If you’re looking to grow your business online, understanding how Google Ads work is a great place to start. Google Ads (previously called Google AdWords) is a powerful tool that helps businesses reach new customers, increase sales and grow their business.
At 1PCS Creative, we’ve seen first-hand how effective Google Ads can be when used correctly.
This blog will explain how Google Ads work, why they’re so effective for business growth and how they can become a vital part of your digital marketing strategy to scale your business.
What Are Google Ads?
Google Ads are an online advertising platform created by Google. It lets businesses place ads across the internet, including in Google’s search results, on websites in the Google Display Network, YouTube videos, Google Shopping listings, and mobile apps.
What makes Google Ads stand out is its ability to show your business to people exactly when they’re searching for what you offer. Helping you to target your ideal customer without wasting ad spend.
For example, someone might search on Google “best vegan bakery in Leicester”. If your business sells vegan cakes and runs a Google Ads campaign targeting those keywords, your ad could appear right at the top of the results.
That’s how effective Google Ads are and can be finely tuned to exact targeting, allowing you to put your business in front of customers who are already showing an interest in what you have to offer.
How Google Ads Work For Business Growth
Campaign Creation: Setting the Stage
To get started with Google Ads, you need to create a campaign. This is where you decide what kind of ads you want to run, where you want them to appear and who you want to see them. Within Google Ads there are different campaign types depending on your specific business goals:
- Search campaigns: These show text ads in Google search results. Perfect for reaching people who are actively searching for a product or service from any device. For example, they may search ‘Electrician Leicester’ which would show relevant adverts for local electricians in that area. This helps to maximise your ad spend, as Google Ads are only shown to people actively looking for your product or service.
- Display campaigns: These put image-based ads on websites across the internet. Display ads are ideal for businesses looking to increase their brand awareness. Ideal for new businesses looking to inform and educate about their business to a wider audience.
- Video campaigns: This type of campaign focuses on being visual ads due to being a video format. The video ads are usually shown before or during YouTube videos, making them ideal for storytelling and product demos to inform and educate your target audience.
- App campaigns: These are used for businesses looking to specifically promote their mobile app across Google platforms.
- Shopping campaigns: This ad type will display your products in Google search results with photos, prices, and links. A shopping campaign is best used for e-commerce stores selling directly online using clear simple product imagery. As an example, ‘black school shoes’ Google Shopping ads that are relevant would show a product image, price and key information. Helping shoppers to know if your business is what they need, before even clicking the advert, which benefits your conversion rate and return on ad spend.
Choosing the right campaign type ensures your Google Ads are being shown in the right places online to the right audience. Delivering targeted ads to help drive conversions.
Keyword Targeting: Reaching the Right People
One of the key elements to get right for Google Ads is keywords. Keywords are the words or phrases people type into Google when they’re looking for something for their search online. When you set up a campaign, you choose relevant keywords you want your ads to show for. This means your ads will appear only when people are already interested in what you’re offering.
It is important to dedicate time and effort into choosing the right keywords for your campaign. There are tools available to help such as Google Keyword Planner to find terms your audience is actually searching for.
It is also essential to consider other factors too, such as how competitive each keyword is, how much it costs per click, and how relevant it is to your business. This will keyword research will help you to decide the right targeting for your business and goals.
The more relevant your keywords are, the better your ads will likely perform. Resulting in more clicks, better conversions and ultimately more sales and leads. The key is to ensure when setting up your Google Ad campaign that the ads are being shown to people who are ready to buy or take action such as completing an enquiry form.
Ad Creation: Delivering the Right Message
Once you’ve got your keywords, the next step is writing the ads. This is where you need to catch people’s attention and make them want to click. Good Google Ads are clear, direct, and focused on what matters most to your audience.
For search ads, the copy usually includes a strong headline, a few lines of description, and a call to action like “Buy Now” or “Book a Free Consultation.” If you’re running display or video ads, your images and videos need to be eye-catching, on-brand, and clearly explain your product or service.
You can also use ad extensions to add extra information like your phone number, address, or links to specific pages on your website. These help your ad stand out and provide users with more ways to interact with your business.
Bidding: Controlling Your Ad Spend
Google Ads are a pay-per-click (PPC) model, which means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. With this model, you set a bid – the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a click.
There are two main bidding options: manual and automated. With manual bidding, you set the price yourself. With automated bidding, Google adjusts your bids for you based on your goals, like getting more conversions or clicks within your budget.
