[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Funda Yildirim, Google Ads expert, guest hosted an eMarketeer Academy webinar for the ones that wanted to get to know Google Ads better and get some tips on how to succeed with them. In this post, you get the highlights from the webinar.
What is Google Ads?
Think of a shopping window in a physical store. You could say that Google Ads is just like that shopping window, but online. It’s your opportunity to show off your products to “online passers-by.” If the ads are compelling enough, people can click it and enter your website, just like they would after passing by a physical shopping window.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
Platforms
Once you’re gonna start with Google Ads, there are a couple of different platforms that you could use to work more efficiently with your ads. Funda mentions that you could use Google Analytics and the Google Ads Editor along with your Google Ads.
Goals
The first, and one of the most important things, to do when you get started with your Google Ads is to set a goal. Google will show various options of goals, for example, brand awareness or sales. Depending on what goal you pick, Google will present some options of campaigns (more on that soon) recommended for the goal you picked. For example, if you’re goal is brand awareness and reach, Google wouldn’t provide the “search campaign” option.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
Different Google Ads campaign types
There are a bunch of different types of campaigns to choose from. As mentioned, depending on the goal you pick in the first step, Google will give you campaign options that’s suitable for that goal. Here are a couple of different campaign types:
Search
The most commonly used campaign type is the search ads, which are the first results that show up on the page when you do a Google search. They are marked with “AD” and are triggered by the keywords you type in the Google search bar.
Display ads
Like a re-targeting campaign, the display ads are a great opportunity to show yourself again to your leads. When the leads see your ads multiple times, it’s easier for them to keep you in mind when it’s time for a purchase. Display ads have a bit higher bounce rate but they are viewed by more people, which makes it a good option for brand awareness.
Shopping ads
When you search for a specific product, the shopping ads show these products that are available at different companies, including their price. It allows the person that searches for the product to easily compare the offers from different vendors.
Video ads
The video ads are hosted on Youtube and there are a couple of different variations. The thing with video ads is that they can be skipped by the viewer so you only pay for the ad when the video has been watched for at least 30 seconds or if they interact with the video. So keep in mind to get your message across early on in the video, like in the first 5 seconds.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”10″][vc_column_text]
How to get started with Google Ads
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Bidding
First off, there are manual or automatic bidding. Funda noticed that when she uses a manual bidding strategy, Google will keep on recommending a higher budget. The automatic bidding is more “stable” and is set according to the bidding limit that you set. The automatic bidding is based on Google’s AI, but with manual bidding, you have to continuously monitor the campaigns.
Some examples of automated bidding strategies are:
- Target ROAS (return on ad spend), where you set a limit of how much a click should cost.
- Max conversions, where you also set a budget, and then Google tries to get you as many conversions as possible within that budget.
- Enhanced CPC, which is a bit of a mix between automated and manual bidding.
There are also different bidding types you can pick from depending on if you want to base it on clicks or impressions.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
How to reach your target audience
Funda points out that although you have a specific target group in mind, it also means that you basically exclude other groups that might still be interested in your product. In other words, don’t be afraid to broaden your audience a bit. A golden rule is that if an audience list has less than 1000 users, Google won’t use that audience list.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
Keywords
One of the most common mistakes is that many people don’t know that there are different types of keywords. They simply focus on the one that they think is relevant.
Another one is that is easy to bid against your own keywords. for example, if you set up two different keywords and the only difference between them is that you use upper and lower case letters, then those keywords are in a “bidding war” against each other.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
Devices and timing
Remember to adjust your campaign bidding according to the devices that your audience uses. If you get more results from mobile users, increase your bidding on those devices. Analyze what day and at what time your ads perform the best. If you’re on a tight budget, you can adjust your campaigns according to that timing. For example, if you don’t see any result on a Saturday, then there’s no point in paying to be shown on a Saturday. So, you could manage your campaigns so they only show on specific times or days.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]
Google Ads quick tips
- First off, Funda highlights the importance of a good structure within your ads account, for many reasons. It’s easier to navigate in, the hand-over to a colleague is easier and it’s more manageable if you’d like to expand to another market.
- Secondly, don’t let your budget limit you. Google Ads generates a lot of impressions, clicks, and conversions. A lot of it is still possible with a smaller budget.
- Lastly, combine your Google Ads with SEO. As an example, Funda says that they use the same meta description for their pages in their ads and see great results.
If you’re curious to learn more details about Google Ads from Funda, you can watch the recording of the webinar “Get to know Google Ads” here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]