The more space your ad takes up, the more likely people are to click. That means you should include as many assets as possible within your ad. Google won’t show them all at once but will use A/B testing to help you see which assets are most effective.
Step 4: Decide Who Sees Your Ad
In Google Ads, targeting the right demographic and location is crucial.
When you initially set up your ad, you may only see the option to choose the location and language. However, after your ad is running, you can go back in and make edits to further specify your target audience.
To do that, go to the ‘Settings’ section of your ad campaign and find the ‘Locations’ and ‘Demographics’ tabs. In the ‘Locations’ tab, you can specify the geographical areas where you want your ads to be shown – this can range from entire countries to cities or even a specific radius around a location.
For demographics, Google Ads allows you to target specific age groups, genders, parental statuses, and household income percentiles.
Remember, selecting a wider demographic or location can increase your reach, but it probably won’t increase your conversions. It is better to get your ad in front of a smaller group of people who are more likely to convert into paying customers.
Step 5: Set Your Keywords
Choosing the right keywords for your Google Ads campaign is another critical piece of your ad’s success. Start by brainstorming words or phrases that potential customers might type into the search bar to find your product or service.
Google’s Keyword Planner can help you find keyword ideas and traffic estimates. When selecting keywords, you want to strike a balance between relevance and reach. Highly relevant keywords will likely result in higher click-through rates, but they may not have the search volume to make a significant impact.
Google Ads recommends you choose 5-20 keywords per ad group so that you have the best chance of showing up in front of the right customers.
Step 6: Set Your Budget
Your budget is the amount you are willing to spend per month. Google will give you a few budget recommendations based on the keywords you selected. You can choose one of their suggestions or set your own budget.
Keep in mind that the amount Google spends running your ad may vary per day but they will stay under the total monthly budget you set.
Step 7: Review the Final Product
Before you hit the publish button, review your Google Ad to make sure it is ready for the world to see.
- Review Ad Previews: Google’s Ad Preview tool will show you how your ad will appear in search results, and in any other Google platforms where you want it to be included. Look for any formatting issues and check the flow between the different headline and description combinations. Move elements around until you are happy with each variation.
- Check Spelling and Grammar: A simple typo or grammatical error can harm your ad’s credibility.
- Check the URL: Make sure all the links are working correctly and directing to the right place. Nothing is worse than paying for an ad that leads to a dead end!
Remember, even after publishing, you can always make adjustments to your ad based on its performance and feedback. The most successful advertisers are constantly testing, tweaking, and refining their ads.
Step 8: Test, Tweak, Repeat
Congratulations! Your first ad is running.
However, you’re not completely done. You’ll want to look at how your ads are performing and make modifications along the way.
To edit your ads while they’re running, go to the Google Ads interface and navigate to the ‘Ads & Extensions’ section. From there, click on the ad you want to modify. Significant edits will reset the ad’s performance history so if you don’t want to lose your ad’s engagement and conversion metrics, stick with minor edits.
The Easiest Way to Run Your First Google Ad
There you have it, a complete Google Ads tutorial for newbies. Running successful Google Ads for small businesses can be an efficient and cost-effective marketing strategy when set up well and run strategically.
If you don’t feel comfortable writing and running your very first Google Ad on your own, it is always better to work with an expert. It will save you time, money, and a lot of stress.
Schedule a call with Guide MKTG so that we can ensure you aren’t wasting any of your hard-earned money on ads that fall flat. We will write and optimize your ads for you so that you can reap the rewards of Google Ads without the stress of figuring them out.