A Guide to Google Ads
– Clarissa Burrows
What is Google Ads?
When you do a Google search and the top results have “Sponsored” beneath the headline, this is an example of a Google Ad.
Google Ads is essentially an advertising platform that allows you to place your ad on various places on Google. So, on the first page of Google’s search results, in a YouTube video, or on other websites that have agreed to allow Google to utilise them for Google Ads.
This is a service you pay for, but it is worth it. Investing money into Google Ads offers your website increased visibility and an increased likelihood of being found by your exact target audience at the precise moment they need your services. This is the perfect storm for sales. If you’re visible right when your customers need you, they’ll buy your products or services. It’s that simple.
Google Ads can increase traffic to your website, help you sell your products or generate brand awareness when used correctly.
What is a Keyword?
A keyword is a word that describes your business, what you do, or what you’re selling. These are words you’ve chosen that epitomise both your business and your overall goal for using Google Ads. These are the words that people will search for, and your website will pop up. Keywords are the words you want to associate with your business and want your website to be in the search results when that particular word is searched.
You need to pick keywords that are relevant to your business and state what you do. They need to be the kinds of words that your customers or target audience would actively search for.
For example, if you offer solar system installation, you could use the words, solar installation, solar energy, solar panel, and each of those words individually too.
Ideally, all of these keywords need to be either positive, neutral or have positive connotations.
What is a Negative Keyword?
A negative keyword is the exact reverse of the above. These are words you unequivocally do not want your website to be associated with. So, “worst solar installer” is an example. You can exclude specific words on Google Ads to ensure that your website doesn’t come up when a search with those keywords occurs.
These could be words that simply do not relate to you, keep your business away from scandals, or various other words you simply don’t want your website to feature alongside.
What is a Landing Page?
A landing page is the page people end up on if they click on your advert on Google. When someone clicks on your advert, they are interested in what you have to offer. Your landing page needs to tell them everything they need to know about you and have a quick and easy way for customers to buy the product or service.
The landing page could be the home page of your company website, or you can create a landing page specifically for customers to end up on when they click on your ad. A dedicated landing page should guide the customer to take the action or actions you want them to take, like buying the product, getting the quote, etc.
Google Analytics 4
Google Ads wouldn’t be as highly functional if data couldn’t be measured, stored, tracked and analysed to see if your ads are working and if you are getting a return on your investment.
Google Analytics 4 is the analytics tool of the future. User-friendly, and conveniently built into the Google Ads dashboard, Google Analytics 4 offers incredibly valuable insights that will help you strategise and streamline your marketing.
With Google Analytics you can determine how people found your website, what search terms were used, how they engaged with your website, what your customers do on your website after clicking your advert and so much more.
Logistically, Google Ads can be time-consuming. It’s one of those things where due to the extensive functionality, it takes a while to learn to utilise, successfully.
However, we can help.
HashTagME offers comprehensive Google Ads services in which you don’t need to learn anything other than how to contact us. We’ll create, run and manage your Google Ads, we’ll even explain the analytics and what they mean for you.
Get ahead of the competition with us!
