You want to promote your business… but with ads everywhere, it’s hard to decide what to use. Not only are there Google Ads, Facebook ads, and conventional print and TV ads – but you can also find ads inside apps of all kinds and even at the pump while getting gas. With all of these options, it’s a good time to examine Google Ads, the benefits of Google Ads, and their place in the current advertising and marketing environment.
Previously known as AdWords and Google AdWords, it’s a pay-per-click ad platform. It delivers text-based ads in search engine results pages (SERPs) based on the keywords the advertiser designates. The advertiser only pays if someone clicks on the ad. The budget you set, along with other parameters, determines how often your ads appear in SERPs.
What Do You Use Google Ads For?
Google Ads appear when people are searching for a product, service, or information on a specific topic. For example, someone who is suddenly experiencing hair loss or excessive hair shedding might research topics like “how much hair shedding is normal?”, “is more hair shed certain times of the year?”, and “common hair loss causes.” Google Ads will then deliver ads alongside normal search results for things like hair loss procedure providers, medication to treat hair loss, and more.
Why is this important? Because it puts ads for your products and services right in front of people already interested in (and somewhat motivated by) your topic. That’s half the battle in advertising.
So, Google Ads are used to improve the visibility of your business. More importantly, they’re one method of bringing interested and motivated prospects into your sales funnel.
Are Google Ads a Good Idea?
Google is the most popular search engine, with an average of 86-96% of search engine market share worldwide. It processes 1.2 trillion queries every year, and processes more than 100,00 searches every second. Why wouldn’t you want to be seen there?
Additionally, campaign parameters can be set for any size budget. Because Google prioritizes ad quality, a business with a smaller budget can do as well or better than a business with a big budget (but lower quality ads).
Among other benefits of Google Ads, Google is well known for its performance tracking and analytics tools. These then enable you to track results and adjust campaigns as needed to fine-tune and improve results.
Are Google Ads Worth It?
A business should always evaluate whether an ad platform is a good fit for their brand and their goals. That said, Google’s overall market dominance in search means that it is likely to have at least some benefit to almost any company.
Because prospects see Google Ads for your business when they’re already searching for your keywords, it means that the ads engage them while the topic is front of mind. They can click and go right to your website and learn more about your products and services. That alone makes Google Ads worth it for many businesses.
When Should You Not Use Google Ads?
If your business is in a very small and highly specialized niche, Google Ads may be too broad for your purposes. If you’re a do-it-yourself marketer who tends not to watch your metrics and results, you also might want to wait until you can be more diligent. Even when setting firm budget parameters, Google Ads require monitoring to ensure that the campaigns are delivering as desired – so you don’t waste money.
Search Engine Journal also found that campaigns spending less than $3000 a month (on average) have been less effective in recent years. Some businesses with budgets in that range continue to perform just fine, but a combination of platform changes and increased use of privacy settings appear to be adversely affecting many small campaigns.
Let the Google Ads Experts at Efferent Media Run Your Campaigns
DIY can be effective for saving money in some cases, but Google Ads aren’t one of them. Expert management can deliver greater ROI and be more cost effective in the long run. Talk to Efferent Media about ad options for your business including PPC, Google Ads, and more. Contact us today to schedule a meeting.