Most people know about Google natural search results, which are shown on the left side of results pages after a search is performed. Similarly, Google shows ads that match those searches by the user.
Search Advertising is Based on the Concept of Seek and Find
These Search Ads are created by businesses to trigger the showing of ads when someone searches for products or services they offer. The ads are shown alongside the natural results. But, it’s better than natural results shown by Google, because we control the results.
The concept is the same as the old “Yellow Pages” model. You know what you want and you look it up by name.
That model is now a digital advertising model, where you look it up on a digital device. As your PPC Management Consultant, I put your ads in front of people doing specific searches that match your products or services.
A business would choose to use search advertising when they want customers who know exactly what they are looking for, and you offer it!
The user scans through ads, reading the titles and short text snippets, and selects the one that seems most related to their search.
When they click on your ad, they are taken to your website, and you are charged a fee you have approved based on your bid amount. You are only charged when they click. These ads are categorized as “pay-per-click ads”, or “PPC ads” for short.
How does it Work?
I set up an account with Google Ads and create a campaign around your offering. Settings are available to target your customers very precisely.
Within your account, I create campaigns and ad groups containing keyword phrases that you bid on.
The ads I create for your phrases are entered into an ad auction to be shown when a user searches for something that you are advertising, and your bid is high enough to show to the user.
Ads are shown in the sections on the top, bottom, and right side of the Google results pages. Top and bottom on smartphones.
The most simple, effective way into this easy but complex system of advertising is to call Denver search advertising consultant Jon Camrud at 720-520-0639 to get it set up for maximum efficiency and success.
A word of caution about Google Ads:
Google designed the interface to appear simple in order to get amateur advertisers to jump in without analyzing what they are doing… at great cost! If you don’t know your way around the interface, and specifically the hidden features, you will blow your budget with very little results – guaranteed.
Always hire a Google Advertising Professional, especially with search ads.
Benefits of Search Advertising
Where do I start? The benefits are numerous over traditional advertising.
Extremely Targeted
We can target who sees your ad by several methods:
- keywords they type
- whether they type an exact phrase or partial
- user location, or location they type
- what type of device they are using
Keep Out Unwanted Clicks
We can limit who sees your ads by:
- Time of day
- Day of week
- Month of year
- Location they originate search
- Locations they are searching
- Specific words
- Specific phrases
- Specific word combinations
We can also discourage clicks (and therefore wasted budget) when the wrong people do see the ad by the way we write the ad, or what we put in the ad offer.
Budget Control
Budgets are set:
- On a Per Day maximum, translating to a monthly max
- Per campaign
- Per group of phrases
- Per phrase
- Per geographic area
This assures you never get charged more than your budget for a particular month.
You can also work on a very small budget, or break out separate budgets for separate parts of your business, easily and without paying large management fees to do so.
It’s great small business advertising!
Flexibility
One of the really great features that make Google Search Advertising special is the ability to
pause and restart aspects of your campaign at will, including:
- Entire campaign
- Specific groups
- Specific phrases
- Specific ads
- Specific devices
- Specific location targets
- and more!
This is great for seasonal businesses, small businesses on a low budget, and businesses that get too much business all at once, giving them a chance to pause the ads until they can hire more labor, or acquire more inventory.
Desktop, Laptop, Tablet and Smartphone Advertising
Google Search Advertising works for all devices:
- Desktop
- Laptop
- Tablet and
- Smartphone
In addition, it is independent of any specific browser (chrome, safari, Firefox, etc.) or platform (PC or Mac, etc.). Your ads show to any user of the internet, if you so choose.
If the user is on a smartphone they may choose to call directly from the ad rather than clicking through to your website. Each time they click or call you are charged based on an amount we have determined the click is worth to your business.
Compete With the Big Guys!
Google Search ads allow small businesses to compete with much larger competition.
How? The search advertising price method is auction style. This means everyone who advertises for a specific phrase enters a bid for what a click on that phrase is worth to their business.
If a larger business has a huge volume discount, they can outbid you and be shown ahead of you on the list. But your ad can be shown just below them. You pay less than them if someone clicks your ad instead of theirs.
They may have a larger budget, so may run their ads longer each day than you. But it doesn’t cost you anything when your budget runs out for the day. As your sales grow from advertising, you can extend your advertising more and more.
Free Brand Exposure
Another great feature of search advertising, on the pay per click model of payment, is that your business has the opportunity to be seen even when your ad is not clicked. And that is called free exposure!
So, if they click, great, you get a visitor to your website, or a phone call. If the user didn’t click, they still probably read your ad and saw your name for future reference. That future may be tomorrow – or 5 minutes after they leave your competitor’s site if they didn’t find what they wanted!
What Does the Ad Look Like?
Search Ads are presented as text ads, with a headline, a short description of your business, product and/or offer, and your website address. Your ad elements are the same size as your competitors.
The positions of the ads are shown based on bids and relevancy. This is something I will handle for you after we analyze your costs and profits to ensure return on investment.
The User Can Also See Other Page Links to Your Site
We can also show additional links to various pages of interest in your site, such as testimonials, order pages, maps to your physical location, and we can even show images of products.
This is great for local advertising, where the user can be shown your ad when they enter your service area.
Does This Work for Every Business?
Google Search Ads works well for most businesses. Essentially any business that offers products and services that people are aware of. If they are not aware of a product or service, such as a new technology, we can use the Google Display Network advertising to show digital ads to an audience of our choice.
Please contact me at 720-520-0639 for guidance.
Ready to Get Started with Search Advertising?
I handle everything from the planning to the setup to the management of your ad campaigns.
To start your digital advertising program or to find out more information please call Jon Camrud at 720-520-0639 now. You’ll be glad you did.
Google Search Ads – Why They Work
By now, most small business owners have heard about Google Search Advertising, which is a form of pay-per-click, or PPC, advertising. This means the advertiser only pays when their ad is clicked – as opposed to paying when it is viewed.
When these ads were introduced many small businesses where suddenly able to better compete against their larger competitors. The enormous success of the shift in the way business advertising is done is no accident.
Google Search Ads work because a) it operates in a way that coincides perfectly with human nature, b) society has become digital-centric, and c) because Google is the most popular search engine by a long shot.
Ironically, its rise in dominance of the advertising market came at the expense of a static version of the model – the yellow pages. Google Search Ads tap into the top reason the yellow pages were so popular.
The yellow pages were always there when you were ready to find a provider for whatever you needed. Now, Google does the same, only better.
Think about your own habits. If you get something mailed to you, either physically in your mail box, or in your email, what do you typically do with it? TRASH it, of course. It might have been well presented; it might have been a good deal; it might appeal to you in the future.
But it just wasn’t the right timing. Maybe you were just too busy to deal with it at the moment it arrived.
When you are ready to buy, you now have the option to type into Google search what you are looking for, and you get what you are looking for fast, you get multiple options, and you can do further research by just clicking a Google ad.
Now think about your customers. They are just like you. They are busy, and will throw away advertising that is mailed to them if it doesn’t arrive at the precise right moment.
Even if they do save the mailed piece for later, it often gets buried under a pile of paperwork, or if it is in the form of email, gets shoved 40 messages down in your email list in a day or less.
Google Ads works for you because your potential customers are only seeing your ad when they decide they are ready to find the product or service they need. You are right there to help them. They can find information on your website and contact you immediately.
Call Denver Google Ad consultant Jon Camrud at 720-520-0639 for a no-obligation evaluation to see how your small business can benefit from digital advertising.