. Set up keywords
This is a crucial step, as you can’t run a campaign without specifying the keywords. Start by selecting an ad group name and a default bid amount if you selected manual bidding in the prior step. Using third-party research tools can be a helpful way to ensure you’re getting the correct keywords for your campaign and can help you think of ideas you maybe wouldn’t have otherwise. A good trick is considering negative keywords, which could confound the search. These are search terms that you don’t want your ad to show up for.
The next portion of this step is dealing with match types. Google has a feature that allows you to specify how precise you want your keywords to be to trigger the search. This helps bring in consumers who searched for something very close and are likely looking for your product but may have used a slightly different phrase. To combat this, there’s the broad match option, which shows your ad for any search related to your keyword. To use our earlier dog leash example, this could be like if someone searched ‘dog collar’ instead of ‘dog leash.’ They’re closely related enough that someone could be interested in your campaign, but it isn’t technically what they searched for. There’s also a phrase match, which includes searches with the same meaning as your keyword. This would be like if someone searched ‘dog lead’ instead of ‘dog leash,’ as they’re just slightly different ways of saying the same thing. The last option is an exact match, which, as expected, means that only searches for the exact keywords will trigger your campaign. Only ‘dog leash’ would present your ad.
6. Publish your ad
This is certainly a crucial step! Launch your ad campaign by setting it to live and be sure to stay up to date on its progress. Following Google’s suggested best practices is also a good rule of thumb, and you should always make sure there’s a clear call to action so readers know how to get involved.
Google Ads Best Practices
Now that we’ve covered the procedures, let’s discuss some of the best practices. The whole Google Ads interface can seem daunting even when broken down, but utilizing some of these tips can help your campaign reach its fullest potential.
Focus on the headlines
The eye-catching headlines are the first things consumers will see, so you want to make sure yours stands out against the rest. Additionally, Google Ads lets you include up to 15 headlines per ad, so take advantage of that flexibility.
Conduct trial runs
The best way to create successful campaigns is to test your work and see where you can improve. Ensure you’re fully utilizing A/B testing and easy-to-use editing capabilities. If you want to explore new copy or graphics, it’s simple to make those changes and create a whole new ad.
Have a clear call to action (CTA)
Ensure you know what you want readers to do when they see your ad. Do you want them to subscribe to your newsletter? Buy your product? Hire you for a service? These are the kinds of questions you may know the answer to, but make sure that the customer knows the answer as well. Including a CTA somewhere easily visible increases the likelihood of readers following through.
Use the right keywords
Keywords are a critical force behind Google Ads, and ensuring you use the right ones can help a campaign. You want to ensure they are broad enough to attract a wide audience, but not too broad that you’re targeting the wrong demographics. Constantly getting irrelevant ads can annoy the consumer, so thinking about ways to reach the right audience can be monumental. If you’re trying to target only a specific area, population or audience, implement those specifics into your keyword search.
Consult a professional when needed
Launching a successful Google Ads campaign requires careful planning, ongoing adjustments, and a strategic approach to targeting. While this guide covers the basics, advertising on Google is a dynamic process that benefits from staying updated on best practices and monitoring performance. Whether setting up your first campaign or refining your strategy, remember that you don’t have to navigate the complexities alone. There are resources and experts available to guide you through any challenges.
Ready to see how Google Ads can help you connect with the right audience and grow your business? Start planning your campaign today and take the first step toward enhanced visibility and results.
