Google, or rather its parent company Alphabet, has over the years acquired or spawned countless other businesses and technologies, yet its original search engine is still going strong. It remains one of the most visited websites on the planet, and therefore retains its position as one of the most powerful advertising platforms too. These days, businesses can expect Google’s advertising fees to reflect this, which means that Google Ads campaigns need to be extremely effective in order to make money.
A badly planned ad campaign can deplete your budget in no time, and it is estimated that around 25% of money spent on Google Ads and other pay-per-click opportunities is wasted. This can be avoided through research and careful planning.
This brief guide explores the essential elements of a good Google Ads campaign so that you can plan your own.
Set goals
You need to set specific and measurable goals at the outset, otherwise you will have nothing to measure your ad campaign’s performance against. That will surely lead to burning through your budget as we described. Knowing whether your campaign is delivering for your business is essential so that you can tweak it if it is underperforming or expand it if it’s working. This is the same whether you’re managing things yourself or outsourcing to a Google Ads agency.
Your goal can relate to anything, whether that’s click-throughs, sales, or leads. However, you must remember to include the increase you expect to see, and the deadline you want to see it by.
Know your audience
Traditional marketing methods such as TV and print ads have historically been very expensive because they could get your business in front of an extremely large audience. Only a tiny percentage of those would end up actually buying the product. Digital marketing methods like pay-per-click advertising give you the opportunity to target that tiny percentage directly and have lots of them buy it. The result? Similar sales numbers but at much lower cost.
The trick is to know what kind of people make up that tiny percentage. What is their background? Their job? When do they go online? What are they searching for? It is important to ask questions like these to make sure your ads appear in front of people with the genuine potential to become your customers.
Research keywords
Google Ads are those which say “sponsored” and appear at the top of search results pages. The ads that people see depend on the keywords they typed into the search bar. It is important that your website’s ad appears for keywords that your customers are searching for when they intend to buy something. Figuring out which ones to use requires some research.
There are numerous online tools which can help you identify these. Also, keywords do not have to be single words. So-called “long-tail” keywords contain three or more words. This allows you to be even more specific and to more accurately target your audience.
Conclusion
Measurable goals, a clearly defined audience, and carefully chosen keywords are the central aspects of a successful Google Ads campaign. Without these three simple things, it’s all too easy to end up paying for people with no intention of buying from your business.
