Google Ads is an online advertising platform that is owned by Google and was launched by Google in October 2000. It was initially called Google AdWords, but Google changed the name to “Google Ads” in October 2018. Advertisers can create ad campaigns with Google Ads using a variety of objectives, campaign types, targeting options, and ad formats. Some of the ad options that advertisers can use are text ads, display ads, responsive ads, shopping ads, image ads, video ads, call-only ads, and mobile app ads. Since Google owns the largest search engine in the world by market share, they have monetized it with advertisements. In addition, the Google Display Network is the largest display advertising network in the world, reaching over 90% of all Internet users. Lastly, Google owns YouTube, which is the largest video advertising network in the world.
To put it simply, Google owns the largest search engine, the largest video network, and the largest display advertising network in the world. Therefore, advertisers have a lot of options when it comes to campaigns and ad types that they can choose from.
How Does Google Ads Work?
First and foremost, there are different campaign types that you can run through Google Ads. They all work slightly differently in terms of what advertisements are shown. The main type of campaign you can run is Google Search Ads. Advertisers bid on specific keywords, create relevant ads for the keywords they are bidding on, and send traffic to landing pages that provide a solution based on the keyword search term.
Google Ads is an auction where businesses bid to have their ads shown. There are a variety of factors that can impact what advertisements show and who sees them. Ultimately, Google has a goal to show the most relevant ads to the most targeted prospects.
What is Google Ads Video
In this video, I go over the basics of Google Ads, different campaign types, and different types of ad formats. You can watch it below or on my YouTube channel.
Important Google Ads Notes about How Google Ads Works
Google Ads is a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising Platform:
Advertisers only pay when someone clicks on their advertisement. If your search ads, shopping ads, display ads, performance max ads, or discovery ads only get impressions, you will never be charged.
Google Ads is an Auction:
If there are 10 different advertisers bidding on the same keyword, Google uses ad rank to determine your ad position.
Conversion Tracking:
Google Ads allows advertisers to track their key performance indicators, such as sales or leads, by adding them as conversion actions in their Google Ads account.
Google Ads Campaign Types and Objectives:
Advertisers choose their campaign objective, such as leads or sales, and then choose a campaign type to reach their goals. Then the campaign should be configured to reach your objectives.
Google Ads Targeting:
Google Ads offers various targeting options, such as keywords, location, demographics, content, and user interests, to ensure your ads reach the right audience.
Advertisers Create Ads:
Businesses create text, image, or video ads and specify keywords related to their products or services.
Ad Placement:
If your ad wins the auction, it gets displayed in the search results or on websites within the Google Display Network that match your targeting.
Ad Rank:
Ad Rank depends on your bid, ad quality (expected clickthrough rate, relevance, and landing page), auction competitiveness, search context (location, device, search terms), other ads on the page, user signals, and asset impact.
Ad Performance:
You can track the performance of your ads through your Google Ads account and through Google Analytics 4. You can measure metrics like impressions, clicks, conversions, ROAS, conversion rate, and costs.
Types of Google Ads
Google Ads offers various ad formats to suit different advertising needs. Each type of ad format serves a different purpose, so you can choose the one that best matches your advertising goals.
1. Text Ads
- Text ads are made up of words only.
- Main Benefits: They’re quick to create and great for reaching customers searching on Google. You can use ad assets to provide extra details and contact info to make your text ads more relevant.
2. Responsive Ads
- Responsive ads automatically adjust their size and appearance to fit different ad spaces. They can be text or image ads.
- Main Benefits: You can create ads that fit various spaces in no time. They can blend into websites and test different combinations to find what works best.
3. Image Ads
- These are static images in JPG or PNG format or animated graphics in GIF format.
- Main Benefits: They visually showcase your product or service and can appear on websites partnered with Google.
4. App Promotion Ads
- These ads promote app downloads and engagement.
- Main Benefits: You can send customers to download your app or link them directly to your app. They appear when people search on Google and on Google partner websites and apps.
5. Video Ads
- Video ads that you see online, either on their own or during streaming videos.
- Main Benefits: They create an engaging experience for customers and can appear on websites partnered with Google.
6. Shopping Ads
- Shopping ads show product photos, prices, and more details.
- Main Benefits: They display your product to people shopping online for similar items.
7. Call-Only Ads
- These ads include your phone number and are designed to drive phone calls to your business.
