What is Google Ads?
Google Ads is the umbrella term for the advertising system of the search engine of the same name. Advertisers can place paid ads via the service. The platform belongs to the pay-per-click (PPC) model, which in turn is classified as performance marketing.
The system is suitable for these goals:
- Expand traffic to one’s website.
- Increase the efficiency of lead generation.
- Expand market share in the target group.
- Increase the frequency of customer phone inquiries.
- Attract more visitors to the brick-and-mortar store.
The special feature of Google’s advertising system is that the ads are played out specifically to people with an existing interest. This so-called matching is done by matching keywords between the user’s search intention and the content of the ad. For this, the advertiser must have previously launched a corresponding campaign.
Tip: An experienced digital marketing agency like ONELINE can help with the conception, implementation, and control of the campaign.
Advertisers should know these Google-specific terms
The way the ad platform works follows a simple principle. For a better understanding, it is nevertheless important to familiarize yourself with the following terms.
Display network
In addition to the search results page, there are other virtual places where Google can play paid ads. This collection of web pages is also known as the display network. Text-based ads, as well as visual ads, can be found there.
Bid
Google Ads allocates advertising space via its auction system. Advertisers can specify how much they want to spend as a maximum. The three possible billing options are:
- Cost-per-click: Cost-per-click (CPC)
- Cost per 1000 impressions: Cost-per-mille (CPM)
- Cost per interaction: Cost-per-engagement (CPE)
In competitive advertising spaces, it can be expensive to compete with other advertisers. At the same time, the level of bidding affects ad rank.
Ad rank
A highly visible placement affects the number of impressions and clicks. The ad rank tells in which position an ad is placed. For this purpose, the search engine multiplies the maximum bid for the ad space by the quality factor.
Quality factor
In addition to the bid amount, the quality factor influences the positioning of a paid ad. If you want to keep your bid low, you should optimize the criterion also known as Quality Score.
The 7 most important basic rules for Google Ads
After the terminology has been clarified, it is worth taking a look at the seven golden rules of a good Google Ads campaign. This prevents avoidable mistakes during planning and implementation.
1. Everything starts with a clearly defined goal
Anyone who has been exposed to marketing knows the SMART principle. The goals should be specific, measurable, attractive, realistic and timed. This is essential for an authentic analysis of success, which is of great importance in performance marketing.
2. Select the optimal campaign type
Google’s Ads system is designed to be versatile. During the ad creation process, the next step is to select the appropriate campaign type.
Here is an overview:
- Search ads: they are displayed on the search results page above the organic results.
- Display ads: These are classic banners for thematically appropriate websites from the display network.
- Video ads: Six to fifteen-second advertising clips are used on YouTube.
- Shopping ads: These present a specific product with additional information such as price and name of the advertising store.
App ads are a more recent campaign type. They appear on the display network and are used to encourage viewers to download the app.
3. It doesn’t work without the right keywords
When Google displays which ad depends on the previously defined keywords. With keywords, the advertiser determines for which searches his ad should appear. How exactly the match should be is adjustable during the configuration of the campaign.
Paid ads with unspecific keywords run into the void and eat up the marketing budget. As an online marketing agency, ONELINE helps maximize the return on investment of Google Ads for partners.
4. Tweak the title and description of the ad
Quickly cobbled together a campaign and enjoy hundreds of new clicks? Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple, even with Google. Instead, the headline and description text of the ad should be well thought out.
The better the content of the ad addresses the expectations and desires of the user, the more likely a click will be.
5. Use ad extensions wisely
Advertisers have a choice of free extensions to personalize the ad.
The variants at a glance:
- Sitelinks as additional links to specific subpages.
- Telephone number with visibly placed customer hotline in the ad
- Offer with reference to a temporary price reduction
- Location with display of address for stationary sales
- App with direct link to download in the app store
Which extension makes sense for the planned advertising campaign depends on the individual goal of the online marketing measure.
6. An appealing landing page is crucial for success
Clicking on the ad does not end the interaction. The quality of the landing page determines whether the prospect turns into a real customer. On the page, he should be welcomed by the content that was promised to him by the ad text.
Also important are intuitive navigation, short loading time and aesthetic appearance. If this is too much work for you, you can hire a web design agency to create the landing page.
7. Continuously analyze and optimize ads
What would online marketing be without the helpful little tools for analyzing success? They also play a central role in paid advertisements.
The truth is: hardly any ad campaign runs smoothly from the start. At this point, it’s important to stay on the ball and repeatedly adjust the strategy based on the key figures. This way, the investment in the measure pays off promptly.
Google Ads for more success in online marketing
The most used search engine in the world is one of the most attractive channels for paid advertisements. There are different types of campaigns to choose from, which Google can play out on numerous platforms. The best thing is that with the right approach, Google’s advertising system can also be used by providers with a tight budget.
The key is to tailor the ads precisely to the target group. In addition, the success of the campaign must be checked regularly in order to make optimizations if necessary. This is an ongoing process with many sub-steps, in which ONELINE can provide valuable support as a specialized online marketing agency.
