Basic Guide To Starting With Google Ads: How Much Money And Knowledge Do You Need?

Internet live stats confirm that there are over 100,000 Google searches each second as of 2022. That’s over 8.6 billion searches a day. That’s huge! Each search relevant to your product or service presents an opportunity to parade what you sell to the right audience.

Using Google Ads to promote your business is one of those opportunities that could cost-effectively grow your business tremendously. But you need to know how to do it right to realize a positive growth trajectory. 

As a business owner, you need to set aside a budget to invest in Google Ads. Alternatively, you can approach lenders who offer small business loans so that you capitalize on this advertising option for a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace.  

We’ll guide you through the process to make the most of this incredible marketing springboard. 

What Is Google Ads?

Google Ads is an online advertising platform that Google avails to businesses to bid and exhibit their products or services to potential buyers when they conduct Google searches on the internet. 

The ads may typically appear as a paid advert among the results of Google searches or appear on non-search videos, websites, or apps on mobile phones.  

Google Ads can potentially turbo-charge your marketing campaigns by displaying your brand before numerous prospects. 

Why Should Small Businesses Invest In Marketing Ads?

Here’s why your business should invest in Google Ads.

1. A flexible budget with no considerable upfront advertising costs

You can set up Google Ads with a small budget, unlike many other advertisement platforms that require a huge upfront cost. Besides, it has no minimum monthly costs. You’re in the driver’s seat of your advertisement budget and can set the daily cap on your advertising expenditure. When you need to spend more on advertising, you can reach for small business loans from digital lenders like Camino Financial. 

2. Easy to measure your marketing return on investment (ROI)

Google Analytics makes tracking traffic from a pay-per-click (PPC) advertisement to your landing page and the eventual purchases a breeze. It’s a fantastic tool to measure the effectiveness of your online marketing strategy to help you optimize your efforts.  

3. Improving your sales leads and conversions

Google Ads can potentially turbo-charge your marketing campaigns by displaying your brand before numerous prospects. This increases the traffic to your landing page that can potentially result in higher conversion and sales. 

4. Attaining a competitive edge 

Competitors using Google Ads are likely going to outrank you on a Google search even if you’re ranking well on organic searches. That’s why you need to consider using Google Ads to bypass the slow process of ranking highly using organic-SEO as you continue to optimize your website for SEO.

5. Efficiency as it focuses on targeted audiences

With Google Ads, you can zero in on audiences based on their location, demographics, time, or the devices they’re using. Data mining from such a focused marketing campaign can help you fine-tune your subsequent pay-per-click ads to maximize audience efforts with a high conversion rate. 

6. Quicker results

Let’s be honest. Many small and new businesses struggle to rank highly using organic SEO as it takes time to rank highly. A pay-per-click campaign makes it easier to rank highly with promoted content. 

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Getting Customers Through Google Ads

Advantages of Google Ads

Disadvantages of Google Ads

What You Need To Know To Create An Ads Campaign

Budget

Determine what you intend to spend on the advertising campaign. Can your business generate sufficient cash flows to support the budget? If not, consider external financing through small business loans.

Marketing ROI

Be clear on the expected returns from the advertising initiative. A successful marketing campaign should drive relevant traffic to the business and increase sales over the organic sales growth. 

Have a highly targeted audience

For high conversion, define your audience clearly and reach them most appropriately with their buying journey.

Type of advertising

Google Ads may come in search campaigns, video campaigns, display campaigns, app campaigns, or shopping campaigns. Choose what’s most suitable for your targeted audience. 

Competitor analysis

Find out what others in your industry are doing, what’s working, and what’s not. This will help you benchmark against best practices in the industry to formulate advertising strategies that are proven to work. 

How To Create A Google Ads Campaign

We’ll outline a simplified guide to setting up your Google Ads.

• Familiarize yourself with the basic terms used such as Bid, Keyword, CPC (Cost-per-click), Ad Rank, Conversion.
• Have a clear goal for your advertising campaign; are you looking for more signups, more customer visits from your location, or increased calls?
• Select a target audience for your campaign
• Pick the keywords you’ll use for your campaign using Google’s keyword planner 
• Refine your keywords by selecting the appropriate keyword match type on Google
• Set up your budget; determine the daily Cost-Per-Click that you’re willing to pay for the advertisement
• Link the ad to your website’s landing page, where you’ll drive traffic for potential conversion; the page should be simple, clear, and compelling to convert leads into sales.
• Determine what devices you want your ad to be shown on; are your customers mostly on mobile devices, computers, or both? 
• Craft a winning ad; it should be persuasive yet straightforward to draw in the reader and convert casual leads into enthusiastic buyers.
• Link your account to Google Analytics for vital data on how visitors to your page interact with the contents and the ad.
• Activate your ad and await approval from Google for your advert to go live. 

Tips To Save Your Marketing Budget

Businesses that optimize their marketing budgets improve on their bottom line and eventually grow. With these simple tips, you can save on your marketing budget.

• Ruthlessly work with data from previous marketing campaigns to see what works and what doesn’t. Stick with strategies that are proven to bring results
• Work on retaining existing clients by rewarding loyalty and offering benefits to those who give referrals. 
• Capitalize on low-hanging fruits by having an effective social media presence on platforms that are popular with your target audience.
• Work at growing the organic SEO to your online resources over time by offering valuable insights and linking to worthwhile networks.

Conclusion

Google Ads can be a valuable online marketing alternative for small businesses looking to increase sales and raise awareness. Google Ads is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform offered by Google that allows businesses to display their ads on Google's search engine results pages, websites within the Google Display Network, and other Google-owned properties.

Here are some reasons why small businesses should consider taking a keen interest in Google Ads:

• Reach a wider audience: Google is the most widely used search engine globally, with billions of searches conducted every day. By advertising on Google, small businesses can reach a vast audience of potential customers actively searching for products or services related to their business.
• Targeted advertising: Google Ads offers various targeting options to help businesses reach their desired audience. Businesses can target specific keywords, geographic locations, demographics, interests, and even specific websites within the Google Display Network. This level of targeting ensures that ads are shown to the right people at the right time, increasing the chances of conversions.
• Cost-effective: Google Ads allows businesses to set their own budget and pay only when someone clicks on their ads (PPC). This means that small businesses can start with a modest budget and adjust it as needed based on the results they achieve. Additionally, Google Ads provides insights and analytics to help businesses optimize their campaigns and maximize their return on investment (ROI).
• Measurable results: One of the significant advantages of online advertising is the ability to measure results accurately. Google Ads provides comprehensive reporting and tracking features that allow businesses to monitor the performance of their campaigns. This data helps in identifying which ads, keywords, or targeting methods are driving the most traffic and conversions, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions and refine their strategies accordingly.
• Flexibility and control: Google Ads provides businesses with a high degree of flexibility and control over their campaigns. Businesses can create multiple ad variations, test different messaging and visuals, and optimize their campaigns based on real-time data. This flexibility allows small businesses to experiment, learn from their results, and continuously improve their advertising efforts.
• Remarketing opportunities: Google Ads offers remarketing capabilities, allowing businesses to target people who have previously visited their website or interacted with their brand. Remarketing can be a powerful strategy to re-engage potential customers, increase brand recall, and improve conversions.

It's important to note that while Google Ads can be a valuable marketing tool, it's essential for small businesses to have a clear understanding of their target audience, marketing goals, and budget limitations. Creating well-crafted ads, conducting thorough keyword research, and regularly monitoring and optimizing campaigns are key to maximizing the effectiveness of Google Ads.