When it comes to the online world, there is no site more powerful than Google. With over 2 billion daily searches and a 78 percent share of Web search volume worldwide, Google is clearly consumers’ number one search engine choice, outranking Yahoo and Bing combined. As people’s go-to search engine, advertising on Google gives your business maximum online exposure at the moment potential customers are searching for your services. Thus, it is one of the most powerful digital platforms for business marketing.
Google advertising seems complicated due to all the technical jargon, like cost-per-click (CPC), click-through-rate (CTR), AdPosition, and quality score. In reality, however, a successful pay-per-click (PPC) campaign with high performing ads entails knowing where your audience spends their time on the Internet and what topics they are most interested in seeing. Based on your audience, you can create many different ad campaigns on Google AdWords to draw their attention to your advertisement. Here is a breakdown of the three main PPC campaigns and which type will yield your business the highest return on investment (ROI).
Search ads
A common type of Google ad is a search ad, which is a text ad that shows your ad either on the side of the search results page or directly on the search result list itself. Google chooses the most relevant ad placement within the Search Network, which includes Google Search, Shopping, Maps, Images, Groups, and other Non-Google partner search sites.
Because search ads only reach people who are searching for a specific product or service, they are the best ad option for businesses that have the immediate goal of converting ad impressions into conversions. Based on the keywords you use in your ad content, along with each consumer’s search query, Google will deliver your ads to the right people at the moment they are ready to purchase.
Although paid ads are distinguishable from organic search results since they have a light yellow background, search ads with high commercial intent still account for 64.6 percent of clicks. Google not only bolds the keywords in your ad that match the person’s search query but also displays the ad either directly above organic search results or on the side of the page. Therefore, it is integral that you research the keywords that your audience is most likely to type on Google, and then use those keywords in your ad copy to draw their interest.
Display ads
Google also allows you to show your ad on their display network, which is a collection of desktop and mobile sites and apps that allow Google ads. Google will match your ad to sites when your ad content either matches the site content or the interests of the user on the site. In addition, display ads don’t limit you to just text; you can also create ads with images, rich media, and videos.
Display ads are useful for raising brand awareness or increasing your conversions, primarily because they are extremely targeted to specific sites and demographic groups. This means that the people seeing your ad on a site are already interested in your industry, and thus are more likely to be interested in your business.
Mobile Ads
Let’s face it: mobile matters. With people constantly on-the-go, what better way to reach them than on the very device they are attached to? Google mobile ads combine search and display options by allowing you to create text, image, rich media, and video ads and showing them on search results, related content websites, apps, and videos. Therefore, by creating a mobile ad, you place your business in front of relevant customers throughout the day.
Google mobile ads have a wide variety of call-to-action buttons like click to download, call extensions, and location extensions all within the ad, thus making it a one-step process for people to perform the desired action more simply. Therefore, mobile ads are great for businesses that either have a physical location or an app they want people to download.
No matter where you choose to display your ad, audience insight and keyword research are important first steps in any successful PPC campaign. By knowing what types of sites your potential customers visit on the Internet and the search queries they type on Google, you will be better able to shape your ad copy and landing page to match their needs and to convert them into repeat customers.