does google adwords work for small business

 

Since Google search makes up the vast majority of web search traffic by volume, Google Ads can return enormous results for countless search terms. Your small businesses can leverage the power of Google Ads to increase the amount of traffic coming to your website by targeting specific keywords your target audience is searching for! Now, I’m not going to say that Google Ads will fix all your traffic and ranking problems, but many small businesses have had great success by running targeted Ad campaigns.

 

In this article, I’ll give you four reasons why Google Ads works for small businesses and then some tips to help you start!

 

 

How Google Ads PPC Works

 

Google Ads helps small businesses advertise and rank high for specific keywords that you wants to rank well for. You know those ads results you see at the top or on the side of a Google results page? Those are courtesy of Ads. In Ads, you can create a campaign for a specific marketing strategy you want to implement.

 

Here’s how Google Ads works:

 

First, a business will select a keyword (or keywords) they want to target in their ads. These keywords need to be long tail and targeted directly to what that business’ ideal audience is searching for. Remember, you’ll be competing to rank for these keywords, so it’s better to go in with a narrow approach here. Once you have your list of keywords to want to target, you can create your ads matched with those keywords. You can also enter your maximum bid to rank for those key terms as well.

 

Next, Google looks at all the relevant key terms and ads that want to rank. To determine ad rank, Google looks at ad’s maximum bid and the quality score. Quality score is a metric Google uses composed of the ad’s potential CTR, landing page, and relevance to the search query. The higher your quality score, the better chance you have of your ad ranking. Even if you have a lower amount for your maximum bid, you can still outrank other ads if your quality score is higher!

 

Lastly, a great component of Google Ads is that it’s a PPC ad campaign platform. Pay per click (PPC) means just that, you only have to pay for the ad for every click it receives. No wasting money if no one clicks on your ad!

 

 

4 Reasons To Try Google Ads for Your Small Business

 

Okay, now that we’re both on the same page and have a better understanding of what Ads and PPC advertising is, why should your small business commit to it?

 

I’ll give you four reasons why Google Ads works for small business.

 

1. Increased Reach and Brand Awareness

 

When we don’t know the answer to a question, what do most of us say? “I don’t know. Google it!”

 

Google has become, I would argue, the most trusted platform during the research process. Most everyone uses Google to some degree, and you can bet your target audience is on there searching for answers to their problems too! Google’s reach is huge, allowing for the increased potential of your ad to be seen by your existing target audience and a wider audience you had possibly not considered. Google Ads PPC campaigns will help your small business get noticed. Advertising on Google increases your brand reach exponentially!

 

Google Ads is a great resource to increase your small business brand awareness online within your target audience! Even if a searcher doesn’t click on your ad, they still see your URL, your small business name, your result, and your meta description describing your products or services. That’s still a valuable metric to keep in mind, because at least they saw you and you got your message in front of their eyes. Maybe they’re not ready to click right then, but they might be later on down the road. And when they are, they’ll think of your ad!

 

 

2. Target Specific Web Searchers

 

Because you can target both broad and specific keywords, you’re able to construct ads to match where a search is in their buyer’s journey. For example, you can start out with a broader keyword to target a search who is in the early research phase of the buyer’s journey. If you want to target web searchers who are searching with more intent, you can bid on long tail keywords and link highly specific landing pages to your Ads ads.

 

As a bonus, more specific keywords will usually be cheaper to target because competition will be lower to rank for it. By bidding on long tail keywords you may be targeting a limited pool of web searchers, but you’ll end up saving money and time by targeting those searchers with a greater likelihood of converting to leads and customers.

 

 

3. You’re in Control of Your Campaign

 

In Google Ads, you’re in control of your ad campaign at every step. You select the keywords you want to rank for and you control how much you want to spend each month on that ad campaign.And better yet, you’re saving money at the same time because you don’t pay if your ad isn’t clicked on. You can stop and start your ad campaign at any time and make any changes you want. In Google Ads, you can also see valuable metrics like how many clicks and impressions your ad received.

