Google ads is a pay per click (PPC) advertising system that has the potential to be highly successful. It can create leads, generate conversions and build brand awareness. It is not the only PPC system out there. 75% of all searches are being carried out by Google. So, it is no surprise that Google Ads is popular.
Questions our customers usually ask about Google Ads is “what can this form of advertising offer?” or “Why would I choose this?”
Being Google Ads Certified has given me great insight into the pros and cons of google ads. So I have the task of helping you understand why Google Ads might be a good option for your business.
Cost
A starting point for me about why to choose Google Ads is that there is no minimum investment. This is particularly good for small businesses who may be working on a strict budget and do not want the bigger risk that comes with other advertising options. Yes, there is always a risk factor with any Google ads but it offers you the flexibility of budget and the choice to stop and start your campaign at will.
On top of this, you have a better chance for a return on investment (ROI). This is due to the charge only being allocated when your product or services ad is clicked on. This provides you with better lead generation and improvement to your sales funnel. However, Google Ads can sometimes be slightly expensive for wanted returns if your ad is not managed properly. You can also minimise the cost by making use of the tools Google Ads has to offer.
Locality
Here is a good example of how you can use Google Ads tools to your advantage. Say you are a shop owner and you are aware that your product is only being sold in a particular area. You might want to promote a limited delivery service. You could use locality in your Google Ads.
This means you could minimize the radius your ad is shown. That means the delivery option is only shown in this area. This will optimize the likelihood of having your product seen by potential customers in the right area.
There are other tools you can use to get your ad seen by the right person at the right time. These options include; time of day your ad will be shown, the language, browser and device type.
Keyword Tool
The best tool, I believe, at your disposal is the keywords tool. It will help you gather the correct keywords for your product or service. The Keyword tool really works at adding the right ones. It also helps by finding negative keywords (words that aren’t associated with your product or businesses). This really helps you get your ad to the right place. In turn this provides way more potential for conversions and improving your ROI. All this while simultaneously keeping your costs down.
Ad Extensions
Another great service Google Ads provides is the use of Ad extensions. These are beneficial if you want direct options such as calling your business straight from an initial search with no need to visit the site.
Ad extensions give greater visibility and prominence on your search results page. It helps your business by providing relevant information quickly. This can often improve your overall click-through rate which in turn means better chance or ROI. This information brings me to my next point. Due to the prominence of these extensions, Google Ads will be more engaging than those you rank organically. It provides better engagement with your potential customers and they are more likely to click on to your site. However, Schema Structured Data can also help with this in organic searches.
Build Your Brand
Building brand awareness is one of the most important things for a new business to do to become successful. By using many of the methods above Google Ads can really help you build your brand and put you in the market with your competitors. Putting your service or product at the top of the search page can increase the likelihood of being clicked on and noticed.
Again, for a new business, this is particularly important because you will be pitting yourself against more well-established services. It’s difficult to compete with others who may have been around for a long time. You can put yourself out there and people will take notice. Is there a better way to do this than being right up there with the best of them? It is not just new businesses that can benefit from brand awareness. More established businesses know that it is important to always be vigilant of new competitors and new products. So, if your ROI on Google Ads begins to die down, it can help you by creating short term campaigns. Examples could be campaigns for advertising sales and special offers. This can reignite your ROI and help boost your sales and keeping your brand visible.
Web-Page Advertising
With Google Ads, you are not only increasing your business being found on Google Search. By using Display ads you can also be found on competitors websites. This puts you or your product in the customer’s way. You have the potential of being seen on thousands of websites worldwide. You can really connect with your target audience without them having to search for it. It’s another way of building brand awareness or showing off your product or services.
Becoming known and staying known helps your chances of being thought of. Seeing your product and keeping it within your target audience’s reach can increase brand loyalty. This is because customers are more likely to buy from someone they are aware of and have seen. They are more likely to think of you if seen recently. It often tends to give the customer a better sense of safety and trust in a product. Much more so than one they have not heard of before.
