How To Advertise on Google and Scale Your Business

Every day millions of people use search engines for product research. Advertising on Google allows your business to reach prospects who are searching for your products or services. That kind of targeting on such a large scale is just not possible with traditional forms of advertising. Savvy business owners turn to Google AdWords to expand their businesses and find new customers.

What To Consider Before Starting

Google AdWords is a form of PPC (pay-per-click) advertising.

Advertisers bid on keywords and create ads that are relevant to their business. Those ads are then eligible to appear in the search results when an online user searches for terms they bid on. Advertisers are only charged for actual clicks to their ads, hence the name pay-per-click. AdWords is an effective way to reach prospects who are ready to buy.

Here are several things to consider before you look at how to advertise on Google:

Goals

What exactly do you want to achieve with AdWords? Even before getting started with this platform, it’s important to have clear goals in mind. That will enable you to track key metrics that matter for your business.

Audience

Who is your target audience? What makes AdWords such a powerful platform is the advanced targeting features. Understanding your audience will allow you to create tightly focused and relevant campaigns.

Keywords

What keywords are relevant to your business? Keyword research is one of the most important aspects of a high converting PPC campaign. Driving targeted traffic that converts starts with identifying the terms your target market uses.

Budget

What is your marketing budget? With AdWords you control your budget and designate maximum bids for relevant keywords. Start with a small budget and increase your spending as your campaigns grow more profitable.

What makes advertising on Google so powerful is the level of control that advertisers have with their campaigns. It’s why more businesses are shifting their attention to paid search.

Google Advertising: Search & Display Networks Explained

AdWords has two networks for advertisers—Search and Display. Here’s a brief overview of each and which one you should focus on:

Search Network

The Search Network is the most common. Text ads and call-only ads you create are eligible to appear above or below the organic search results in Google for keywords you bid on. The Search Network also comprises of search partner sites that further extend your reach. Examples include ads on Google Shopping, Google Maps, YouTube, and smaller search engines like AOL.

Display Network

Google lets advertisers expand their reach even further by placing ads on sites across the Internet. The Display Network—ranging from blogs to news sites—consists of over two million websites that Google says reaches over 90% of users on the web. Google Ads that you create have the potential to reach an even wider audience.

So which network should you advertise your business on?

We recommend starting your Google advertising campaign with the Search Network. Targeted ads appear to prospects who are actively searching for your products or services. In contrasts, online users browsing the web tend to ignore ads and may not necessarily be ready to make a purchase.

Once your efforts on the Search Network start generating results, you can expand your reach on the Display Network and even capture buyers early in the buying cycle.

How to Use Google AdWords Effectively and Why It Doesn’t Work for Others

Launching an AdWords campaign can be overwhelming especially if this is your first time with PPC. Here are some tips on how to use Google AdWords and maximize your ad spend:

Understand the different match types

There are three different keyword match types—broad, phrase, and exact—that give you greater control over which searches trigger your ads. Understanding how each works is key to reaching the right customers.

Keep your ad groups tightly focused

Ad groups contain a shared set of keywords that trigger your ads. Ideally, you should only have a small number of keywords in your ad groups to keep them tightly focused.

Test your ad copy

Your ad copy is what compels visitors to click on your ads. The better your click-through rate (CTR), the more traffic you can expect. Run split tests on different headlines and body descriptions to see what works best.

Use ad extensions

Ad extensions expand your ads with additional information such as site links and even call buttons. Data from Google has found that ad extensions increase CTRs by several percentage points. They’re also free to use and you only get charged when users take action on them.

Implement conversion tracking

Without conversion tracking, it would be impossible to know which of your ads are generating sales.

The main reason why AdWords won’t work for many advertisers is simply due to poor planning. It can mean the difference between a campaign that drives more conversions or one that fails to gain any traction.

If you have yet to get started with PPC your business is losing out on potential sales.

Contact us today to ask about our Google AdWords management services. We manage all aspects of your campaign from the initial Google AdWords setup to ongoing optimisation and more.