Google Ads
Pay-per-click Advertising
Audio Interview “Do I Need PPC Ads?”
Google Ads are Pay-per-click (PPC) adverts that appear a the top of a search engine result page (SERP).
Google Ads (once called Adwords) is a paid-for advertising service. You literally pay a small fee for your ad to show at the top of a Search Engine Result Page (SERP). The more you bid for a phrase (e.g. “smashed avocado on toast”) the more likely your ad will appear when someone searches for “smashed avocado on toast”.
Google Ads & Your Home Page
Most people point their Google ad (and associated ad copy) to their website home page. That’s not the greatest idea.
You need to make a specific landing page with a clear call to action. Home pages usually display samples of your wares across the variety of services you offer. If you are a cafe and you have a specific special for that week, you need to create a landing page for it. You want to sell “Smashed Avocado on Toast”? You need a landing page that talks about that – and only that for your Google Ads.
The copy in your ad needs to also match the copy on your landing page. Google gives you points (and cheaper click prices) if your ad, your ad copy and your landing page all match.
How can I match my Ad to the landing page?
The key phrases in your ad might be;
- smashed avocado special
- free toast
- two avocados for one
You need similar language in the Google Ad to what is on the landing page the users click through to. Same goes for the image if you have one. If everything matches, you get a good quality score. The idea is that the process (seeing, clicking on and ultimately “experiencing” the ad) is seamless.
Negative Keyword List
You need to build a negative keyword list in your Google Ads campaign. Negative keywords are phrases that you pick where you don’t want your ads to show.
Example: You sell pool noodles. Make sure that “Chinese” and “spaghetti” are part of your negative keywords list. Why? Because you don’t want your ad appearing in a search for Pad Thai Noodles or Spaghetti.
Say someone did search for Spaghetti and your pool noodle ad came up and they clicked on it. You will pay a premium for that click because your ad doesn’t match the term spaghetti very well.
There goes $10. For one click!
There’s a lot more to this and Google Ad creation is a bit of a fine art. If youa re intersted in having us run a test campaign for you – get in touch. It’s best to test Google Ads rather than diving straight in. The whole pool is a deep end. Better to lose $500 finding out that Google Ads really doesn’t work for your product, than selling the farm.
You really need to test the platform first.
Industrial Espionage
Your competitors will happily click your ad with the aim of depleting your budget for the day. That’s a fact.
Google says they look into it, but if you think about it – they really don’t have much of an incentive to do that. the company is making over a million dollars a day. Why would they stop anybody clicking on anything?
This isn’t a great big issue, but in some highly competitive industries, it happens. In the same way that your competitors might be adding your website address to a poorly performing website – with the aim of draggin you down in natural search.
It’s a nasty business.
Google Ads, Maps & Answers
Why bother to SEO a website if the top of a Google search result page pushes organic results way down? Google shows a lot of stuff before revealing organic search results. Do a search for pretty much anything anything and you will find;
- Google Ads
- Featured Articles
- Google Maps
- Google Answers
- Organic Search Results
Organic Search results are what SEO is all about. A combination of SEO, adding content and at least some Advertising is a good mix. If not carefully managed, Google Ads alone will happily chew your budget up completely. And if you don’t have a nice, specific, distraction-fee landing page designed for your ad, you could be wasting a lot of moolah.
Search Engine Optimisation, if performed regularly and alongside a great content plan (adding a blog like this for example) is an investment in your website’s bottom line. A static website will slowly lose traction in search. In other words, if you do nothing to your website on a regular basis, Google Ads are your only option. And when in-bound clicks range from $1 to $10 each, it quickly gets expensive.
Advertising and doing regular SEO (with an emphasis on content) always works best. We spend very little on Ads and prefer to add useful content for users regularly.
If you write really great content, chances are you will get lucky and Google will feature it in a breakout box. This happened with our recent blog post, What is SEO? The traffic was ten times normal.
The last Word on Advertising online
What about Google Business?
It’s a little bit confusing if you already have a website, but Google Business is a good … “companion website.” At least, that’s how I think of it. For those who do not have, or can’t afford a website, you can get a Google Account and do most things you can do on a normal website – through your Google Business website.
I’ve had a website for years, but I update my Google Business website regularly. Partially because I get “neglect emails” from Google Business – but also because it simply reminds me to update everything regularly. I share blurbs about larger posts (with a link to my main website) on my Google Business account.
Anything that gets the word out there is useful.
The key is not to put all your eggs in one basket.
- Blogspot give a great Google Ads PPC Overview
Edwin wrote his first (Harrier Jump Jet) text adventure computer program in 1982 during the Falklands War. He now builds websites using best practice, future-proof web development, Ad marketing & SEO. He at Curtin Uni and OUA where in 2007 he was voted 5th best lecturer (out of 2,500) over all disciplines taught in Australia. He loves sharing what he knows with Australian businesses.
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