Google AdWords for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide

Google reports over 3.5 billion searches every day. With such a large number of people using search engines to find products and services, it’s a great place for brands looking to get their products in front of their target audience. Usually, people implement SEM strategies to optimize their websites for search engines. That’s the most profitable way to build a high-ranking and high-authority website in the long run. Content and SEO can generate immense traffic to your website, but it requires patience. 

You can’t set up an SEO strategy today and notice tons of traffic the next day. It takes time. You need to conduct keyword research, competitive analysis, and market research to understand the latest trends in this industry and optimize your website for search engines accordingly. The process might look tedious, but it is quite rewarding. AdWord, on the other hand, is the opposite of search engine optimization. 

Setting up your Google Ads campaign is a fairly straightforward process. And, if you get it right, there is a good chance your website will start attracting traffic and sales within an hour of setting up the ad campaign. That’s how fast it works. Besides that, it is performance-based, meaning you only pay for the actions people take on your website. Put it this way, you don’t pay for impressions. There is a sense of security that if nobody buys your products or clicks on your website, you will not pay anything. That is one advantage of Google AdWords.

When users type a query in the search bar, they will most likely buy a product that fits their preference or solves their problem. Imagine your product showing up on top of the search list when your audience searches for a similar product. Not only will your company attract a large volume of traffic, but it will result in high conversions. More than 1 million businesses are spending money on Google AdWords. It shows that companies are serious about search engine marketing. They know the benefits, and they are making the best of it. Let’s see what Google AdWords is and how it works.

How does Google AdWords Work?

Google Ads is a paid tool offered by Google. Unlike SEO, Google Ads doesn’t require you to publish content or get backlinks to rank in the search engine. You target a keyword that you want to rank for, and Google will promote your website on top of the search engine every time a user types this keyword in the search bar. 

The question is, “how will your ads rank at the top when there are possibly hundreds of other companies competing for the same keywords? You are supposed to make a bid for the keywords. The process is simple. You choose a keyword and place your maximum bid — the maximum amount you are willing to pay per click. It is an auction. However, Google takes various factors into account before determining your ad placement. For instance, Google considers your CTR (click-through rate) to determine whether your keywords are relevant to the users’ search queries. Your account history is another crucial factor. Google checks your history to know if you are a credible brand, how well you interact with your audience, do you have a good track record in serving your target audience. All these factors matter! 

Read Also:- Tips to Boost the SEO with Google Adwords

The landing page matters the most when it comes to the effectiveness of your Google Ads campaign. That’s where your audience lands when they click on your ad. The page should be relevant to the search query. For example, if your Google ads are about hiking boots, your landing page should promote hiking boots. The content should also be relevant to the ads. You need to build an easy-to-navigate landing page. People shouldn’t leave your page immediately after landing because of the complex interface. Google takes it as a negative sign and will lower your search rankings no matter how much you pay for the ad campaign. 

That translates into a great opportunity for advertisers. If you do the landing page, keyword research, and advertising the right way, there is a good chance you will beat other advertisers while paying the least. Google AdWords will consider your maximum bid, quality score, and ad rank to determine how much you should pay for the ad. The cost can vary from country to country. It depends on how much your competitors are paying and the demand for your products. It can range from $2 to $100 per click. While that looks expensive, you can still make 10x ROI if you use Google AdWords the right way. 

Steps for Setting Up Google Ads

For every dollar spent on Google ads, the business owner can make $2. Setting up Google ads is not difficult, but the process can get a little overwhelming. Let’s check out the steps for setting up a Google ad campaign.

• Visit Google AdWords

Visit the Google Ads website and click on “Start Now”. Complete the signup process and select “Create your first campaign”. You get to choose a suitable campaign type for your ads. As you are just beginning, it’s best to stick to “Search Network Only.” Select a name relevant to your products and services.

• Choose Ad Display Location

Display location will decide people from which area will view your ads. If you are running a global business, you can promote it to an international audience. Select countries where you want your ads displayed. You can also filter the location by city. Local businesses that serve people in one city can set up their ad campaigns for that city. 

Understand your audience and where they live. You need to target areas where most of your audience lives and where your business can grow easily. Businesses targeting international audiences may have to set up multiple Google Ad campaigns that target different countries for a wider reach. 

• Set a Budget

It is best to start slow. If you are new to Google AdWords, set a low budget. This will help you start slowly, understand how this market works, and expand gradually. It’s important to set a limit for the maximum amount you will spend on Google ads every day since it can go over your budget easily. At this point, you should set up your payment method. You can choose manual payments, i.e., pay before your Google ads show up. Or, you can link Google AdWords to your bank account. The money will be transferred from your bank automatically.

• Keyword Targeting

This is the most crucial step in setting up a Google AdWords campaign. Your traffic, conversions, and sales depend largely on your target keywords. Of course, anyone will want to target multiple keywords to reach out to a wider audience. And that’s exactly what Google wants you to do. The more keywords you target, the more you will pay. 

As tempting as it sounds, targeting multiple keywords will be an unnecessary expense. Plus, it won’t generate the best results. For a better outcome, you should target what’s called the “bullseye” keywords. These are the keywords your audience is looking for when searching for your products. They are most likely to find your Google ad when they type the target keyword in the search bar.

• Set up an Ad

Once you have found the keywords, the next step is to create an ad. It should be exciting and engaging enough to get your audience to click on your ad. To rank your Google ad in the search engine, you must use the keyword phrase in the headlines. You must also add the keywords in the search description. The description should be short and crisp. It should tell your audience how your product and services can benefit them or solve their most common problems. 

The description must have the benefits of your products, a special offer, and a call to action. Your audience will be redirected to the landing page where they can buy your products or take other action. Your conversions depend on the information you present on the landing page. Your landing page must be optimized for Google ads. For example, if your ad shows a discounted offer on a product, you should send your audience to the landing page where they can find and grab this offer instead of redirecting them to the homepage.

• Track Your Conversions

Google allows you a few useful options for tracking your conversions from Google AdWords. It tells you the effectiveness of your ad campaigns, the source of your traffic, and which keywords are bringing in the maximum traffic. These factors will help you set your ad campaigns according to the performance of your current ads.

One of the many reasons people are switching to search engine marketing is that they help you attract organic traffic — people who search for your products and services with the intent of buying them. Follow the above steps for setting up your ads, and check the analysis to understand what’s working and what isn’t.