Anatomy of a Google Ad: Learn About the Essential Elements

Search engine marketing (SEM) for businesses is a big part of any digital marketing strategy. Google Ads is probably the biggest and most recognized platform for SEM. 80% of global businesses have faith in Google Ads for their PPC advertising efforts.

However, there is a huge learning curve with Google Ads. It takes time to learn the best practices and tricks of the trade. You need to understand Google Ads to be able to run a successful campaign.

What is Google Ads?

Google Ads is online advertisement that consist of text, images, or video ads that appear on Google search results page or YouTube. These ads are displayed based on the keyword that is searched.

Businesses can buy keywords from Google and display their ad to potential customers when they do a search for those words.

How do Google Ads work?

When you search for keywords on Google, your search results will show up. These results consist of the most popular web pages that are currently out there in which your keyword was mentioned. However, if someone paid for an ad to appear in these spots when people searched for a particular keyword, their ad will show up instead of the organic search results.

Advertisers can choose to have their ads appear on an entire Search Engine Results Page (SERP). They can also choose which keywords will trigger their ads to be displayed and where they want them to appear on the SERP.

How much do Google Ads usually cost?

Google Ads are usually charged on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis. This means that a business pays a fee each time someone clicks on the ad. The CPC price is determined by an auction process, which takes into account how much competition there is for keywords and how highly advertisers value those keywords.

Why does a Google Ads campaign structure matter?

Having a good Google Ads campaign structure is essential for every kind of Google Ads campaign, but it’s particularly important when you’re working with a limited budget.

Your campaign can achieve a lot more success if it has a specific structure that is designed around the goal that you’re looking to achieve.

A good campaign structure will help advertisers become more efficient with their limited resources. It will ensure that they can get better results from their advertising budgets. Some of the main goals that a successful PPC campaign structure will help you to achieve are:

• Maximizing conversions and achieving a high ROI.
• Lowering costs by allocating budget to higher performing keywords and ad groups.
• Driving traffic to your website by focusing on delivering ads with the right message to the right audience.

What constitutes a perfect Google Ads?

There is no such thing as a perfect Google Ads, but there are several factors that will help a Google Ads perform well:

• A good headline that is relevant to the user’s search query. To achieve this, use your keywords in the headline where it makes sense and doesn’t feel forced.
• A description of what your product or service is, who it’s for, and any unique selling points. Good display URLs that are relevant to the user’s search query. A good landing page that sends visitors to where they want to go. To achieve this, ensure that your landing page is relevant to the keywords and ad’s copy that you’re targeting.
• A CTA (Call to action) that clearly tells the user what you want them to do next. This could be something like ‘Buy now‘, ‘Call us‘ or ‘Find out more‘.

The anatomy of a Google Search Ad with diagrams

1-Headlines

The headlines are among the most important elements of a Google Ads. It consists of three headlines. The first headline will be on top of the Ad right under the main title. This is a good place to include your business’s name and location, if it is a local campaigns Google Ads. If you want to attract clicks from users searching for something specific, then this would also be a good opportunity to include that keyword or phrase somewhere in this. All the three headlines have a limitation of 30 characters each.

2-Description

The description of your ad of product or service is also an extremely important element in a Google Ads.  A description usually gives a more detailed explanation of the product or service being advertised.

This section is designed to catch the reader’s eye and entice them to click on your ad. It usually consists of a few lines and is written with the intention of persuading people to see your website.

When writing your descriptions, consider what is interesting about your product or service, and try to highlight those qualities. For example, if you sell designer shoes that are handmade in Italy, then the description might focus on the quality and elegance of the shoes.

Here are the factors to consider while writing a description:

Length

Keep your description around 90 characters or less, otherwise, Google will truncate it and the reader may not get the full message. This is bad for both you and Google since they don’t get their ad space filled and you lose potential customers.

Language

Use simple, clear language that is easy to understand.

Keywords

The description is another opportunity for you to include relevant keywords so that Google can index your site well. Just make sure you do not over-optimize, or else the description might be flagged as spam and rejected by Google (leading to lost ad space).

Incentives

Include an incentive in your ad when possible, this will make it more likely for readers to click on the link. For example, if your website is selling shoes, you could offer same-day delivery.

3-Ad extensions

Advertisers can also add other elements to their ads. Ad Extensions are enhancements that advertisers use to enhance the look of their ads and provide additional information about their business.

These include things like location, reviews, sit links, etc. These are not required for an ad campaign but they do give you more bang for your buck!

Examples: Location extension, Site link extensions, Price Extension, Creative extension, call-out extension, and call links.

4-Display URL

A display URL give idea about the website linked with your advertisement. It intend to be same as of your landing page. For example www.example.com/menu

5-Call to Action Button

This is the ‘heart’ of your ad. It should clearly tell the user what you want them to do after they click on your ad, whether it is “shop now” or “learn more.” Once created, it cannot be changed.

To create effective CTAs, you must first diagnose your audience’s main objective. What are they looking for? Once you know this, you can build an appropriate CTA to help guide them towards the right information.

For example, if your audience is looking for low-cost home security options then a “shop now” button might be better received than a “learn more” button. It all depends on the goal of your ad and who you are targeting, so pay attention to this when building your ads.

Example to understand CTA better:

This ad also has effective CTA’s including the 50% off Web Hosting. This CTA provides an incentive to the user. A user looking for hosting at a bargain will probably be enticed to click on this Google Ads.

Another examples to understand best CTAs:

Let’s have an example of a resource hiring company’s advertisement.

All the CTAs are great. “How Does it Work” is meant for users who have no knowledge of how this resource company works. A user who is interested to know how it works will definitely click on the CTA. If a user is sold or understands how company works them they will click on the other CTAs.

Wrap up

Google Ads (and most advertising) is a form of marketing that cannot be approached lightly. It takes time and effort to create an effective ad, and it can take even longer for people to start clicking on your ads and helping you gain more business.

However, once you create a well-written ad and target the right keywords, you will start seeing results. Be patient with your ad and keep testing different options!