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If you're managing a Google Ads specialist or your keen to try Google Ads for yourself, then this guide will help you get started. A little bit of knowledge of the process can improve your confidence and results tremendously.
5 steps to understanding Google Ads
1. Enroll in an introductory course
The first step is to learn the basics of how Google ads work.
You can go through the Google skillshop which offers online courses and product training for free to develop your skills. This gives you the fundamental knowledge to understand how pay-per-click (PPC) advertising on Google works.
However, once you become certified don’t let that stop you from doing your own reading and research. The algorithm is always changing and it’s good practice to stay ahead of the curve.
2. Understand the basics of SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization.
This means understanding how to optimize your site to get more website traffic in the search engines. The higher your rankings are on the results page, the stronger the likelihood of getting new leads and visitors landing on your website.
However, SEO covers several things such as:
- Technical SEO
- Off-page SEO
- On-page SEO
- Content strategy
You don’t need to know everything about these in great depth. But, it’s good to have a general overview of how they work. As a result, the combined approach with pay-per-click ads allows you to maximise audience engagement and make the most out of your strategy.
3. Implement what you’ve learned
Using everything you know, it’s time to put it into practice by applying what you’ve learned.
Learn from each of your experiences first-hand to verify what works and what doesn’t. Narrow down the process based on what’s most effective for your audience and industry. From there, you can put together your own framework to build a winning formula.
4. Stay ahead of Google Algorithm updates
Google is continuously updating its algorithm to provide a better experience for its users.
After these updates, it’s common for many online businesses and websites to notice volatility which could happen for multiple reasons. Our best advice is to follow the best practices and ensure you’re following the search engine guidelines.
For example:
- Include keywords naturally
- Optimize ads for mobile
- Use responsive search ads
5. Build your experience
Lastly, keep building your experience to further optimize your framework.
Soon enough you’ll have an adept understanding of the ins and outs behind your target audience and industry. Once you know what works well for you specifically, you can repeat the process to get the winning results on a consistent basis and scale even faster.
Google Ad examples for startups
We’ll go through three examples of Google ads used by different startup companies in their marketing campaigns. These are startups at different stages of their journey that are using this to scale.
Bit Bio
The first example we’ll look at is from bit.bio, a synthetic biology startup company.
You’ll notice that by searching for their brand, the first result that comes up is a Google ad.
Whenever you search for a specific company or something relevant to the company, there’s a chance that you’ll see a list of Google ads ranking on the top of the search engine results page (SERP) before you reach the first organic result.
Because this gives you a stronger online presence in the SERP, it’s one reason why it leads to an increase in website traffic.
However, this ad also appears for a keyword that’s related to their product.
For instance, here’s what showed up first after entering the keywords “stem cell biology.”
Afrocenchix
Afrocenchix is a startup company in the cosmetics and personal care industry that sells natural hair products. They also make use of Google ads to get leads and new website visitors by improving their online presence and visibility.
But instead of appearing at the top, you can also appear near the bottom of the SERP.
Reachdesk
Reachdesk is a larger startup company in the B2B space that helps other businesses integrate direct mail and gifting into their workflow.
In this instance, they’re ranking for a keyword that’s relevant to their brand and product. After searching for “corporate gifting crm” in the Google search engines, here’s what showed up on the SERP.
If you were to do this organically as a growing organization or startup, it’s going to take a significant amount of time and effort. But with Google ads, you’re more likely to get traction at a faster rate without having to wait years or months before you start to see the results.
Moreover, it’s difficult to compete and rank for certain keywords because of other established players in the space who have built up a reputation over the years.
