Google Ads are somehow still mysterious to many small business owners so I thought it might be useful to give a top level mini-overview via my oh so awesome blog.
On a very basic level, running ads on Google means that when someone searches for something on the internet, an Ad you create appears. It's noted with the word 'Ad' in front of it and is typically at the top of the page. Ads appear when the keywords we choose match a person's search online. So, if you're a Chiropractor, we add that word (and dozens of others) to a list of words or phrases people might type into Google when looking for a healthcare practice like yours.
There are many ways to advertise using Google's Ad platform and the search method mentioned above is just one of them. Google also has partnerships with many websites that also show their ads. So, after someone does an online search, these ads will begin to appear on other websites that person/computer visits. A third way that ads are delivered to people is by matching the Advertiser's keywords with a news article or blog post's keywords. So, a person could be reading an article about back pain, for example, and Google would be showing ads for local Chiropractors on that page even though the reader might not have conducted a search yet for one.
Negative Keywords
In addition to creating keywords, I also recommend adding negative keywords. For example, if you're a Psychotherapist, we would add the keyword 'therapist' to your ad campaign. Meanwhile we would also add the word 'massage' as a negative keyword so that anytime a search term includes massage (i.e. massage therapist), the ads would not appear.
On a very basic level, running ads on Google means that when someone searches for something on the internet, an Ad you create appears. It's noted with the word 'Ad' in front of it and is typically at the top of the page. Ads appear when the keywords we choose match a person's search online. So, if you're a Chiropractor, we add that word (and dozens of others) to a list of words or phrases people might type into Google when looking for a healthcare practice like yours.
There are many ways to advertise using Google's Ad platform and the search method mentioned above is just one of them. Google also has partnerships with many websites that also show their ads. So, after someone does an online search, these ads will begin to appear on other websites that person/computer visits. A third way that ads are delivered to people is by matching the Advertiser's keywords with a news article or blog post's keywords. So, a person could be reading an article about back pain, for example, and Google would be showing ads for local Chiropractors on that page even though the reader might not have conducted a search yet for one.
Negative Keywords
In addition to creating keywords, I also recommend adding negative keywords. For example, if you're a Psychotherapist, we would add the keyword 'therapist' to your ad campaign. Meanwhile we would also add the word 'massage' as a negative keyword so that anytime a search term includes massage (i.e. massage therapist), the ads would not appear.
Targeting Your Ads
Google also allows for several ways we can target folks, such as geographically (within 7 miles of your business), demographically (only 25-54 year olds for example) and psychographically (i.e. by topics of interest).
Cost of Google Ads
How much does it cost? That's a common question and there's no easy answer. You can set up ads to pay by the click (or website visit) on the ads, or by reach (the number of impressions or people who see your ad) just to name a few. Google sets their prices using auction bidding which means the more businesses like yours buying ads in the same region at the same time, the higher the prices. I've seen some ads only get charged 5 cents per click and others charged $20 per click. Bottom line, it depends and it changes. I've seen Psychologists generate new clients by only spending $150/month and I've seen B2B businesses spend $400 month for similar results. It's different for every business.
Are You Ready?
One last thing worth mentioning is that, in addition to effective online ads, the website where the person lands is also important. So, if you're advertising furniture your store sells but your website doesn't currently have any chairs in stock (and that's one of your keywords), then your ads might not do as well. The website has to be ready to accept new visitors who don't know your business - in other words it needs to be friendly to outsiders first.
Of course, I'm happy to help, reach out if you'd like to set up a complimentary phone call to discuss. Thanks for reading!
Google also allows for several ways we can target folks, such as geographically (within 7 miles of your business), demographically (only 25-54 year olds for example) and psychographically (i.e. by topics of interest).
Cost of Google Ads
How much does it cost? That's a common question and there's no easy answer. You can set up ads to pay by the click (or website visit) on the ads, or by reach (the number of impressions or people who see your ad) just to name a few. Google sets their prices using auction bidding which means the more businesses like yours buying ads in the same region at the same time, the higher the prices. I've seen some ads only get charged 5 cents per click and others charged $20 per click. Bottom line, it depends and it changes. I've seen Psychologists generate new clients by only spending $150/month and I've seen B2B businesses spend $400 month for similar results. It's different for every business.
Are You Ready?
One last thing worth mentioning is that, in addition to effective online ads, the website where the person lands is also important. So, if you're advertising furniture your store sells but your website doesn't currently have any chairs in stock (and that's one of your keywords), then your ads might not do as well. The website has to be ready to accept new visitors who don't know your business - in other words it needs to be friendly to outsiders first.
Of course, I'm happy to help, reach out if you'd like to set up a complimentary phone call to discuss. Thanks for reading!