Let’s drive some traffic! Google Ads is one of the most affordable and dynamic marketing tools available to small business owners. For a small daily budget, a local business can position its brand in front of a whole new market!
Is it Easy to Sign Up?
With no signup fee or monthly subscription, opening your Google Ads account takes no more than a few minutes. In typical Google fashion, an intuitive registration interface guides you through the account creation process. From there, it is up to you to build out your account in the best structure for your business.
Where Are My Ads going to be Shown?
You might think of Google Ads as the paid listings that you see at the top of the search engine results page (SERP), but ads can serve in many locations across the web. Ads shown on the SERP are served through Google’s Search Network and are only one of many ad formats. You can also run Display ads appearing on websites frequented by your market, Shopping ads showing your product, Video ads playing on YouTube, in-App ads, and more!
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How Does it Work?
Each network has unique intricacies, but for this overview we will focus on the Google Search Network.
Every time someone performs a Google search, Google holds a digital auction to determine which ads will show on the SERP. Each auction takes place in a fraction of a second, determining winners based on a variety of factors including bid amount, quality score, and more.
Your ad is eligible for auction if the search terms the user typed into the Google search bar are relevant to the keywords that you have selected in your Google Ads account. For example, a user searching for best electricians near me might see ads that have bid on the keywords electricians near me, best electricians, and so on. Remember, keywords do not have to be just one word! Some of the best keywords are 3-5 words and speak to specific search intent.
There are many tools to help you build your keyword list. From Google’s own Keyword Planner to third party services like Moz, Semrush, and Answer the Public.
How Much Do I Have to Spend?
Whether your company can dedicate $200 or $20,000 each month, you can optimize your Google Ads account structure and bidding strategy to drive traffic to your website. Some industries have more expensive keywords than others, but as long as you get creative with your keywords you should be able to stretch your budget. Although there is no minimum budget necessary to run a campaign on Google Ads, campaigns under $500/month can often be more time consuming than those with larger budgets. Of course, Google’s targeting, keyword planning, and scheduling tools can all help stretch a modest budget.
Is your organization classified as a 501c3? If so, you might qualify for a Google Ad Grant!
Grant Accounts
Grant accounts function almost identically to normal Google Ads accounts with a few notable differences. To name a few, Grant accounts can only participate in the Google Search Network, they must maintain a click-through-rate of at least 5%, and they may not bid on single word keywords with the exception of those on this list. If you are interested in applying for a Google grant, you can learn more here.
Need a Hand?
Are you ready to open your business to a larger market via Google Ads? Meet My Market is here to help! Contact Meet My Market today to schedule your free consultation with a marketing consultant.
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