If you have a product or service that you want people to know about, you need to be where people are searching for it. In most cases, that means having a good presence in online search. A recent study showed that more than 80% of shoppers research products and services online before visiting a store or making a call.
That means Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) can be an extremely powerful piece of your advertising puzzle. Google Ads place text, display, and even video advertisements across the web. Your ad can appear alongside search results, as YouTube commercials, and on millions of websites to reach customers at all stages of the marketing funnel– from simple brand awareness to customers ready to make a purchase.
Don’t know where to start with Google Ads? Our team has a couple of steps that you should follow when setting up your Google Ads account and start advertising:
- Identify the way your customers search for you. Connect your Google Analytics and Ads accounts, and use your Analytics data to find out which keywords are bringing people to your site. Sort your keywords by customer intent, then create ad groups to target those customers and needs. This will help you maintain high quality scores and ensure your ads will continue to be shown.
- When crafting ads, make sure that the ad copy includes those same keywords you’re targeting. Your ad’s landing page should contain those same keywords as well. This will increase your advertisement’s Google quality score, allowing your ads to show more frequently and on better spots on the page.
- If you’re advertising locally, you can run your ads with a fairly small budget. Start with a budget of $200-$300 per month and increase if necessary based on your ROI. (Don’t worry, Google won’t spend all of your budget if you’re not reaching customers. If people aren’t searching for your keywords, your ad won’t get shown, and you won’t be charged). Of course, you have a large business, multiple product lines, or want to advertise nationwide, you’ll want to scale your budget accordingly to facilitate the increased reach.
- Be patient. It takes as long as 90 days for a campaign to really develop all the way. During this time, perform tune-ups on your campaign. Google will recommend new keywords and tell you which ones aren’t getting clicks. Make sure to add new keywords when necessary and remove underperforming ones. While this process can be tedious, it will pay off in the quality of both your ads and the customers that click on them.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment. Sometimes you’ll be surprised at how people find your website, but as long as they’re making it to your site and performing meaningful actions, feel free to lean into it. Your Google data from both Ads and Analytics can inform you about what people are looking for in your area. If it’s something you don’t currently offer but are capable of providing, consider filling that niche.
Creating a Google Ads campaign can feel like a daunting task, but the rewards outweigh the effort. If you want to join the list of millions of advertisers who succeed through Google Ads, our team of certified experts are happy to help! Give us a call at (239) 690-9840 for a free consultation or visit our website to learn more.
