Getting Started with Google Ads

Are you looking to reach more customers, have results higher in SERPS, and strengthen your online presence? Creating campaigns with Google Ads can be a great way to make a dent in these areas very quickly. Google Ads is a powerful platform that can put your creativity and budget to work for you. If you’re brand new to Google Ads, it can seem like a lot to grasp at first. Let’s take a look at a few step that you can take to get started with Google Ads and gain an understanding into how it all works.

First, we need to understand what we’re going to be doing and accomplishing by using Google Ads. Like we already talked about above, Google Ads is a great way to reach more customers and have your content rank higher in search results, but how exactly?

Google Ads is very different from traditional, organic SEO. In traditional SEO, it takes great content plus time to build up your search rankings. With Google Ads, it takes no time at all. Google Ads is a form of paid marketing, which means that your budget determines where your result lands in search rankings. Google Ads works as a form of an auction, where the higher your bid/budget, the more likely it is that your result is higher. That’s not always the case though. Google also factors the quality of your ad into where it ranks on search pages. Budget + Ad Quality = High Search Result.

Google Ads is also different in how you pay for it. Unlike other digital ads (such as Facebook Ads) where you pay based on CPM, or Cost per 1000 Impressions, Google Ads are PPC (Pay-Per-Click). PPC means that you only pay for an ad each time someone clicks on your ad. This is great for you since your ad only shows for relevant searches which means that your budget isn’t wasted on eyeballs (views) only and those that are clicking on your ad are already motivated to buy. This is a great way to maximize your budget and increase your ROI.

Now that we know a bit more about what Google Ads is, let’s figure out how to set up your first campaign.

Setting Up Your Google Ads Account

Setting up for Google Ads account is easy. Log in to your Google account and navigate to the Google Ads icon found in the menu. Once you’re there follow the few steps to input your business information and you’ll be ready to go.

Once you’re in, you’ll see the main Google Ads dashboard. This gives you an overview of all of your campaigns, ad spend, and results. To see results for individual campaigns, you’ll navigate to the Campaigns tab on the left side.

Creating an Ad Campaign

Now that your account is set up, let’s create your first ad campaign. First, you’ll click on the New Campaign button in the top left. Google Ads makes it super simple to create different ad campaigns by tailoring the experience based on your campaign goals. Choose the goal for your first campaign and Google Ads will optimize the ad experience to help you achieve the best results.

In this example, we’ll create an ad with a sales-based objective and we’ll chose a Display ad for our Campaign Type. Type in the URL for your online store, create your conversion tracking tag, and we’re on to the next step.

On the next page, you can optimize for your target audience. You can choose the ideal demographic, location, and languages for your ad here. You’ll want to be as specific as your can so that your ad targets customers that are serious about converting and making a purchase. Remember, you want your ROI as high as possible!
The next step is setting your budget. When setting your budget, keep in mind your goals for this campaign. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a successful campaign. Choose an amount that is comfortable and within your company’s budget and start there. You can also make adjustments later to increase or reduce the budget depending on the results you’re seeing.

Now that your ad is targeted and budgeted, it’s time to design your ad content. Google’s built in tools can help you determine the best content to ensure your ad is complete and appealing, but it’s up to you to get started. To create your ad, you can use video, images, and text. Be sure to include important business information and a Call to Action.

If you’re stuck in the content creation phase, Canva is a great place to design and get some inspiration.

Once your ad is designed, you’re just about ready to launch. You can preview and review your ad on the next page. Once everything is just the way you like it, you’re ready to go!

After your ad is published and live, you’ll begin seeing results in your Dashboard. Even though Google Ads is much faster performing that traditional SEO, it still may take time for Google to optimize your ad so you can achieve the exact results that you’re looking for. Give it a little time and don’t pull your ad and shrink your budget too soon. This is why it’s a good idea to start slow with a smaller budget.

There you have it! Now you’re ready to begin using Google Ads to increase sales, get more leads, and get your website to the top of search results faster than ever before.