What’s the name of that vegan restaurant in your neighborhood everyone raves about? Don’t know? Just Google it! Now imagine how many people are engaged in similar inquiries about businesses like yours. If you want to start capitalizing on the ginormous number of daily searches that take place on Google and quickly earn the attention you need to grow your bottom line, the answer is…Google Ads!

What is That?

Google Ads is simply online advertising within the Google universe. You create online ads to reach audiences that are interested in the products and services your business offers. The Google Ads platform runs on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, which means you pay every time a visitor clicks your ad.

Right People, Right Place, Right Time

Anyone using the internet today will likely Google the answer to something. In fact, consumers currently perform over 5 billion Google searches per day. It’s what we do, right? Google is even officially entered as a verb in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. So it stands to reason, if you can help your potential customer find an answer, even if it’s with an ad, they’re more likely to choose you over your competitor. 

Google allows you to show your ads to the people who are likely to be interested in your products and services, while weeding out those who aren’t, regardless of whether they’re searching on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. In other words, Google Ads allows you to show your ads to the right people in the right place at the right time. 

Behind the Curtain

So how exactly does Google know which internet surfers are your potential customers? With Google Ads, you target your marketing campaigns utilizing a few key elements, allowing Google to show your ads to people specifically interested in the products and services you offer. 

When building your marketing campaign, you bid on the use of keywords, words or phrases relevant to your products and services, allowing Google to show your ads to prospects at every stage of the product research process. 

And don’t worry – Google gives you control over how you spend your money. From the maximum bid on the ad to the daily budget of the campaign, you choose how much you spend per month, per day, and per ad. And you’ll only pay when someone clicks your ad.

The Special Sauce

There is one big difference between the potential customers you’re reaching with Google Ads and the people you’re reaching with other forms of advertising: consumer intent. Most people spending time on social media, for example, aren’t looking to be advertised to. They’re looking for cat pictures and family updates. 

On the other hand, when it comes to search networks, you’re advertising to people who are looking for something specific, and when your ad appears, it helps them solve a problem or find an answer instead of interrupting their online browsing experience. With Google Ads, you’re positioning yourself to earn customers’ business when they’re ready to pull out their wallet.

Is This Thing On?

The first thing every business owner wants to know about an advertising campaign: is this effort and money having an impact on my bottom line? If you don’t know what you’re doing wrong, you’ll have no idea how to improve. Luckily, when it comes to analyzing the performance of your various ad campaigns, Google lays everything out in an easy to understand format.

With Google Ads, if someone clicked your ad, you’ll know. If they clicked your ad and then downloaded your app, purchased your product, or phoned in an order, you can track that, too. With real time info around which ads get clicks and which ones don’t, you can readily see where to invest less or more in your campaign, which can then boost your return on investment. 

Why Use Google Ads? Why Not!

Whether you’re a large business looking to expand, or a startup seeking to let the world know you’ve arrived, Google’s network has something to meet your business goals. In this vast sea of nearly endless searches — 2+ trillion per year — why wouldn’t you cast your net in to see what you can catch?