Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) is an online advertising service that allows you to place your ads on the Google search results page. The ads look almost identical to regular search results, with the only difference being the small green word “Advertise”. Google ads can appear at the top, bottom, and side of a search results page.
How Google Ads Work
When a user searches for a query, Google will display ads that are relevant to the user based on the keywords that were used in the query. Advertisers who want their ads to appear on the results page set bids for keywords that will participate in an internal system auction between advertisers with the same keywords. Those who have a higher quality ad with a high bid will show up higher in the search query. Depending on the bid value for keywords, ads will occupy different positions.
In addition to the bid, Google also takes into account the relevance and quality of your ad and website. Therefore, even if you have the highest bid, and the ad is written poorly and the landing page does not match the description in the ad, then the likelihood of your ad showing in the TOP of Google search results is extremely small.
Benefits of advertising on Google
1. The ability to show ads to an audience that is ready to buy.
You can decide for yourself which search phrases will show your ad. If you collect a list of search phrases with commercial links, you will be shown to users who are most likely to make a purchase or order a service, and thus avoid inefficient impressions and costs.
2. Ability to show ads in exact location
You can specify the geographic location where you want your ad to appear. For example, you can specify in the settings that your ad is shown only to those people who are in the required city, region, or only in the required radius (for example: 5-10 km from your company).
When comparing search advertising in Google Ads and, for example, targeted advertising on Facebook, we can note that with the help of Google Ads, you can show ads to the user as soon as his need has formed. For example, your business is sushi delivery. A user who wants to order sushi enters the required query into the search box and in response, he instantly receives a relevant advertisement that will allow him to place an order without wandering through the search results.
3. Flexibility to manage settings.
In Google Ads, you can quickly change settings, and focus on maximum efficiency. Elastic strategies are also available that will allow you to place ads with any budget.
4. You only pay if someone clicks on your ad.
Google uses a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising model, which means that you only pay if someone is interested in your ad and clicks on it. The cost per click on an ad depends on the bidding competition for the keyword that triggered the ad. You can set a bid cap on your ads and set a maximum daily budget. This is a very positive thing, which is very different from traditional advertising, which is shown to everyone without exception and costs a fixed amount.
5. Ability to track performance
With the help of the Google Ads advertising account, you can track and analyze many performance parameters, such as how many people see your ad, how many clicks were made on your ad, or the number of targeted actions on your site. By monitoring how your ad is performing, you can quickly make the necessary changes to improve your ad campaign.
Example: imagine you are the owner of a small flower shop and you ordered a billboard advertisement to advertise it. This type of advertising cannot be tracked and analyzed for improvement. You will make large investments without knowing if your investment is paying off. With Google Ads, you can stop showing ads at any time if you notice that you are not getting the results you want.
How does Google determine if your ad will appear on the results page?
Google Ads uses an algorithm to determine which competitor’s ads appear in search results.
Google Ads is essentially a type of auction, but it’s not just the highest bidder that wins. Google also takes into account the Quality Score, which allows you to determine how relevant your ad is to a search query, as well as how likely it is to get a click on your ad. Ads that have high bids and a high Quality Score are considered leaders and occupy TOP positions in search results.
Google uses three main factors to determine where on the results page your ad will appear:
1. Bet
A bid is a value that you set as the maximum CPC you are willing to pay. By setting different values, you can influence the volume of traffic and return on investment in advertising. The higher the bids, the more likely the campaign is to get more traffic.
2. Ad Quality Score
Quality Score – This number reflects the relevance of the ad to the keyword. Your ad must match the search term in order for it to appear at the top of the search results page. If someone searches for “wedding flowers”, it doesn’t make sense for Google to show ads for a nail salon. In this case, the system will assign a low relevance score because your ad is not related to the search query.
3. Page relevance
The system assigns a high relevance score when, after clicking on an ad, the user is taken to a landing page that contains information that is relevant to the ad and keyword. If you own a beauty salon and advertise a manicure service, you should include a manicure information page in your ads, not a home page that includes all your services.
The difference between mobile and desktop ads
In the campaign settings, you can adjust the share of traffic by device or completely exclude impressions on: computers, mobile devices.
More than half of Google searches are performed on mobile devices.
Three main differences between PC and mobile. advertising:
- Device Size: There is less space on a mobile device to display ads, so you need to make sure your ads are readable.
- Interest: there will be a lot of traffic from mobile devices, but even the most targeted one will not often convert. The thing is that a high percentage of people analyze the benefits of buying on various sites, and it is very convenient to do this from a mobile device;
- Click cost: CPCs will vary by device. For example, tablets typically have the lowest average CPC, while desktops tend to have the highest. This trend is typical mainly for business (B2B) and e-commerce. But there are also other overheated directions where the opposite can be true.
Advertising quality assessment
Writing smart and attractive ads that will make you want to click on them more than your competitors’ ads is not easy. You need to clearly state in your offer why you need to buy. It is also better to push the user to action and use a call. One of the important points is well-chosen extensions that will allow you to stand out from the competition.
Here are six points to consider when writing your ad:
- Use keywords in your ad. You need to use the same keywords that you are targeting. This is how the system understands that the ad is relevant to the user’s search query;
- Clearly formulate your offer: the user should immediately understand what you offer and how you can help fill his need. If you have an online store that offers many different products, make sure that your ad leads to a relevant product page or section for the keywords the user entered in the search;
- Draw the user’s attention to your ad. It is necessary to immediately convey to the user why he should choose you. Do you have a better selling proposition than a competitor or are you more reliable, more accessible? Do you have many positive reviews? Such information inspires confidence and generally has a positive effect on sales;
- Clear call to action: Users are more likely to click on an ad if they are told to take action. Examples of classic calls are “Order now and get a discount” or “Hurry, free shipping until 10.30”;
- Promotions: People love the process of getting a discount. You can include a promotional offer, such as “10% off shoes today!” or “Free shipping!”. This is understandable if you don’t want to offer a discount on top of advertising costs, but even a small promotional offer can attract a new customer;
- Use ad extensions. Extensions display additional information about your business, such as phone numbers, links to products, or the address of an offline store. And with the help of refiners, you can specify additional information that you could not provide due to the limited number of allowed characters in descriptions. Enabling extensions will increase the amount of space you take up on the results page. Plus, there are no extra costs to enable extensions.
Let’s summarize.
Google Ads search advertising is one of the main and most powerful advertising methods on the Internet, and the main advantage is that search advertising brings your business to the “ripe” buyers who are most ready to order. It is seen only by visitors who search for what the advertiser offers. Using search advertising allows you to get new customers on the first day of launch, and the effectiveness of this channel is one of the highest.
This type of advertising is one of the most expensive, but the money spent justifies itself. You get a large influx of potential customers to the site. Jodadeveloping has certified Google Ads specialists on its team and you can CONTACT US if you need help setting it up.