Google Ads is a very popular Pay-Per-Click online advertising strategy that organizations across the world have been implementing. Since it’s a marketing strategy, one specific question will arise, “Are Google Ads really worth it?” Well, the answer is not as simple.
Organizations vary from one another with respect to the idea, industry, company size, revenue, investment strategies and so on. As a marketer, I can recommend you to ask yourself why you’d like to try out Google Ads, followed by a ‘What’ question.
Figure out why you want to advertise on Google, what outcomes you’d like from it and how you can measure its business outcomes.
Small businesses are the ones who can truly benefit from Google Ads for a very simple set of reasons. Those include the cost, Geo-location benefits, target audience and so on. Most importantly, it’s about its impact and conversion rate.
The key to success with regard to Google Ads is mostly based on the trial and error method. Keep going!
Before anything, understand what you’re dealing with. Understand how Google Ads work for any business:
- If you haven’t seen an Ad which comes with the search results, here’s how it is; the little Ad symbol which will be green in color or when it shows ‘sponsored’ is when it can be called a Google Ad
- Google Ads come in a variety; You can find them on a search result page(s), display ads on different sites using Google Adsense, visual ads on YouTube and Gmail Ads in ‘Promotions’
- Every time your ad is clicked on, you need to pay for it. It doesn’t matter if the individual sees it or not
- Google Ads run on the basis of an auction; you pay well, have a good website and have an awesome account, you’re approved for the ad!
- Google Ads do not affect organic ranking at all
- Google Ads can be customized on the basis of demographic variables like location, time, gender and so on
How Google Advertising Works for Small Businesses?
Google has been pretty open about the way it functions, especially when it comes to Ads. Let’s take an example. You look for ‘CEO email list’ on Google and find results. Look at the image, you’ll see 1 Google Ad. Rest is all organic results via effective SEO strategies, quality content and more. If your website wants to rank on position one, you need to target the specific keyword. Here, it is the CEO email list or email list of CEOs and you’ll be visible online via Google Ads based on the bid made.
Your bid is exactly what defines your place on the search results page. Remember, Google considers the quality of the ad, relevance, website details and more before giving you the spot. It does not matter if your bid is high; the content involved is important because those keywords will help you be visible when it comes to ads as well.
For the new-bees, who are thinking about how to get started with Google Ads, don’t worry, it’s not that difficult. All you need to do is create a Google Ads account for your small business. Just follow the key steps to set up your Google Ads account and you’re all set!
Now comes the main question, which you need to ask yourself as a business owner. Let’s look into it in the next section.
Are Google Ads Worth it for Small Businesses?
This is a tricky question to answer. However, I’d like to go for a ‘Yes.’
There’s a set of benefits that Google Ads have which help businesses; they cannot be overlooked. Google Ads are a pretty effective way to generate traffic is barely any time and increases conversion rates too. Most importantly, you do not need months of SEO for it!
If you look at it from the Cost-Benefit Analysis perspective, you’re probably going to benefit from Google Ads over SEO. Google Ads have higher reliability and lower costs in the long run. SEO, on the other hand, takes months of effort along with extensive content marketing investments, with no guarantee of positive outcomes.
- Reach your audience when they are searching for your company
With the right targeting of keywords in PPC management, you will definitely get potential clients the moment they’re looking for your product. Your ad copy needs to be so effective and crisp, along with its placement and relevance.
An advertisement which serves up on products on transactional keywords is possibly a potentially great way if you want to obtain new clients.
- Target on the basis of Geo-location
Local businesses and small businesses really need this. Your aim must be to excel at the local level. Appearing for search results that do not cover your area is just a waste! Google Ads gives liberty to target specific geographical locations in order to fetch your clients in no time.
In fact, with local SEO and Geo-location based PPC Ads, you will definitely fetch about 3X more clients from your very own community.
- Target a huge, diverse audience using the same product
Google Ads has multiple filters wherein, you can target different kinds of audiences too. This can be done by targeting different keywords.
For instance, CEO email lists can be used by different kinds of companies. Once you create your product page and optimize it for search, you may get to choose between a diverse audience. With PPC advertising, you can now target different audiences separately via industry-specific filter usage.
- Direct users to dedicated landing pages
Once a user clicks on your PPC advertisement, you get to choose the landing page. Several PPC professionals send their PPC traffic to the home page. The major strength here is not that the landing page can be defined by you. It’s more about sending users to customized landing pages which are optimized for conversion.
Send users to landing places that offer exactly what they need and increase conversion rates drastically!
- Track results with ease
PPC advertising has the benefit of tracking down the CTR, Ad spending, conversion rate and so on. A/B testing of the Ad Copies can also be done. These are amazing ways to track down what truly works for potential clients.
