Google Ads for Small Businesses: Made Simple
Navigate
Advertising online is important for any business. But it’s especially critical for small local businesses that want to drive traffic to their stores and compete with larger corporations. Fortunately, Google Ads is one of the best ways to market your small business. It’s an intuitive, accessible platform and it can be very cost-effective once you know how to use it.
But what if you’re not sure where to start, or you don’t know what Google Ads is in the first place? Today, let’s break down Google Ads for small businesses in detail.
What Are Google Ads for Business?
In a nutshell, Google Ads is a very popular and highly competitive online ad platform. While it was previously called Google Adwords, it was rebranded to Google Ads in 2018.
Regardless, Google Ads showcases ads from companies just like yours when searchers input certain keywords. Most Google Ads show up on search engine results pages or SERPs. For instance, if you have a small business making handmade jewelry, your ads could show up on the Google search results pages for keywords like “jewelry”, “pretty gifts”, and so on.
Google Ads is an effective way to advertise online because of its reach. Simply put, everyone uses Google. By advertising with Google Ads, you can place your advertisements right in front of the eyes of millions of people.
How Do Google Ads Work?
Google Ads are all PPC or pay-per-click ads. Put simply, marketers such as yourself can target specific keywords on Google, then bid for those keywords. You make “maximum bids” of the maximum amount of money you are willing to pay for an ad slot for a specific keyword.
For example, say that you have a maximum bid for an ad slot for a certain keyword at $5. If that’s the highest anyone bids for that keyword, you get the ad placement. If someone bids more than you, you do not.
Then, you only have to pay Google if someone actually clicks on the ads (hence the pay per click name). If someone were to click on the ad for the above-mentioned $5 slot, you’d have to pay Google $5.
You can bid for ad slots in one of three ways:
- Cost per click or CPC. You bid on how much you have to pay when a user clicks on one of your PPC ads
- Cost per mille or CPM. You bid on how much you’ll pay per 1000 ad impressions or views
- Cost per engagement or CPE. You bid on how much you pay when a user does an action for the ad, like watching a video or signing up for an email newsletter
Depending on the specifics of your campaign, you can bid on ads using one or all of the above ways. Google Ads, of course, does not refund you if someone clicks on an ad and then chooses not to make a purchase at your online store. Therefore, you should think carefully about the keywords you bid for and the types of ads you put on the platform.
Google Ad Types
There are many different types of Google ads you can use in marketing campaigns for your small business. In many cases, the right type of Google ad will perform much better than others, thus improving the bang you get for each marketing buck.
Search Campaign Ads
First up search for campaign ads. These appear as basic text ads in the results listings for keywords. Search ads are short, sweet, and to the point, and are great for both boosting awareness and bringing people to your product pages or landing pages.
Display Campaign Ads
Display campaign ads can appear on various third-party websites partnered with Google Ads. These will also appear on the email platform Gmail, plus apps that are part of the Google app network. Overall, these are another type of versatile, widespread ad that you should leverage fairly frequently.
Shopping Campaign Ads
Shopping campaign ads are only found on Google shopping lists. These can be advantageous since they let you directly promote your products with a visual thumbnail. They’re excellent for brands that have lots of products ready to go and plenty of stellar pictures to advertise them with.
Video Campaign Ads
Video campaign ads are exactly what they sound like: ads that appear in front of you to videos on the pre-roll side of the screen. They’re great for advertising to people watching YouTube specifically.
Technically, these ads also encompass so-called discovery ads. These are found on YouTube search results pages at the top of the screen. If you have some video ads ready to go, stick them on Google Ads for small business marketing results you’ll appreciate.
App Campaign Ads
Last is app campaign ads. These are displayed in the Google app network and can be used for more targeting advertising campaigns. Note that these ads can be cost-effective if you have a small marketing team, as you don’t have to design each ad individually. Instead, Google will take the text and assets like photos and make ads for you.
Do Google Ads Work for Small Businesses?
They absolutely can, provided they are leveraged correctly. Google Ads won’t automatically cause your marketing profits to skyrocket. However, Google Ads works for small businesses because of its many benefits and because its ads can reach a wider number of potential customers than other marketing efforts.
Simply put, Google Ads is so effective because the ads are shown across Google search results. Since many millions of people use Google every day, there’s no easier way for small businesses to get themselves in front of the eyes of tons of people quickly and easily.
Benefits of Using Google Small Business Ads
There are lots of benefits to using Google Ads for your online advertising campaign.
Google Ads is Cost-Effective
For starters, Google Ads is very cost-effective. As noted above, you only have to pay when people click on your ads or otherwise interact with them. That prevents you from wasting money on digital advertising that doesn’t generate traffic to your website.
Of course, you still have to convert visitors to your website into paying customers. Still, in comparison to other digital advertising platforms, Google Ads is very affordable, especially for small business owners.
