Google Ads/ PPC
What is Pay Per Click or PPC Advertising?
Pay per click, or PPC advertising is an internet marketing model where the advertiser only pays when a website user clicks on their ad. Google Ads are the most popular form of PPC advertising. Since Google is the most visited website in the world, it makes sense that their advertising platform would be the most used. Before Google ever existed, Yahoo! was the leader in PPC advertising. Other well known websites such as AOL and runner up search engines Bing, Alta Vista, Excite and Pathfinder, used to get millions of daily visitors. Since Google came on the scene with a more effective and efficient platform it has pretty much become the leader in all things PPC.
What are Google Ads?
Google Ads are the most popular form of PPC on the internet today. SalemGlobal has been working with Google since the early 2000s. Our approach and methodology is based upon many years of placing ads on the Google platform for a variety of industries. Google Ads allow small businesses, whether they are B2B or B2C, to compete with larger businesses. Professionals and service based companies finally have a platform that levels the playing field.
Are Google Ads Effective for Lead Generation?
We have found Google to be more effective for some industries than others. Some industries require a very high budget in order to compete with similar advertisers. Local shops and services have more of an advantage than national brands. When someone is searching for a local restaurant or a neighborhood dentist, Google Ads can help drive more business than other forms of advertising.
Google Ads Strategy
- BE SMART – Everyone thinks they know what they are doing after years of experience and degrees and certificates from various programs. When we say to “be smart,” we are referring to overthinking your whole digital marketing strategy. Google Ads can level the playing field as mentioned above for small businesses but at the same time it can also be time consuming and expensive. Every good marketer knows that there is no ultimate answer to marketing and advertising. The number one thing to remember is to test, review, test, review and keep on testing and reviewing.
- SET BUDGET – Businesses and professionals need to recognize advertising is a slippery slope. There is a threshold to how much money you need to invest in advertising that marketing people simply do not understand. Many uneducated marketers end up wasting advertising budgets and throwing away good money because they don’t have the knowledge of how much it really costs to manage a cost effective campaign.
- IMPLEMENT KEYWORDS – Keyword research is a basic element of all Google Ads strategy. Google Ads AI will give you an infinite amount of choices after you have chosen the keywords you think will yield the most positive results. The truth is Google knows what it is doing. However, they are still robots and software that are telling humans how to act. Therefore, it is incredibly important to keep the human touch and human eye on your keywords. Don’t just trust what Google tells you, use common sense and you should be fine.
- SET MATCH TYPE – Google Ads will default to “Broad” match and depending on your type of business and campaign, this might not be the best option for you. We will usually change the default to “Exact” match. In some cases, “Phrase” match will be the winner but ultimately we will only discover the best match type after a series of tests and time.
- NEGATIVE KEYWORDS – Negative keywords should always be implemented right after standard keywords are applied. Additional negative keywords may be discovered only after a campaign has begun with “Broad” match type. Google has a very low threshold when it comes to deciding how “broad” keywords should be. Sometimes Google AI will robotically decide that certain keywords are relevant to your business and industry when in fact they aren’t related at all. Negative keywords are a good way to conserve budget after discovering that many ad dollars have been wasted by a “Broad” match campaign.
- SET SCHEDULE – Many new advertisers get very excited about implementing a Google Ads campaign and program. One of the things they don’t realize is that Google will take as much money as you set into your budget. Therefore it is extremely important to set a schedule that makes human sense. Most people that are visiting your website and want to purchase products and services from your business will not do so at 2:00 am in the middle of the night. Most consumers will make an inquiry or purchase between 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Some consumers will search and click before they start work at 8:00 am and some have the discipline to only surf the internet and make their purchases after they finish work at 5:00 pm. Even more consumers will make purchases after 8:00 pm after their children are in bed. We will always set a schedule according to the best possible timeframe to not only be clicking on ads but also when you will be in your office to answer the call.
- CREATE LANDING PAGES – Advertising and getting people to click to your website truly means nothing if when the visitor arrives, there is not a clean, aesthetically pleasing page with relevant keywords and engaging calls to actions. Landing pages are the first pages that people see after they click on an advertisement or hyperlink. They are important windows to your website and business and should be built with that in mind. Good examples of landing pages will include company branding, contact information, relevant graphics and as mentioned above engaging calls to action.
- TRACK CLICKS & IMPRESSIONS – Tracking clicks to a website of course is important but many new advertisers don’t realize that clicks and impressions are not the end-all be-all. It is important to record how many people are visiting your website, how many people see your ad and how many people click through but advertisers should never forget that if the visitor does not convert to a customer or a purchase, then these may be wasted clicks and budget.
- TRACK CONVERSIONS – Setting up conversions is one of the most important aspects of pay per click advertising. New advertisers don’t always grasp the importance of conversion tracking. Many people hire digital marketing agencies to manage their PPC campaigns without truly understanding their business goals. They know that Google Ads present an opportunity to increase traffic and therefore increase business, but they do not know how to guide these agencies and professionals. It is actually up to the digital marketer to guide and advise the client as to how best set up a comprehensive Google Ad campaign with tracking conversion. Tracking conversions is a two part process that includes set up on the PPC side as well as on the website side with tracking pixels.
- DON’T BE BAMBOOZLED! – To summarize, just as we begin this page with the declaration “Be Smart,” we also include some tips related to avoiding wasting budget, implementing intelligent strategy and using common sense. Don’t be fooled or taken by digital marketing agencies and professionals who claim to understand the ins and outs of paid search engine marketing, pay per click or PPC advertising and Google Ads. It is a challenge for an advertiser to truly comprehend all that goes into a Google Ad campaign. Many people will pass the test and become Google Ads certified but they will lack the experience to create a truly impactful and effective campaign. Don’t trust your gut when hiring a Google Ads specialist. Vet, interview and do your due diligence wisely before you make a final decision. Make sure the professional working on your advertising campaigns has plenty of experience, knowledge and the ability to execute.