Want to increase your online visibility and get more traffic to your website? Google Ads might be the answer. In this Google Ads 101 we will cover the basics of this powerful advertising platform so you can use it for your business.
What is Google Ads?
Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) is an online advertising platform by Google. It allows businesses to show ads, services, product listings and video content to web users. Google Ads can show ads in search results of search engines like Google Search and on non-search websites, mobile apps and videos.
Why Google Ads?
- Reach: Google has over 5.6 billion searches per day, so you have a huge audience to reach.
- Targeting: You can target users by keywords, location, demographics and more.
- Budget Control: You decide how much you want to spend, no minimum commitment.
- Measurable Results: Detailed tracking allows you to see how your ads are performing.
Google Ads Basics: Getting Started
1. Create Your Account
To start your Google Ads journey you need to create an account at ads.google.com. The setup process is easy and will guide you through the steps to launch your first campaign.
2. Keywords
Keywords are the backbone of Google Ads. These are the words or phrases that trigger your ad to show in search results. When choosing keywords:
- Be specific to your product or service
- Think like your customer
- Use a mix of broad and long-tail keywords
3. Ad Copy
Your ad copy should be short, relevant and have a clear call-to-action (CTA). Remember the structure:
- Headline (up to 3, 30 characters each)
- Description (2 lines, 90 characters each)
- Display URL
4. Set Your Budget
Decide how much you want to spend daily on your ads. Google Ads is a pay-per-click (PPC) platform, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
5. Choose Your Bidding Strategy
Google Ads has various bidding strategies. For beginners start with manual CPC (cost-per-click) bidding to have control over your spend.
Advanced Google Ads 101 Concepts
Ad Extensions
Ad extensions add extra information to your ads, such as phone number, location or links to specific pages on your website. They are free to add and can boost your ad performance.
Quality Score
Quality Score is Google’s rating of the quality and relevance of your keywords and PPC ads. It’s used to calculate your cost per click (CPC) and multiplied by your max bid to determine your ad rank in the ad auction.
Ad Rank
Ad Rank is the position of your ad on the search results page. It’s calculated by your bid, your auction-time ad quality (including expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience), the Ad Rank thresholds, the context of the person searching, and the expected impact of extensions and other ad formats.
Google Ads Best Practices
- Review and Refine Regularly: Monitor your campaigns and adjust based on performance data.
- Use Negative Keywords: Exclude search terms that are not relevant to your business to avoid wasting budget on non qualified clicks.
- Install Conversion Tracking: Set up conversion tracking to measure how your ads are performing in driving actions on your website.
- Opt for Mobile: Most searches are now mobile, make sure your ads and landing pages are mobile friendly.
- Test Different Ad Variations: Use A/B testing to compare different ad copies and see which one performs better.
Done
Google Ads basics are essential for any business looking to be online. By learning these Google Ads 101 concepts you’ll be ready to create campaigns that work. Remember, success with Google Ads comes with practice, testing and continuous optimisation. Start small, learn from your data and scale up as you get more experience and comfortable with the platform.