But it’s not just about bidding the highest amount. Google also considers the quality of your ad. They use something called a Quality Score, which looks at how relevant your ad is to the searcher, how good your landing page is, and your expected click-through rate. A higher Quality Score can lead to better ad positions and lower costs.
Targeting: Making Ads More Relevant
Google Ads are effective at allowing you to precisely target who sees your ads. Businesses can choose to target by:
- Location: Allows your Google Ads to be targeted by specific countries, regions, cities or target the specific radius around your shop or office.
- Device type: Provides the ability to target people on mobile, tablet, or desktop. For your target audience may find from research best to upweight targeting on mobile.
- Demographics: Reach people based on their age, gender, parental status or household income based on your target audience.
You can also set up remarketing campaigns that show ads to people who have already visited your website. This can help to convert potential customers who didn’t make a purchase the first time. Giving them a reminder of your products or services and staying top-of-mind.
How Google Ads Help Businesses Grow
When set up correctly, Google Ads are an effective method for businesses to achieve growth and scale. It helps businesses to:
- Reach new customers: Your ads are shown to the right people at the right time when they are looking for the products or/and services you offer.
- Drive quality traffic: Because visitors on Google are actively searching for a solution, they are more likely to convert to take action vs. other advertising methods.
- Track everything: You can see exactly how your ads are performing and how your ad spend is delivering. Allowing you to test and optimize to increase your return on ad spend.
- Control your budget: You decide how much you spend and can adjust it any time, by setting limits. Therefore, always in full control of your ad spend and can increase or decrease as required, particularly useful if your business has seasonal periods.
- Stay ahead of competitors: If your competitors are running ads, Google Ads helps you compete for attention to ensure your potential customers are choosing your business instead of your competition.
At 1PCS Creative, we are Google Ads partner giving us the right knowledge and expertise to deliver impactful results driven campaigns. We have helped businesses across different industries use Google Ads to increase enquiries, boost online sales and raise brand awareness.
Whether you’re looking to increase quality leads coming into the business or an E-Commerce company wanting to boost your sales online, Google Ads are the ideal solution to help your business grow and scale.
FAQs About Why Google Ads Work For Businesses
Are Google Ads expensive?
They don’t have to be. You set your own budget and you only pay when someone clicks. With the right strategy and targeting, Google Ads can be a very cost-effective way to generate new leads and sales.
Do Google Ads work for small businesses?
Google Ads allow small businesses compete with larger companies. You can run highly targeted campaigns that focus on your local area or niche market.
How long before I can expect to see results from Google Ads?
Many businesses start seeing traffic and leads within weeks of launching their campaigns. However, it usually takes a few months of regular testing and optimisation to get the best results and return on ad spend.
Should I run an SEO campaign or Google Ads?
Both are important. SEO is great for long-term traffic, but it can take time. Google Ads deliver quick results and can support your SEO efforts by bringing in immediate traffic while your organic rankings grow.
FAQs About 1PCS Creative
Who is 1PCS Creative?
We’re a Leicester based digital marketing and web design agency with over 20 years of experience. We help businesses improve their online presence through web design, SEO, digital marketing and Google Ads campaigns.
Do you offer Google Ads management?
Yes, we provide full Google Ads management, from campaign setup and keyword research to regular testing, optimisation and monthly reporting. Our campaigns are targeted to your specific business goals and budget. As a Google partner we have the right knowledge to deliver effective campaigns that are results focused to drive business growth and scale.
How do I get started with 1PCS Creative?
If you are thinking of running Google Ads or would like to review your current campaign. We can review your existing Google Ads to identify any areas of improvement. Please feel free to get in touch to see how we can help. We can discuss your business goals to help identify the best way to help your business grow.
Are Google Ads Right for My Business?
Google Ads are one of the most effective ways to grow your business online. It gives you access to a wide audience, precise targeting options and detailed performance data to make strategic decisions. Google Ads can help you attract more customers, increase sales and grow your business.
At 1PCS Creative, we’re here to help you make the most of your digital marketing. From setting up your first Google Ads campaign to refining your strategy for better results and return on ad spend, we can help.
With over 20 years’ experience and a Google partner, we have the right expertise to deliver effect Google Ad campaigns that drive increased leads, conversions and sales.
Please feel free to get in touch with one of the team to discuss how we can help your business grow through delivering effective Google Ads campaigns.
Ben Webster
Creative director at 1PCS. Addicted to design, SEO, pizza and helping companies big and small succeed online.