Term

Google Ads (Adwords)

noun

Google Ads is an advertising platform owned and operated by Google. It’s designed to help businesses reach audiences faster through its search engine and partner platforms.

What Is Google Ads?

Google Ads is an advertising platform owned and operated by Google. It’s designed to help businesses reach audiences faster through its search engine and partner platforms. The ads system was first introduced in October 2000 as Google AdWords, but Google later rebranded it and shortened its name to Google Ads.

How Google Ads Works?

Google Ads runs on the pay-per-click model. This means they let you target specific keywords on Google and put a bid on them. You compete with others who are also targeting the same keywords. The maximum amount you are willing to pay for a keyword is called your maximum bid. For example, if your maximum bid is $4 and Google puts your cost per click at $2, then you get that ad. If they determine that the cost is higher than $4, then someone else gets that spot.

Alternatively, you can set up a maximum daily budget for your ads. This means not spending more than a specific budget for the ad every day, so you can better understand how much you can budget for any campaign.

Google Ads also gives you three choices for how you want to pay:

Cost-per-click: the amount you pay when a user clicks on your ad
Cost-per-mile: how much you pay every 1000 impressions
Cost-per-engagement: the cost you pay when a user performs a particular action on your ad

Once you set up a bid, Google will pair it with the Quality Score of your ad. Quality score is the average estimate of the quality of your ads, landing pages, and keywords. Higher quality ads have a lesser price and better positions.

The score is between 1 and 10 – with 10 being the highest score. The higher your score, the better you rank and the lesser you spend converting. The quality score combined with the bid amount makes your Ad Rank. It is the position your ads will appear in the SERPs. When the user sees an ad and clicks on it, the marketer will pay a small fee for the click. The idea is to make more people click on the ad to accomplish your ad goals.

Now that you have grasped how Google Ads works, let’s look at the types of campaigns you can run for your business.

Types of Google Ads Campaigns

Google offers a variety of different campaigns for companies to choose from, including:

Search campaign: Text ad in the SERP for the keyword
Display campaign: Using Google’s extensive partner network to show your ad
Shopping campaign: Image ad in the SERP
Video campaign: Ads shown in the beginning or during YouTube videos
App campaign: App ads are also part of the display network

How to Use Google Keyword Planner

The Keyword Planner is Google’s free tool to help you identify high-potential keywords. It works in a very simple way: search for phrases or words related to your niche, and it will find insights on those keywords, plus how many people search for them (aka. search volume). Moreover, the Keyword Planner suggests a bid price and tells you how competitive some keywords are. You can make better decisions regarding your bids with this tool.

Getting started is simple. Go to the Keyword Planner tool and follow the steps mentioned below:

Sign in to your Google account and click “New Google Ads Account.” Confirm your business information on the next page, and if it all looks good, click “Submit.”
Next, go to the “Explore your Campaign” page. When you are on the dashboard, click “Tools & Settings” > “Keyword Planner.” Now the Keyboard Planner’s dashboard should be visible to you.

How to Advertise on Google: Steps

Step 1: First, go to the Google Ads homepage, then click “Start Now”. If you’re redirected to the dashboard, click “New Campaign.” Now, you’ll choose your campaign goal and let Google know about the audience you want to target and how you intend to bid and pay.

Step 2: Enter your business name on the next page, then click “Next.” You can now add a URL where users will go after they click the ad. You can choose keyword themes on the next page and click “Next” when done.

Step 3: Next, mention the location where you want Google to display your ad. This can be a near-specific location or a broader region.

Step 4: Write the headline and description for your ad. You can see the ad preview and continue tweaking the copy until you’re satisfied. One tip is to revisit your buyer persona and see what type of language resonates best with the audience; use the same style and voice when writing the copy for your ads.

Step 5: Finally, put in your billing information and any promo codes you have for a discount and click “Finish.”

That’s how you create an ad through the Google Ads platform.

Difference Between SEO and Google AdWords

Google Ads and SEO are unique in their own ways. SEO involves creating content that fulfills the expectations of your audience and building links through social media and outreach. Since both of these methods take time, it can be a while before you see an ROI from investing in SEO.

Google Ads, meanwhile, allow you to get in front of your audience, fast. As soon as Google approves your ads, they’re displayed to people who type in specific queries on search engines, giving immediate exposure to your business. Compared to SEO, Google Ads can help you gain near-instant visibility for relevant keywords, even before you have a web presence.