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A Beginner’s Guide to Google Ads
Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) is the most popular PPC advertising platform in the world. With billions of searches happening on Google every day, it’s a powerful tool for businesses that want to reach a massive and highly engaged audience. This guide will walk you through the basics of setting up your first Google Ads campaign.
1. Set Up Your Google Ads Account
The first step is to create a Google Ads account. You’ll need a Google account and a credit card to get started. During the setup process, you’ll be asked to provide some basic information about your business and your advertising goals.
2. Choose Your Campaign Type
Google Ads offers a variety of campaign types to choose from, each with its own unique features and benefits. Some of the most common campaign types include:
- Search Network campaigns: These are the text-based ads that appear on the Google search results page.
- Display Network campaigns: These are the visual ads that appear on websites across the Google Display Network.
- Shopping campaigns: These are the product-based ads that appear on the Google search results page and the Google Shopping tab.
- Video campaigns: These are the video ads that appear on YouTube and other websites.
3. Define Your Campaign Settings
Next, you’ll need to define your campaign settings. This includes:
- Your budget: How much you want to spend per day.
- Your bidding strategy: How you want to bid on keywords.
- Your location targeting: The geographic locations where you want your ads to be shown.
- Your language targeting: The languages of the users you want to target.
4. Choose Your Keywords
Keywords are the words and phrases that people use to search for what you have to offer. Choosing the right keywords is crucial for the success of your campaign. You can use the Google Keyword Planner to research keywords and get ideas.
5. Create Your Ads
Now it’s time to create your ads. Your ads should be clear, concise, and compelling. They should include a strong call to action that tells users what you want them to do next. For search ads, you’ll need to write a headline, a description, and a display URL.
6. Launch and Monitor Your Campaign
Once you’ve created your ads, you’re ready to launch your campaign. But your work is not done yet. You need to continuously monitor your campaign to see what’s working and what’s not. Track your key metrics, such as click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and cost per conversion, and use those insights to optimise your campaign over time.
Our Overall Thoughts
Google Ads can be a powerful and profitable marketing channel for your business. By taking the time to set up your campaign correctly, choose the right keywords, and create compelling ads, you can reach a massive audience of potential customers who are actively looking for what you have to offer. The key to success with Google Ads is to be strategic, data-driven, and always be willing to test and improve.
Ready to launch your first Google Ads campaign?
Our team of Google Ads experts at Validus Media can help you create a campaign that drives results.
