What is Google Advertising?

Are you tired of navigating through the online advertising space and feeling stuck on what really captures your customer’s attention?

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Say hello to Google Advertising, online marketers’ “Not-So-Secret Sauce” when it comes to getting your business brand noticed online. Although it may not be magic, it’s pretty close in today’s day and age. So, how does it work? 

Google Advertising is a potent  digital marketing tool that enables companies to reach their target audience through sponsored search advertisements. Google is the most widely used search engine in the world, with more than 3.5 billion searches daily. Whether you’re a new digital startup, a local ‘Mom & Pop’ shop, or a small-to-mid-sized business, Google Advertising should ideally be a core component of your online advertising strategy.  

Below, we’ll look into what Google Advertising is, how it functions, and why it’s crucial for companies to incorporate into their digital marketing plan. 

How Do Google Ads Work? 

Google Advertising, commonly referred to as Google Ads, is an online advertising platform that allows companies to design and run advertisements as part of the platform’s sponsored search results. These appear on Google’s Search Engine Results Pages, or ‘SERPs,’ as well as on other Google-owned websites including YouTube and the Google Display Network.  

Once created, these advertisements will be promoted by Google as high-ranked results for the keywords that you wish to target. 

For example, if you are creating a Google Ad for your hot tub business in Minnesota and include “hot tub Minnesota” as a preferred target keyword or phrase, your ad will appear on the ad results part of the search page when searches that phrase in Google. This may sound somewhat mundane and straightforward.  

However, ranking highly in these SERP searches not only means that your ad is being seen by many people, but it’s also much more likely that it’s being seen by people who are actively looking for the specific service or product that you offer. And that means leads, conversions, and customers! 

What Do I Need to Do to Start Advertising on Google? 

A company needs to set up a Google Ads account and start an ad campaign before they can start advertising on Google.  

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how Google Advertising works: 

Step 1: Set Up an Account 

Creating an account is the initial step in putting together a Google Ads campaign. In order to complete this process, you must provide basic information about your company, including the URL of your website and your billing details. 

Step 2: Create a Campaign 

Once your account has been established, the next step is to create a campaign. The term “campaign” in Google Ads refers to a collection of ad groups that share budgetary, location-targeting, and other specifications. Selecting a campaign type, such as Search, Display, or Video, is necessary when creating a campaign. 

Step 3: Choose Your Target Audience 

Selecting your target audience is the next step. This entails choosing the geographic regions in which you want your advertisements to run – (Do you ship products or offer services nationally or internationally, or do you only cater to local customers?) – along with the demographics and interests of the target audience. These could include what industry they work in, their annual income, their age, and many other search components. 

Step 4: Choose Your Keywords 

Keywords are the words or phrases that you want people typing into Google’s search bar that will bring them to your ads. It is important to carefully select the specific search terms you want your ads to appear in that are most pertinent to your company and most beneficial to potential customers who may be looking for more information regarding those searches.  

Don’t get off track by adding keywords that are only loosely based on your business and are likely to be ignored by Googlers. That hot tub business in Minnesota isn’t going to get much traction out of creating Google Ads with too-broad keywords like “snow” or “Minnesota winters.” 

Step 5: Create Ad Groups 

Once you’ve chosen your keywords, the next step is to create ad groups. Ad groups are sets of ads that all share a set of keywords. This allows you to create targeted ads that are relevant to the keywords that people are searching for. Creating ad groups also gives you the freedom of creating multiple ads that are all working towards the same goal. You can program your ad campaign to rotate through multiple ads, which helps keep your ads feeling fresh and not repetitive or spammy. 

Step 6: Create Your Ad 

Time to get artistic! Making your ad is the next step. With Google Ads, you have the option of producing text ads, static image ads, or video ads, depending on your budget and how you want your ad to appear within searches. A clear call to action and relevance to the keywords you’re targeting should be your top priority when producing your adverts.  

Googlers are fickle and will scroll away from your ad quickly if it’s hard to understand or doesn’t seem applicable to what they are looking for. 

Keep in mind that Google Ads runs off a bidding strategy. According to Google, Google Ads runs an auction every single time it has an ad space available, whether this is on a search result, or on a blog, news site, or some other page. Each auction decides which ads will show at that moment in that space. Your bid puts you in the auction.  

This “bid” is dependent on the budget you set for your monthly spend.  

Step 7: Set Your Budget 

Setting a budget is the last stage. Google will ask what the maximum amount is that you’re willing to pay per day, month, or campaign for your advertisements. The more you spend, the more often Google will push your ad in front of potential customers’ eyes.  

Setting a budget is essential to prevent overspending because Google Advertisements employs an auction method to choose which ads to display.  

You may end up spending a bit less than your upper limit, depending on how the chips fall when the Google algorithm analyzes user searches and competitor ads & their budgets, but it will never spend over your maximum budget. 

Why is Google Advertising Important for My Business? 

Simply put, Google Advertising is one of the most valuable online tools for helping companies reach their target customers and improve their online exposure, as well as executing lead generation efforts. Some of the reasons why Google Advertising is crucial for companies are listed below: 

Greater Online Visibility

Google Ads can potentially improve a business’ search results ranking, enhancing its online presence and making it simpler for prospective clients to locate them. 

Targeted Advertising

With Google Ads, companies can ensure that their advertisements are seen by the right people by tailoring them to particular geographic regions, demographics, and interests. 

Cost-Effective

The pay-per-click (PPC) approach used by Google Ads ensures that advertisers only pay when a customer clicks on their ad. Because businesses can select a budget that suits their needs and only pay for the clicks they receive, it is a cost-effective approach to contact potential clients. 

Measurable Results

Google Ads offers thorough analytics and reporting capabilities that let companies monitor the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and calculate their return on investment (ROI). Ad campaigns can be improved overall by using this information to help with 24/7 optimization. 

Flexibility

Businesses can easily make modifications to target or retarget certain audiences, optimize bids, or update ad content with Google Ads’ real-time ad campaign adjustments. 

Put the Power of Google in Your Hands 

All things considered; Google Advertising is crucial to any digital advertising strategy. Backed by the most popular search engine in the world, this ad platform has a built-in userbase of hundreds of millions of users that are all potential customers. And it’s not an exaggeration to say that online advertisers ignore Google Ads at their peril.  

With a tweak here and a few dollars there, businesses can effectively reach their target audience, improve their online exposure, and increase website traffic, just by utilizing Google Advertising in their marketing plans. 

If this sounds like an exciting opportunity, but you’re not sure how to take the first step, contact Hot Dog Marketing right away to learn more about Google Advertising and how it might help your company. Our team of knowledgeable digital marketers can assist you in developing successful Google Ads campaigns that can increase website traffic and generate revenue. To arrange a consultation and discover more about our services, get in touch with us today.