Paid search advertising with Google Ads is among the most effective channels in modern marketing. However, you can only reap the rewards when you understand what you are doing.
In this guide, we’ll answer common questions about the Google Search Network helping you get familiar so you know what’s best for your business.
Here’s a quick rundown of the areas we’ll discuss:
Let’s dive in to learn more about paid search advertising with Google.
A PPC search campaign is a concerted effort of paid search advertising, whereby a business pays an advertising platform to promote their brand, products, and services.
As it’s PPC, advertisers pay for the clicks their ads receive, and they earn PPC ROI from the resulting web traffic their ads generate.
For example, if you run a PPC search campaign with Google Ads, your ads could appear on the first page of Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) whenever people enter keyword searches that are related to your products and services.
After people click your ads, they will be directed to your website, where they may go on to make a purchase.
The Google Search Network is a group of search-related websites on which your Google Ads may appear.
You can view such text-based ads in the SERPs whenever you perform a search for related products or services. They have a green “Ad” tag next to the URL.
These Google Search ads display because they target a specific keyword, which acts as a trigger. Whenever a user search query matches an ad’s keyword, the ad may appear in the SERPs.
As paid search advertising on the Search Network operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis, advertisers will pay whenever a user clicks their ad.
When a user search query triggers an ad, the ad may appear above, beside, or below the organic search results.
This is the case for Google and its Search Partners, including Google Play, Google Shopping, Google Images, and Google Maps.
There are several types of ads that you can use on the Google Search Network. Let’s take a look through each of them:
Text ads may be shown in Google SERPs, and across the entire Google Search Network, on any Search Partner websites.
Studies indicate that the typical CTR of text ads is about 4 to 5 times as high as any other type of advertisement. Text ads have also proven to increase Quality Score.
If you’re using text ads, remember to create a compelling ad copy that is relevant and engaging for your target audience.
Dynamic Search Ads are an ad format that automatically targets relevant user search queries based on the content on your website.
DSAs will trigger when users enter keywords related to yours (and your site’s content). You can configure these ads to focus on a specific category or page.
You also set the budget, bids, and targets, giving Google Ads all the crucial information it needs to create these smart ads, which usually result in increased performance and ROI.
Learn More: Best Practices of Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs)
In a mobile-first age, call-only ads are a fantastic way to engage a wider audience. You can use paid search advertising to show call-only ads on mobile devices, encouraging viewers to ring your business.
By displaying your phone number and a click-to-call button, you offer users an easy method of contacting your business, without the need for a strong call-to-action (CTA) in the ad copy.
Google search partners are select websites that partner with Google to display paid ads. These search partners effectively extend the potential reach for your ads, as they may display on hundreds of other websites, in addition to other Google-owned sites, like YouTube.
New advertisers with a limited budget may wish to disable the option for Google Search partners because it can have a higher cost per conversion.
Another thing to note is that your Quality Score will not be affected by the clickthrough rate (CTR) for any ad on Search Partner sites.
When somebody uses Google to search for something, the platform will check the Google Ads advertiser pool to determine if there will be an auction.
If several advertisers are bidding for keywords relevant to the user’s search query, Google will trigger an auction.
When you get involved with paid search advertising, you will learn more about keyword bidding and auctions. Let’s give you a quick overview of how it works.
You set your maximum cost-per-click bid (max. CPC), which defines the maximum amount you are prepared to pay for a keyword so that it will trigger your ad on a user query. Google Ads considers all keyword bids that are relevant to user search queries, as well as your Quality Score and ad relevance.
Whenever a user enters search queries, Google uses these factors to determine the best ads to display in the SERPs.
Before you get into bidding, think about the following:
After entering your ad into an auction, Google will study two vital factors to determine Ad Rank:
If you’re watching your PPC budget, then the latter option may be best. It’s never a bad idea to work on your Quality Score, as higher quality ads will inevitably lead to better results.
Here are three aspects you can focus on to improve the quality of your ads:
With paid search advertising, you can choose to advertise your products and services on either the Google Display Network or the Search Network.
The Search Network is best if:
The Search Network offers advertisers a higher chance of driving direct conversions, which makes it easier to measure performance data for your PPC campaign.
So, why should you carry out paid search advertising on the Google Search Network?
Here are five good reasons to get on board:
With Google Ads, you can track and measure performance data across all your campaigns. Vital metrics like clicks, costs, and conversions are easy to monitor, which makes it simple to find flaws and opportunities for improvement in every campaign.
Over time, paid search advertising helps establish brand awareness in your target market. More prospective customers will become aware of your brand and what you offer. While they might not buy anything from you immediately, over time, that brand recognition will nurture trust, helping move them closer to a sale.
You’ll have greater success with Google Ads remarketing and conversions if you focus on user intent throughout your advertising campaigns. The Search Network is set up to enable advertisers to reach their audience with timely offers, tailored to their specific needs.
In Google Search Campaigns, you have the flexibility and control to customize your keywords, ad copy, creative, extensions, and more.
Small businesses may not have the financial resources of large corporations, but that doesn’t mean they cannot succeed with paid search advertising.
When you devise a smart strategy and take the time to measure and test, you can generate an impressive ROI from a modest budget.
Learn more: How Much do Small Businesses Spend on Advertising?
With the benefits above, it’s perhaps no surprise that paid search advertising is undergoing a boom in popularity. Here are a few more reasons that explain why many businesses are using search campaigns on Google Ads now:
One of the most significant benefits of running search ads is that you get to engage customers while they are searching for solutions. They’re already in the market for products or services, and your paid ads offer them an option worth considering.
When you optimize your Google Ads campaigns, ad copy, and offer, you can present the best possible solution, which increases the chances of success.
You can use the negative keywords feature in Google Ads to create a list of search terms that only attracts irrelevant clicks. By using these as filters, you can increase the quality of your traffic, only displaying your ads to qualified users who are interested in what you have to offer.
Let’s say you and your competitor target the same keywords in your respective paid search advertising campaigns. While that may be a battle that comes down to budget and bids, you can use intelligent optimization to outrank your rivals, especially on branded keywords.
Google Ads offers advertisers a lot of control over what they spend on advertising. You can increase or decrease individual keyword bids in several ways, based on factors like:
You can perform voice searches on a smart device, such as your phone or an Alexa-enabled speaker. The device will respond in turn, verbally answering your query.
This innovation and the growth of voice-enabled technology is already making a significant impact on marketing. Businesses that publish content and use paid search advertising can gain a lot by targeting users who prefer voice search.
Here are a few tips to help you maximize your engagement with these users:
Refine negative keyword list – Remove question terms from your negative keywords list, such as:
This will ensure you don’t lose out on qualified traffic.
Search campaigns work well with voice search queries, so you can dramatically improve your fortunes with some savvy bidding and campaign optimization.
Learn More: Voice Search Optimization: How to Prepare For the Revolution
So, with all the doubts and fears you may have about paid search advertising, you can see there are strategies and solutions for it all.
Use the tips in this article to tackle your specific situation. With time and effort — and some smart decision-making — you can use the Google Search network to grow your business.
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