What are Google Ads & Why You Should be Using Them
Every day billions of searches are carried out on Google; according to HubSpot, they estimate over 6 Billion unique searches every 24 hours. If you look at Google’s latest quarterly results, it’s clear that this trend is only getting stronger despite competition from other search engines in the EU.
What are Google Ads?
“Google Ads is Google’s online advertising program, the program allows you to create online ads to reach audiences that are interested in the products and services you offer. The Google Ads platform runs on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, i.e. you have to pay every time a visitor clicks your ad” - Google
When launching digital marketing campaigns, it can be hard to navigate the changing landscape. Users are shifting platforms like never before; in fact, by Facebooks own leaked internal estimates, since 2019, 13% of teenagers have left Facebook & Instagram with projections this will increase to 45% within the next two years. Gen Z is fast becoming many business’ most important demographic, as they begin to outspend millennials in market buying power. However, other than moving money into fast-growing networks like TikTok and Snap, Google has remained a dominant Market force that has increased in popularity.
Google Shopping & PPC Placements
Why Should you invest in Google Ads & PPC
Marketing Reach:
To understand Google's popularity, you also need to understand how the brand has transformed itself. The word Google isn't just a brand; according to Merriam Websters Dictionary, it's now a verb. Google has created an association with its company and questions so strong, that people don't even think twice about ‘googling’ something. Every company dreams of having this marketing power, and it's yours to harness.
Buyer Intent:
Listen, we are not here to tell you social media marketing doesn’t work; every day, we personally see incredible results. However, the way social media works is very different from Google, which is all down to intent. When you launch a social media campaign, you target people based on interests, qualifications, and activity online. While this is valuable information, it can also lead to ads appearing to the wrong people. If you list your job incorrectly, share an account with someone who searched for something, or just engage with everything they see on the app, the ads will be diluted, and spending will be wasted.
Google is different; if someone opens Google, they open it with the intent to search for something and find an answer. This creates a perfect situation to display relevant ads to users. When your ad appears on a search engine, it often helps the user find the answer instead of interrupting their time on a social network.
Youtube Ads
Google Ad Bidding:
Unlike other Networks, Google uses a targeting method based on bidding. So, what is Bidding?
“A bid represents the amount of money you are willing to spend for a single click on a given keyword in Google Ads. Those bids will dictate where your ads show up in search results” - New Breed Revenue
If you hypothetically searched for analytical software, as long as Google is doing its job, you would see a range of relevant software companies. Suppose you own your own analytical software company, and are looking to acquire new users; in that case, you can bid on specific keywords to bring your company’s website to the top of user searches, which will be displayed as an ad.
Launching keyword campaigns allows you to capture user information with your post-click landing page and send them informative content that proves your authenticity. If they don't click your ad and convert, you can use retargeting software to bring that back into your funnel later.
You can also bid on long-tail keywords searches, such as 'Analytical software for marketers'. Not only are these bids cheaper, but they also are highly relevant to a user’s search. Remember, with Google, you want to be the answer to a question.
Google Display Ads
Types of Google Ads
Many people think of Google Ads as a traffic driver through pay-per-click ads located only on the search engine. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Google offers a wide range of Google Ad types that scale across the internet, including other people’s websites and even Youtube.
So, what different types of ads do Google offer?
The first type of ads that we have been over above are known as Search Ads. Search ads are displayed within results and, if done well, answer users' search inquiries, lead to website clicks, and ultimately conversions.
The next type we have is Google Shopping Ads. If you go on google right now and search 'bar stool', you will see results for a wide range of stools available from hundreds of websites. I use this function daily to shop as it offers options outside usual suspects, like Amazon, and can be a great way to find small, unique independent businesses. If you own an e-commerce business and want to showcase your products to a wide range of people with purchase intent, we highly recommend Google Shopping.
Next up, we have Google Display Ads. When you search the web, you will see ads for products across the top of the page, the side of the page or sometimes, if you are reading a news article, it can appear within the content feed. While there are many ways to launch ads like this (including through Facebook’s Audience Network), Google is a great and easy way to get your visual ads out onto the web. If you are already running any other ads through Google, it might be worth asking your marketing manager for a report to see if this is a viable marketing option for you.
The last ad type we want to mention is another visual one on a website you might think of, Youtube! That's right; Google offers a simple and intuitive way to get your adverts out on the worlds largest video sharing platform. If you have a strong visual identity and want to share a story on certain relevant YouTube content, this is another excellent way to advertise. Although data shows that YouTube watch time is increasing on TV, while a mobile user can click directly on your ad and visit your website, TV watchers won’t have that option. So think of this as Brand Awareness to get your message out there!
As you can see, Google offers so many different options to promote your business. If you're not sure how to start, our trained marketing professionals are here to help. Click here to get in touch and find out how we can use Googles marketing tools to transform your business.
