Google Ads is Google’s paid advertising product. If you have a business and you want to send more traffic to your site, you can use Google Ads to run sponsored campaigns (paid campaigns). Google text ads usually appear on top of the Google Search Results Page (SERP) whenever someone types a specific query. Every company that advertises on Google will bid for keywords related to their niche.
In a fraction of a second, Google will read billion of keywords of that particular niche and will select the most relevant keyword for the search query. The winning ads will be seen on top of the SERP and will be labeled as “sponsored”.
But is running Google ads worth it? Let’s jump into the different pros and cons of Google Ads for your local business.
Pros
Results from Google Ads are instant
Google Ads can be extremely helpful for local businesses who want to drive traffic to their website. Unlike SEO, advertising on Google will give you results in just one day of running an ad. Moreover, it is very easy to create Google Ads. Once you’ve learned to do keyword research, you can decide on a budget, upload your campaigns, and give them a go. As an example, this tool allows you to search volume trends on specific keywords – Google Trends.
It offers fantastic search results
Google is one of the largest search engines in the world. If you have a winning ad, your website could eventually be seen by millions of users who search for particular keywords. Moreover, Google Ads have increased in size lately. In a single ad, you can put more text and get more bang for your buck. This allows advertisers to be more creative with their advertisements.
It is a great way to test your SEO
You can use Google Ads to test your ideas first before committing to the whole SEO thing. For example, you can test which keyword would drive more traffic to your blog or landing pages. With other platforms, you won’t be able to do it without dealing with complex features and arrangements.
Your budget can be big or small
Google Ads can be done on a budget. Of course, it will depend on your niche but as long as your budget is within the recommended minimum range by Google, then your ads are good to go. When creating your advertisement, you can specify how much you are willing to spend. You can set your maximum cost per click for your keywords, and then you only pay for clicks.
Cons
You pay for each click on your website
Google charges you for every person that clicks on your sponsored advertisement, whether it is converted or not. As result, you can get many clicks from visitors who will look at your site but are not sure if they’ll buy something. In the end, advertisements will depend on how attractive your campaign is and how clickable your products are. Just because you have a high clickthrough rate doesn’t mean you are already successful. The most important goal is to convert your traffic to purchasing customers so you can generate revenue.
Your budget won’t be the most attractive to Google
If you’re new to Google Ads, you would be hesitant to spend on a much bigger budget. Unfortunately, there is a bigger business that spends thousands of monies on advertising in exchange for million-dollar sales. That means the competition on the keyword you’re bidding can be fierce. As a result, the cost per click for that particular keyword can be more expensive than you think. And since you compete with other businesses on the internet, you can’t be sure if your ad will still show.
Your ads will stop as soon as you run out of budget
Many businesses have complained about how they have run ads on Google and ended with unfavorable results. Unfortunately, Google ads don’t yield satisfactory results all the time. For example, you can advertise your Mother’s Day promotion in one week. But if clickthrough has exhausted your budget, the ad will stop even if you haven’t made any sales yet.
It can be risky
Running advertisements on Google requires skills and experience. Although it is easier compared with SEO, not being careful with keyword targeting will only waste your budget. You need to make sure you have added sufficient negative keywords to your campaigns or your ads could be shown to the wrong users. If you don’t have experience with keyword targeting, you should hire someone who knows it well.
It requires a lot of time to learn
Like all other strategies to increase website traffic, running ads on Google will require time. There’s a steep learning curve when it comes to Google Ads and mistakes can cause you dearly. You need to invest a lot of time to master how to make ads work in your favor.
It won’t work for websites that are poorly designed
Google looks at the quality of your landing pages too – from design, content, widgets, and other elements that will affect its algorithm. For example, if your website has several bad links or broken links, your Quality Score will decrease. On the other hand, websites with very good landing pages would have better domain ratings and a higher Quality Score. When your website is high-quality, you pay less for your clicks.
Does it have a cost?
The average cost per click on Google Ads is between $2 and $4 but the most expensive cost is around $50 per click. Again, it depends on the keyword you are trying to bid on. The cost will go higher or lower depending on your niche too. For example, websites offering legal services would be more expensive compared to small retail businesses.
Recommendations for small business
Now, you’re probably wondering “is Google Ads worth it?”. We believe the answer is YES. Many businesses have successfully run ad campaigns on Google and generated bigger revenues. Studies have shown that most successful businesses earn $8 for every $1 worth of ads. If you know how to use it correctly and have all the information upfront, you could use it to your advantage.
If you are still not sure if GoogleAds is the right tool for you, we recommend you check out their how-to blog here.
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