Google Ads is Scalable
Perhaps more importantly, Google Ads can scale to your business needs. That means, as you earn more revenue, you can funnel more money into Google Ads campaigns. For example, you can bid on more competitive keywords or put out more ads with a minimum of hassle. It’s easy to ramp up your Google Ads marketing campaigns once your business gets going.
Google Ads is Measurable
It’s a good idea to analyze how your marketing campaigns perform over time. Google Ads makes this easy with a dedicated dashboard and control panel. You can easily see which of your ads perform best, make more ads like those, and cut ads that don’t perform up to your standards using its powerful tool suite.
Google Ads Drives Sales and Brand Awareness
Most important of all, Google Ads can help to drive sales and brand awareness for your company across the board. Because people use Google every day, advertising on this digital marketing platform is one of the most effective means to get your brand name out there, particularly if your business is still young and just starting out.
How to Use Google Ads Effectively for Your Small Business Marketing
That all said, you have to use Google Ads properly to see major impacts on your small business marketing campaigns.
Start with a Clear Goal
For starters, make sure that you begin with a clear advertising goal, such as a set number of conversions or impressions you want to make. This will help you choose the right type of Google ad and set a clear advertising budget.
Choose Locations
It’s always wise to target your Google Ads to searchers from specific locations, especially if you run a small local business. Be sure that you only advertise to people you can reasonably provide services to; otherwise, you may waste money advertising to people internationally and you don’t offer international shipping.
Pick the Right Campaigns
Pick the right Google Ads campaign for the most positive results. Generally, small businesses use search, display, and shopping Google Ads to drive traffic to their websites and to increase sales. If you’re new to Google Ads, you can try out multiple different campaigns before settling on the right one for your brand.
Prep Your Website and Landing Pages
Lastly, be sure to prepare your website and especially your landing pages before launching your Google ad campaign(s). Remember, Google Ads will bring people to your website; they won’t convince people to make a purchase by themselves.
Therefore, your landing pages need to be high-quality, attractive, and able to convince people to buy when they arrive. Take some time streamlining and improving your site before launching a campaign with Google Ads.
How Do I Set Up a Google Ads Account for My Small Business?
Setting up a Google Ads account for your small business is quick and easy:
· Visit the Google Ads website
· Sign in to an existing Google account or make a new one
· Then start creating your first ad campaign!
For more information, visit this helpful tutorial page.
How Much Should My Google Ads Budget Be?
That depends on your marketing goals and your current marketing budget. If you are just starting out with Google Ads, try to start with a daily average budget of between $10 and $50. However, feel free to adjust this as you analyze how your campaigns perform and as you see how much money you make from your advertising efforts.
Keep in mind that Google may let your advertising campaign spend more in one day than what you specify for your average daily budget. This is called over delivery. Therefore, you should track your average daily spending carefully, especially in the early days.
Google Ads and its Learning Curve
One of the main benefits of Google Ads is that it has a very manageable learning curve. As you get started, you’ll learn more about bidding, researching keywords, and analyzing your marketing results. For many small business owners, it only takes a matter of weeks from being a beginner to using Google ads effectively and seeing major marketing returns.
The Importance of Marketing Your Small Business
Indeed, digital marketing is very important for your small business because it’s the best way to get word of your brand out to the wider world. It’s particularly crucial for local small businesses, which often need to advertise to as many local people as possible.
However, Google Ads can be very important for marketing for your online small business as well. Google Ads allows you to effectively and cheaply market to lots of people online without having to spend too much money on advertising.
Best Funding Option for Marketing
There are many different funding options for online marketing, such as using a credit card, taking out a loan, and more. However, lines of credit are the best marketing methods for many small business owners.
Lines of Credit
Lines of credit work like credit cards. You’re awarded a line of credit by a lender up to a certain amount of money, then can spend that money up to the limit. Each month, you have to pay a minimum balance plus interest on whatever credit you’ve taken out.
Lines of credit are great for marketing funding since you only pay for what you use and they don’t always come with high-interest rates. This also means you don’t pay interest unnecessarily if you don’t use as much money one month, as you would for a loan.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Google Ads is one of the best digital marketing tools you can leverage, especially as a small business owner. With Google Ads, you can advertise to more people than ever before all without spending too much of your marketing budget. As your budget grows, you can still use Google Ads for even more marketing returns and increased conversions.
For the best results, try Google Ads today and experiment with its settings and ad types. As you get more used to the platform, you’ll be able to use it more effectively and see major returns on your marketing investments. Good luck!
So…What do you think?
We want to hear from you. What do you think of this article and was it helpful in your search on google ads?
Let us know by leaving a reply below. Feel free to share this article on your social media.
SHARE
Get Started today, Applying won't impact your credit score
Other Articles You May Want to Read
Recent Comments