How To advertise On Google
Google is the largest search engine in the world, receiving over 8 billion search queries every day. Because of this reach, it offers also offers some great advertising opportunities – one of which is Google Ads, which has been heralded as the perfect platform for reaching new customers online.
Google Ads can be one of the best investments you make for your business. However, it can be a bit of a beast. There is a lot to learn and get your head around, and specific tips you’ll want to follow to get the most out of your investment (and some things you’ll want to avoid).
In this guide, we’ll explain how Google Ads works, provide tips for setting up your account and creating successful ads, and a little bit of guidance on how to avoid some common mistakes when advertising on Google.
Let’s get started!
First Things First… What is Google Ads?
You may have seen it before, but you might not really understand what Google Ads is. So, let’s break it down.
Google Ads is a paid online advertising platform that allows businesses to promote and bring awareness to their business or products online. When someone enters a search on Google, the search engine results page (SERP) provides them with answers and resources related to their search. Among these search results you’ll also likely find some Google Ads which are paid advertisements that have been triggered by certain keywords in the search. This allows businesses to advertise to Google users who are searching for things related to their products or services.
How To Advertise on Google
Nearly any businesses can use Google Ads to grow their business, reach more clients, and take their business to the next level. If you’re looking to start advertising on Google, here are some step-by-step tips to help get you started.
1. Decide on your goals
The first step before setting up your Google Ads is to determine your goals. Do you want to get more leads? More sales? More instore visits? You can select from a range of goals on the Google Ads homepage – choosing the right goal is important because the one you select will determine the result of your ad campaign.
2. Describe your business
After you have selected your campaign goal, you’ll need to give Google your business name and website in the “describe your business” section. This is important because the information you provide will help predict your target audience, and it will be used during your ad creation.
3. Choose the demographic area of your ad
When creating your ad campaign for your business, it is crucial to know who your ad should be shown to based on their location.
If you are a local business, you might want your advertisement to appear to users in your local area. On the other hand, geographical restrictions might not concern you as much if you have an online business. Still, you should always consider where most of your audiences are located so your advertisements are more effective in reaching the right people.
4. Set up keyword themes
Depending on what you’re adverstising, Google will determine various keyword themes for you, and you can customise them according to your campaign. For example, if you’re looking to promote or increase sales of a specific product (like “kitchen towel”), your ads will only target people looking for kitchen towels.
You can also consider using negative keywords, to ensure your ads don’t appear when you don’t want them to. Be aware that your competitors will be using similar keywords, so it’s important to be specific and savvy about which ones you pick.
5. Start writing your ad
Writing compelling copy is important for Google ads because it is how you convince your audience to click. Therefore, your copy should be clear, concise, and persuasive. It should also be relevant to the targeted keywords to ensure that your ad appears in front of the right people.
By taking the time to write compelling copy for your Google ad, you can dramatically increase your chances of success.
6. Establish a budget
With Google Ads, you have the choice to select a campaign’s shared budget or an average daily budget. By choosing the average daily budget, you have the power to choose how much you’re willing to spend each day on the campaign. You can utilise the “Budget” column on the Campaigns page to see your average daily budget for all campaigns.
The highest amount you’re willing to spend on an ad click is your maximum cost-per-click (CPC) bid. By setting your bids, you can control the amount of traffic that sees your advertising and the return on investment (ROI) they produce. More significant bids usually result in greater traffic for your campaign, but at a higher cost. Conversely, your campaign will likely get fewer clicks and conversions with lower bids.
7. Set up your billing
Since Google charges for each click you receive, you will be required to provide payment information when setting up your Google Ads account. Once you’re done, you’ll be ready to start your first Google campaign ad.
Understanding the Types of Google Ads
Here are some of the different types of Google ads you can consider when creating your ad campaign.
Search Ad Campaign
Search Ads, also known as pocket squares, are advertisements that appear at the top of a Google search result. Because they are given prime real estate at the top of search results, they get a lot of eyes on them and can be very effective.
Shopping Ad Campaign
Shopping ad campaigns are advertisements displayed on the SERPs that include product details, the product line, price, and product imagery.
