New entrepreneurs may feel overwhelmed with the task of growing a business from the ground up. You can use traditional marketing tactics or Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to gain new customers or clients, but these methods take a long time to become effective.
Google Ads can produce results immediately. With the help of Google Ads, your website can rank higher in the Google Search results faster than it would with SEO. It takes a long time for a business to receive profitable organic traffic, but paid traffic can help new businesses earn customers right away.
Unfortunately, there is room for error when it comes to digital marketing. With Google Ads, it’s difficult to figure out which keywords you should bid on higher and how to improve your quality score. Before launching a campaign, it’s best to read up on how to successfully advertise using Google Ads.
In this article, I will go over the most important tips every new business should know when beginning Google Ads.
Choose the Right Network for Your Business
There are a few types of networks within Google Ads. Search, Display, Shopping, and Video are all important in their own way. Research each type and decide which fits your business or brand best.
1. Search: Whenever someone types in the Google search bar, they are met with a long list of search results. These links are ranked by Google’s algorithm based on organic search traffic or paid advertisements. Mastering your search campaign is crucial because Google Ads are listed first in the search results. If your ad ranks first, more people will click your advertisement. More importantly, people who search on Google are intentionally searching for a link to click on. If your keywords align with their search term and your content is great, your ad will have high conversion rates.
2. Display: Google’s display network does not always receive as many conversions as Search does, but it is still useful. First off, Display ads are shown on websites and articles. They are images that essentially pop up on the webpage. Display has lower conversion rates and CTRs, but it is less expensive than Search. Also, the display network plays a large role in remarketing because you can put your image ads on other websites.
3. Shopping: Consumers are searching for products they’re interested in buying on Google more than ever, especially on their mobile devices. Investing time and money into Google Ads’ Shopping network can be beneficial for businesses that sell products. Shopping ads are not exclusive to the Shopping tab on Google. Google search and image results and YouTube all generate Shopping ads. A great aspect of Shopping ads are they show an image, price, product name, and store all in one link.
4. Video: The Video Network involves YouTube ads. These ads play before, during, or after a YouTube vide. They can also be displayed in the YouTube search results or related video section. If you can film and edit creative and engaging video content, YouTube ads can help build your brand. Viewers will be intrigued by your product and head over to your website. High quality videos help people remember your product and trust your brand.
It’s useful to invest in all four, but some are a better fit than others. Overall, Search involves the most intention and active searching on Google, which can help a new business quickly earn profits. Your Search, Video, Display, and Shopping campaigns should all be separate campaigns for the most accurate data and best results.
Pick Match Types Based on Research and Your Brand
Google Ads keyword match types refer to how similar the search terms are to your keywords. You should use all three match types for the best results. It’s important for a search campaign to understand the distinctions between the match types to choose the right option for a keyword.
1. Exact Match: This match type generates ads with keywords identical to the search term. It results in higher conversion rates and Click Through Rates (CTR). However, for every positive there’s a negative. Since it’s the most specific option, it’s also the most expensive. In the beginning of your search campaign, take note of which keywords result in the most conversions. Eventually, you can bid higher on these keywords to help you rank higher. Before you even launch your campaign, research keywords and consider what search terms relate to your business the most.
2. Phrase Match: Unlike exact match, this match type is a little less specific. Phrase match produces advertisements with keywords in the same order as the search term. For example, the phrase match keyword “vegan restaurants” can match to “best vegan restaurants,” but not to “restaurants with vegan food.” It is less expensive than exact, but has potentially lower CTRs and conversion rates.
3. Broad Match: Advertisements receive the most traffic from Broad keywords. Unfortunately, the conversion rate from broad match types is typically low because it’s not as specific. The two kinds of broad match types are “Pure Broad” and “Modified Broad.” The first means your ad will appear when your keyword is similar to anything in the search term. The second means Google shows your ad if your keyword matches any word within the search term.
