Google Ads guide for beginners

Google Ads, formerly known as Google AdWords, is an online advertising platform that allows businesses to promote their products and services across Google’s vast network.

With Google Ads, you can target specific audiences using keywords, location, demographics, and interests. Your ads can appear at the top of Google search results, on YouTube, in Gmail, and across millions of websites in the Google Display Network.

With Google Ads, you can bypass organic search rankings and gain immediate visibility to potential customers searching for relevant products or services.

• 1)

  Advertisers bid on keywords or audiences - You select keywords (for search ads) or target audiences (for display ads) and set a bid for how much you're willing to pay per click, impression, or conversion

• 2)

  Users search or browse online - When someone searches for a targeted keyword or visits a relevant site, Google evaluates the ads.

• 3)

  Google ranks ads - Ads are ranked by bid amount, quality, and expected user experience. The highest-ranked ads appear first.

• 4)

  Users engage with ads - If a user clicks on your ad, they're directed to your website, landing page, or product page.

• Competition - How many advertisers are bidding for the same keyword.

• Search Volume - The number of users searching for that keyword.

• Audience Reach - The estimated size and relevance of your target audience.

• Time of Day & Seasonality - Demand fluctuations based on user behavior and industry trends.

• Ad Quality - Google assigns a quality score based on the ad's relevance, landing page quality, and expected CTR, which can lower or raise your bid price.

• Device Type - Costs can vary based on whether the ad is shown on mobile devices, tablets, or desktops.

• Geographic Location - The region where the user is located can impact costs, especially in competitive markets or high-demand areas.

• Bid Strategy - The type of bid strategy you choose (e.g., manual, automated, target CPA) can influence costs.

• Target CPA (Cost-Per-Acquisition) - Google automatically adjusts your bids to help you get as many conversions as possible at your target cost per acquisition (CPA).

• Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) - Google automatically adjusts bids to help you achieve a specific return on ad spend (ROAS). You set a target return, and Google optimizes bids to reach that goal.

• Maximize Conversions - Google automatically adjusts your bids to help you get the most conversions within your budget.

• Maximize Clicks - Google automatically adjusts your bids to help you get the most clicks within your budget. This strategy focuses on driving traffic to your website.

• Target Impression Share - Google automatically sets bids to help your ad appear in a specific portion of the auctions (e.g., top of the page or absolute top of the page).

• Enhanced Cost-Per-Click (eCPC) - This is a semi-automated strategy. Google adjusts your manual bids to help you get more conversions while staying within your budget. It works in the background to optimize your bids.

• Maximize Conversion Value - This is a semi-automated strategy. Google adjusts your manual bids to help you get more conversions while staying within your budget. It works in the background to optimize your bids.

• Cost-Per-Click (CPC) - This is a common bidding strategy where you pay when someone clicks on your ad.

• Manual Cost-Per-1000 Impressions (CPM) - You set a manual bid for how much you're willing to pay for 1,000 impressions. This is mostly used for Display Network campaigns.

• Making a purchase - A user buys a product or service on your website.

• Filling out a form - A user submits their contact information, subscribes to a newsletter, or requests a quote.

• Signing up for an account - A user creates an account on your website or app.

• Downloading an app or content - A user downloads your app, an eBook, or other content you offer.

• Phone calls - A user clicks on a call button and contacts your business via phone.

Conversions help measure how effective your ads are at driving valuable actions. You can set up conversion tracking in Google Ads to track these actions and use that data to optimize campaigns, improve ROI, and better align your ads with your business objectives.