 

At Cazbah, your personal IMC (Internet Marketing Consultant) will help you set up, track, and manage all your ad campaigns in Google Ads if you’re unfamiliar with this process. If you’re new to SEO and keyword targeting, Google Ads could be a little overwhelming in the beginning. It’s also important to note that Cazbah IMC’s DO NOT make any sort of commission if their clients ads perform well in Ads. Digital marketing and design companies that participate in these sort of practices will most likely give their clients biased advice. Cazbah IMCs stay dedicated to their clients through the ups and downs of Ads, and every other digital marketing technique too.

 

 

4. Increased Visibility Quickly

 

If you find yourself struggling to rank on the first page of Google, Google Ads can help shoot your small business to the top of the first page! Most searchers won’t search past page one on Google, and some may not even make it to the bottom of page one! With Google Ads, your result will be place front and center on page one where searchers can quickly find you. This can be extremely beneficial for your brand awareness especially if Google Ads ads take up the majority of page one.

 

However, keep in mind that Google Ads is not a replacement for SEO (search engine optimization) work for your website. In order for your ad to make it on a results page, it needs to be optimized and it’s corresponding landing page needs to be top notch.

 

Google Ads can give your website and brand a great boost in brand awareness, reach, and SERP (search engine results page) rank, but should not be relied on exclusively. However, your Google Ads PPC campaigns will only be successful if they’re managed correctly. Creating and running a successful PPC ad campaign takes times and there are some best practices that you should follow.

 

 

Google Ads Best Practices for Small Businesses

 

If you’ve been considering a paid search campaign, now is the time to test it out!

 

Before you start an Ads campaign, you need to go in with a comprehensive plan to make sure you get the most out of it. How much of your monthly budget can you designate to Ads? What are the goals for your proposed ad campaign? Who’s going to be responsible for managing your Ads campaign? These are all questions you need to have answers to. Sit down with your IMC or your in-house marketing team to discuss your Ads campaign and what will work best for your small business.

 

Once you have the preliminary details established, you need to actually start constructing your ads.

 

Here are a few Google Ads tips to help you get started with your ad campaign:

 

– Conduct In-Depth Keyword Research: Google provides a keyword research tool to help you discover highly searched terms you can use for your ads. Stay away from generic keywords. Competition will be higher for these high traffic keywords, but as a small business you will most likely be unable to win a bid for them and you run the risk of attracting viewers who aren’t your ideal customer. The more specific your keywords are, the better chance you have of viewers clicking on your ad and converting!

 

– Highly Targeted Pages: Create a specific landing page on your website that corresponds to your ad. Your landing page needs to include a compelling CTA and give the visitor all the information they need to take the next step in the buying process. Tailor your landing page to the type of searcher coming to it! What information will that searcher most likely want to see? Create and use buyer personas to help you nail down this type of information!

 

– Show the Benefits: People are searching on Google because they have a problem or a question they want solved. They don’t need you to restate their question in your ad, they want you to solve it! Be creative with your ads and show your UVP (unique value proposition). Why should the search click on your ad?

 

– Responsive Website Design: Make sure your website is designed for mobile, tablet, and desktop traffic.If you want to gain traffic from your ads, your website needs to be designed and developed to handle it, whatever form it comes in. More and more searchers are using mobile devices to browse online. Make sure your small business website design meets current searchers demands and expectations!

 

– Link Google Ads and Analytics: While Ads does give you some valuable metrics to work with, it doesn’t give you the full scope of data that is available in an Analytics account. If you want to get all the information possible on how your Ads campaign is performing (including CTR, bounce rate, search path and more), you need to link your Google Ads and Analytics accounts.

 

 

In Conclusion

 

If you have yet to use Google Ads, there’s no time like the present! If you’ve been struggling to optimize your content to rank on the first page of Google, Ads may be the kickstarter you’re looking for to skyrocket your brand awareness and audience reach! Check out the four reasons a paid search, Google Ads campaign may be right for your small business and the best practices tips to help you get started today!

 

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