They allow you to promote a particular product when someone searches for a similar product on Google, enabling your brand to pop up alongside other brands.
Display Ad Campaigns
Have you seen those advertisements that appear on the side or top of the page when you’re on a website? Those are display ads that appear on Google’s network of websites to people who meet the right demographic for the ad. These ads can be great for getting attention, but usually have a lower click rate as they aren’t triggered by a direct search from the user.
How Google Ads Work – The PPC Model
All this information can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re brand new to Google Ads. The multi-step process, the unfamiliar terms… Don’t worry, you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself! Let us explain it:
Advertisements on Google work under the pay-per-click (PPC) model, allowing marketers to bid on specific keywords they are targeting. There are three bids available for you:
- Cost-per-click (CPC): How much you’ll be paying depending on the number of clicks.
- Cost-per-mille (CPM): How much you pay per 1,000 ad impressions.
- Cost-per-engagement (CPM): How much will you pay when someone does a specific action on your ad.
After that, Google pairs the bid amount to the quality score. A high quality score can lead to a lower price and better advertisement position. The score is determined by the quality of your ad, keywords, and landing page.
Mastering Your Keywords: How to use Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a powerful tool for managing Google Ads campaigns by helping you identify high-intent keywords, estimate CPC, and assess competition. It allows you to refine your targeting based on location and trends, while suggesting related keywords for ad groups. This helps you optimise your budget, improve ad relevance, and increase your campaign’s overall performance.
Stat by heading to the Google Keyword Planner website and start creating your account. You will then be asked to provide some information like your country, time zone, and currency. After that, click on Explore your campaign.
Head to Google Keyword Planner and Discover new keywords
When you’re at the dashboard, click on Tools and Settings in the top menu, and you’ll be able to find Keyword Planner. In the Keyword Planner, use the Discover New Keywords tool, and you’ll be able to search for new keywords.
After getting the results, you will receive the following information:
- Average monthly searches
- Competition
- Ad impression share
- Top of page bid (low range)
- Top of page bid (high range
How to track Google Ads with Google Analytics
After creating a Google Ad campaign, it is vital to learn whether it is successful and where you can improve. Tracking your Google ads with Google Analytics is a great way to understand your campaign and which areas you need to tweak.
To be able to view your Google Ads data, you’ll first need to link your Google Ads with Google Analytics. Here’s how to do so.
- Head to your Google Analytics account
- Click on Acquisition > Google Ads > Link your accounts
- Then go to admin > Google Ads Linking
- Select your Google Ads account and link both your properties
- Once that’s done, you’ll be able to access the data in your Google Analytics account
- To get the data, you’ll need to go to Acquisition > Google Ads > Campaigns
With the data collected in Google Analytics, you will be able to assess the performance of your campaign, understand where to improve and use it to better reach your target audience and drive sales.
Some Final Tips for Taking Your Business to the Next Level Google Ads
Running a successful Google Ad campaign takes time and practice, so it’s okay if you don’t get it all right the first time around. Here are some tips for running Google Ads successfully.
1. Have a clear objective
Before starting your Google Ad campaign, you need to start thinking of your business goals and what you hope to achieve from the campaign. Whether it’s leads, sales, awareness or something else, your goals will dictate how you run your campaign and how well it works.
By having a clear objective, you will know what strategies you need to take to have a successful Google Ad campaign that will help grow your business.
2. Optimise Negative Keywords
Using negative keywords on Google Ads tells Google what you are not advertising for. In addition, it provides Google with keywords about what your product isn’t, so Google will understand where and who to showcase your Google Ad.
It will showcase your Google Ad to a more relevant demographic, which will benefit your business and save you money.
3. Get Some Expert Help
If you want to grow your business or promote a product but don’t have the know-how or the time to do it, bringing on some expert help can ensure you can start seeing results fast without the time and cost of trial and error.
First Page has a wide range of digital marketing strategies and is well versed with Google advertising. We have the tools to bring your business to the next level by connecting you to your target audience. Contact us today to get started!