- Main Benefits: People can click to call your business directly. These ads appear only on devices that can make phone calls and are designed to fit on smaller screens.
Types of Google Ads Campaigns
When it comes to advertising on Google, choosing the right campaign type is crucial. Each campaign type is designed for specific goals and strategies. Choose the campaign type that aligns with your advertising goals, and you’ll be on your way to a successful Google Ads campaign.
1. Search Campaigns
- Description: Search campaigns are perfect for showing text ads when people search on Google. They’re great for boosting sales, getting leads, or driving website traffic.
- Why Choose: They’re straightforward to set up, and you reach people actively looking for your products or services.
2. Performance Max Campaigns
- Description: Performance Max is all about achieving specific goals, using Google’s AI to optimize your ads across various channels.
- Why Choose: It’s easy to set up, Google’s AI helps you get the best results, and it can find new customers for your business.
3. Shopping Campaigns
- Description: Shopping campaigns are for retailers who want to sell their products online. These ads showcase product listings on Google, perfect for retail marketing and boosting sales.
- Why Choose: Great for selling products, boosting online sales, and promoting nearby stores.
4. Display Campaigns
- Description: Display campaigns use image ads on websites and apps to expand your reach beyond Google Search. They’re about creating brand awareness, consideration, and targeting specific audiences.
- Why Choose: You can visually engage your audience on various websites and follow up with those who’ve seen your ads.
5. Video Campaigns
- Description: Video campaigns showcase video ads on YouTube and other sites. They can boost brand awareness, drive conversions, and reach a broader audience.
- Why Choose: Video ads are excellent for making people aware of your brand and getting them interested in your products or services.
6. App Campaigns
- Description: App campaigns are for promoting mobile apps. Google’s AI optimizes your ads across various channels to drive app installs, engagements, and signups.
- Why Choose: It’s perfect for mobile app promotion, uses AI for optimization, and runs on multiple channels.
7. Local Campaigns
- Description: Local campaigns drive people to your physical stores or venues. Google’s AI optimizes your ads across multiple platforms.
- Why Choose: Ideal for in-person sales, promoting events, providing location info, and works across various channels.
8. Smart Campaigns
- Description: Smart campaigns are super easy to set up. Google’s AI does most of the work for you, making them perfect for increasing sales and leads.
- Why Choose: They’re incredibly straightforward, and Google’s AI handles most optimizations.
FAQs about Google Ads
You probably still have a lot of questions about Google Ads. I did my best to answer all of them below.
How do I set up a Google Ads campaign?
To set up a Google Ads campaign, create an account, select your campaign type and objectives, set a budget, choose targeting options, create ads, and launch your campaign. Google provides step-by-step guidance throughout the process.
What is Quality Score in Google Ads?
Quality Score is a metric that evaluates the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages. It impacts ad rankings and costs. Higher Quality Scores can lead to better ad positions and lower costs.
How can I optimize my Google Ads campaigns?
Optimize your Google Ads campaigns by regularly monitoring performance, adjusting bids, refining keywords, improving ad quality, testing different ad variations, and analyzing data to make informed decisions.
What is the Google Display Network (GDN)?
The Google Display Network is a vast network of websites, apps, and platforms where Google Ads can display ads. It allows advertisers to reach a broader audience through visual and display ads.
How do I measure the success of my Google Ads campaigns?
You can measure campaign success by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, return on ad spend (ROAS), and cost per acquisition (CPA). Google Ads provides analytics and reporting tools for this purpose.
What is Smart Bidding in Google Ads?
Smart Bidding is an automated bidding strategy that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimize ad bids in real-time. It helps maximize conversions or achieve specific performance goals.
How can I target specific audiences in Google Ads?
Google Ads offers various targeting options, including keywords, location, demographics, interests, and remarketing. You can tailor your campaigns to reach the most relevant audience for your products or services.
Conclusion
Google Ads is a powerful tool for online advertising. It offers various ways to advertise and reach your goals. With Google Ads, you can advertise on the largest search engine, YouTube, and many other websites. You can choose from different types of ads based on what you want to achieve, like increasing sales or getting more app downloads.
The way it works is simple: you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Google Ads uses an auction system to decide where your ad shows up. It looks at things like the quality of your ad and how much you’re willing to pay. You can also track and improve your ads’ performance easily.
Whether you’re just starting or want to make your ads work better, Google Ads can help you reach your goals effectively. Give it a try and see if you can drive more conversions for your business.