Statistics and Analysis
A really fantastic advantage that Google Ads can provide for your business is the multitude of statistics at your fingertips. One great way to minimize your budget on advertising is by consistently analysing the information provided to you on Google Ads Manager. You can check your click-through rate and conversions and make sure you are constantly seeing where you are getting your clicks.
This means you can remove keywords which are not providing clicks. You can then increase ones that Google thinks can have more success. It really helps get your ad seen exactly where you want it to be. Not all positive, I’m afraid, as this can be quite time consuming and a bit daunting. It is often why businesses prefer Google Ads to be managed by a dedicated team or service. A Google Ads Certified professional also has the advantage of already having an idea of what keywords will work. It’s likely that they will have seen a similar campaign before. On top of that, they have the benefit of dedicated, uninterrupted time on your google ads. Let’s be honest, very few business owners and service providers have! Time is precious, and more often than not, time is money. This saying cannot be more correct for your Google Ads.
Downsides???
These points show that in many cases Google Ads have the potential to be beneficial to businesses. It has the capabilities in most parts to drive conversions and help your brand. There are, of course, downsides.
Advert awareness
The main downside is that people are becoming more aware of adverts and are starting to ignore them. In fact, age groups between 18 and 35 years prefer to ignore Google ads and find what they are looking for in the organic searches.
It’s not SEO
I feel is valid to point out is that the marketing community believe it is good practice and important to maintain a healthy balance between advertising options. In this instance, Google Ads works well with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
This means while you are working on your particular sites’ SEO and creating good organic search results, you can run a campaign to create brand awareness and get impressions immediately using Google Ads. Eventually, you will be in a position to manage with solely SEO, because you will have learned from the Google Ads and have a natural page ranking at the top of Google. However, it is a lengthier process of ranking your site by SEO, but it is an investment in your business and people like this. It is fair to say also that it is a good strategy to try Google Ads to determine if organic searches will work when ranked. If you are getting clicks and your ad works well then you can assume it’s worth ranking organically and spending time on SEO (read about our 5 quick SEO fixes).
If nobody searches it you won’t be found.
This is the problem with both Google ads and SEO. It is also important to note that if no one is searching for what you are selling, then Google Ads is not going to show it. You can find out if this is the case by again using Google’s Keyword tool. If no one is searching your particular service or product then no amount of money or getting you to the top of the page will help as your service just isn’t wanted, or at least not being searched for in Google.
In this instance, it may be more beneficial for you to focus more on display ads in Google Ads. This is more the focus of branding awareness and hitting your niche audience rather than using keywords. You could also try different advertising options. If, for example, your product is new and revolutionary, then, of course, nobody knows about it. So if nobody knows what it is then they won’t be searching for it. You might be better to reach your target audience through videos such as Youtube Ads, Facebook Ads or TV. Showing how your product works will let people know why they need it.
In Summary
To summarise, the four main benefits of google ads can be summed up in these four words. Flexibility, Scalability, Measurability and Visibility.
- Flexibility – You can switch on and off your campaign at will. There are no time contracts or restraints.
- Scalability – If you’re struggling with a budget you can easily lower your bid amount or switch it off. Alternatively, if your ad is doing really well you can up your budget. You can extend your reach to create more conversions.
- Measurability- You can really utilise the statistics made available to you through the Google Ads Manager. All the information is available to you to be able to measure how well your ad is performing. It even helps with suggestions to increase optimisation of your Ad.
- Visibility- Google Ads will put you right up there at the top of the search page with your competitors. The use of extensions and other options means you will be seen more often. Not to reiterate but again Google Ads just look more engaging than organic listings, it’s that simple.
And Remember…
Nobody can guarantee conversions. However, Google Ads can certainly have the potential to help if you create a well designed fully optimized ad.
And, although you can be found instantly, Google Ads still needs time to work productively. Remember you probably won’t see any ROI for at least 3 months while you work out the tweaks.
Not happy about running your own ads. see how we can help.
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Pink Square Media is a marketing company that specialises in online marketing. The information provided is correct on the date of publishing.