With Google Ads you don’t have to keep guessing how much you spent on what; it’s all visible on your account.
- Get quick results
This is one major benefit for companies opting for PPC Marketing. PPC Ads are definitely going to help you gain visibility online quickly and effectively. The conversion process is simple, quick and easy to measure as well. All you need are good Ad Copies, know-hows and you’re all set!
For a small business like yours, you need to understand that money, time and other resources are limited. With Google Ads, you can save up on all these essential and limited resources; still, get amazing ROI in no time!
Implement Google Ads Effectively Keeping Key Strategies in Mind
- Approach your Google Ads Campaign behaving like a customer
Make sure you pick the right set of keywords in order to obtain success in your Google Ads campaign. Think like a customer, implement basic SEO strategies in your keyword research. Then, list out the search words which most customers look for while looking for your product/ service. General to specific is the key!
Let’s analyze this Google Ad. the keywords used in the title are based on SEO keyword research. The final copy given is all about the creativity of the writer. Your Google Ads specialist needs to know how exactly the keyword and creative aspect can fit into the character limit. Lastly, the description given is the perfect place to add long-tail keywords and other details like benefits, location and so on.
Tip: Get the hang of using Google Keyword Planner if you wish to truly work on keyword research based on your business, industry and so on. This tool has another feature; it can display the number of times people search for keywords, the traffic generated via the keywords and related aspects. In fact, you can add negative keywords too. This ensures irrelevant keywords do not get associated with your advertisement ever.
- Being local is good
Your business is still growing and your prime objective must be to become popular locally and go global if you wish to. Being local is again very profitable for small businesses if you have a physical location for your business. With this unique information, you can further target your audience way better than your competitors! Above all, you will never get unnecessary clicks from random locations, for instance, if you really stick to the local bracket.
Look at the screenshot. See the way the location has been mentioned. This way, users also know for a fact that you’re available in the location they’re looking forward to deal in.
Tip: Set ads specific to your target Geo–location. Don’t worry, Ads offer multiple tools like radius targeting wherein, your advertisement can become visible based on the location given. Like, Melbourne! Target a 1,000 locations or more, it’s all up to you.
- Website optimization is important
Optimization of your website for advertisements definitely has great scope when it comes to increasing ROI. this way, you can have an amazing landing page too! Optimization tactics include making your website easy to navigate or have offers displayed on your homepage.
Let’s look at this screenshot. The website has been optimized beautifully. In fact, it has creative, engaging content along with clear mention of the menu and so much more!
Tip: Make use of Google Analytics. It’s free and gives accurate data on exactly how your website is performing when it comes to ads. Not only will you be able to gather data but get a detailed account of customer behaviors and so much more! You can link your Google Ads account with Google Analytics account for the best results.
Recommended Reading: How to setup an SEO-friendly website for your small business?
- Try other channels
Google Ads should not be your only focus area when it comes to digital marketing. You need to make sure you’re going for Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, and other strategies. This way, if some strategy like PPC goes wrong, there’s always SEO as a backup to help you generate your target revenue, maybe more!
Look at the screenshot. You can clearly see that this company has used Social Media Marketing as its marketing strategy. The brand has also used Google Ads, SEO, and other marketing strategies.
Tip: Multiple marketing channels help you not just be visible online but, leave a good amount of digital footprints, build brand awareness and much more. You’re basically giving room for your audience to find you anywhere!
- Consider your competition
This is simple to do. All you need to do is get an insight into what you can and should do when it comes to Google Ads. Everything is a great idea, provided you look into how good the possibility of positive outcomes is for your small business. It’s always best for you to figure out how you can make your Ads strategy different and better from your dear competitors.
Tip: View the competitor’s keywords in the keyword panel. All you need to do is, paste the competitor’s website URL in your Keyword Research Tool to find out what exactly they’re bidding on. This way, you’ll know how to approach ads.
The bottom line: Advertise on Google
Google Ads has immense scope and potential, especially when it comes to helping small businesses get new customers in no time. You have a benefit; the targeted audience, therefore, competition may be limited. Once you figure out how advertising on Google works and your first campaign is live, keep a thorough tab on your test ads for best performing material. Make sure you keep your keywords list clean; your payment for ads will possibly be lower than ever.
Good luck Advertising to You!
Sam Makwana – VP of Marketing at Traffic Radius
I am a passionate digital marketer with a creative and analytical mindset. My skill lies in adopting a holistic approach and designing solutions based on the latest marketing trends and web paradigms. With my knowledge and understanding of the various elements of SEO, I believe in adopting an integrated approach for devising effective strategies.