Google Ads is one of the most effective ways to reach prospective customers and grow your business.
Think about it.
What is your source for finding businesses, suppliers, and answers to your everyday questions? Google, right?
“Just Google it” has become a common phrase in most homes…and workplaces. Even at Arlington Strategy, we turn to Google when searching for our next quarantine hobby.
But as we shared in our last blog, 95% of users only view the first page of search results. This means showing up on page one is imperative to having new customers discover your business. In addition to blogging, you can increase the visibility of your business through Google Ads.
Advertising on Google may seem daunting, but the investment in time and money can have a huge impact on your business. Think about where you currently rank on Google search. Google Ads can help bridge the gaps in your organic search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. You can also incorporate the keyword terms generating results in your ads into your organic SEO strategy to increase your brand’s online visibility.
Once you’ve set your budget (we recommend starting with $750/month), you’ll want to decide whether you should focus your ad budget on search or display ads.
What does #TeamStrategy recommend?
Search ads are ideal for niche/expensive services and products or things you need on demand.
Think of a plumber. We wouldn’t recommend display ads for them because no one randomly sees a plumbing ad and decides to call them; you only go out and actively search for plumbing services if you need them.
With search ads, we can be super-efficient with our ads by only showing them to people who are actively searching for our product/service. For instance, let’s go back to our plumber example; with search ads, we can target people searching “plumbers in arlington va.” By doing so, we can ensure that we’re only paying for views/clicks on ads from people in the market for a plumber because they’re actively searching for it.
There are no keywords with display ads, so you are targeting a much larger group of people — most of whom are probably not in the market for those services at that time.
With display ads, you are hoping that either:
A) The 1-3% of people currently in the market see the ad.
or
B) The 97% who aren’t currently in the market will remember the ad when they are in the market for that product/service, which could be 1-10 years from the time of the ad or never.
Google Ads: The Bottom Line
For something like a coffee cup, display ads work well because people don’t need to be “in the market” for a coffee cup. It’s a cheap product that anyone could realistically buy at any time, and seeing a display ad may convince them to make a purchase.
However, when it comes to plumbing services, that’s not something you see and just decide to purchase out of the blue — you need to be in the market and actively thinking about needing a plumber to convert.
It’s important to consider both search and display ads as you develop your paid ad strategy and consider if your product or service is a “need” or a “want.” Search ads work well for things your audience seeks out — they need to find what you are offering; display ads work well for things your target market would be inclined to want. Both options can be good avenues for driving conversions.
Are you ready to dive in but don’t think you have the time to create and manage Google Ads effectively? Our Google Ads Strategist, Elliot Mersch (who provided the tips in this blog post), is ready to help! Schedule a 15-minute discovery call to see if Team Strategy can help you reach your advertising goals in 2022.