Start with a Low Campaign Budget
You would never put all your eggs in one basket, especially if it was your first time carrying a basket! So why would you put a ton of money into your first attempt at a Google Ads campaign? If you set your digital marketing budget too high right off the bat, you will find yourself wasting too much money.
In the beginning, your budget should be on the lower end. It takes some time to collect enough data on which keywords are working and to expand your negative keyword list. If you pour money into keywords that you’re unsure if they’ll even work or not, you are essentially gambling.
As a new business, your marketing budget is most likely tight. In the beginning, start with a low campaign budget and slowly increase it based on your data. This will ensure all your marketing money will be put to good use.
Frequently Track These Common Google Ads Metrics
Google Ads metrics are the numbers and data related to your campaigns. There is a lot of confusing data when managing a Google Ads campaign, but these are the most important metrics to pay attention to.
1. Conversion Rate: When people click on your ad, the hope is that they will actually buy the product, sign up for the service, or call the company’s phone number. The conversion rate is the number of times the goal is performed divided the potential opportunities.
2. Cost per Conversion: The goal is to have a high conversion rate and low Cost per Conversion. Then you will earn a big profit from each conversion. Cost per Conversion is also commonly referred to as Cost per Action (CPA). This metric is the amount spent for each conversion.
3. Click-Through Rate (CTR): This is the number of clicks divided by impression. Higher click-through rates can increase your Quality Score. More on Quality Score below.
4. Quality Score: Google ranks advertisements based on their keywords and its quality score. Relevant keywords, higher CTR, higher conversion rates, and adding ad extensions all increase quality score.
5. Cost: As I discussed in the last tip, campaign budgets should be low in the beginning. You should set priorities for expenses within your campaign. For example, some keywords should receive more money than others if they are performing well.
Understanding Google Ads metrics can help you determine where traffic and clicks are coming from. If you track this data frequently, you can improve your campaigns and receive higher metrics.
Target the Correct Locations
A new business may not have an Ecommerce store or ship internationally in the beginning. New business owners want to target their ads towards an audience capable of making purchases or signing up for their services.
Google Ads accounts are set to be shown to users all over the country. When you first make your account, you must turn off this setting. You also should only select the “Presence” setting, not “Interest.” The interest setting targets your ad to people who show interest in your location, but someone can show interest in a city without living there.
Say you start a custom-made surfboard business located in California. You have a store in San Francisco and the option to ship to anywhere on the West Coast. If someone from New York searches for Californian surf boards, they may come across your ads. However, you cannot ship to this person and their click on your ad will ultimately not result in a conversion.
Ensuring your Google Ads are targeting a specific location and blocking irrelevant locations prevents clicks on your ad without conversions. These are simple fixes that can save you money and improve your ads’ performance.
Start with Manual Bidding
Google Ads has the option of allowing Google’s software to automatically set your bids on keywords for you. However, it’s crucial for new businesses to use manual bidding when they first make a Google Ads account.
I know what you’re thinking to yourself right now: “If there are so many possible mistakes a new advertiser can make, why not just choose the automated bidding system and let Google handle my advertisements?” While this sounds like the perfect solution, it’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make when you first start your advertising campaign.
Google’s algorithm needs enough data to get your ad to rank high. If you begin with automated strategies without proper data, this will lead to poor results. Unlike manual bidding on keywords, you have no control with automated bidding. Therefore, it’s harder to tell which keywords and search terms result in conversions, and you cannot make the conscious decision to increase bidding on certain words and make others negative keywords.
Even better, manual bidding also helps you prevent location targeting errors. Overall, manually bidding on your keywords in the beginning sets up a foundation for future success of your Google Ads.
Conclusion
Digital marketing is difficult to get a good grasp of in general, let alone when you’re business is starting completely fresh. These tips can help you start your Google Ads account off on the right foot. If you want to make the process easier and faster, include a Google AdWords consultant or agency to your marketing team. Either way, a great Google Ads campaign can be a real game changer for any new business!
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