What Are Google Ads and Why Do They Appear?
Google ads are advertisements that appear next to Google’s search results with the use of AdWords, or advertisements that appear on other websites through Google’s AdSense program.
Businesses advertise on Google with Google ads in order to gain brand exposure and attract qualified visitors to their websites. In order to create Google ads, advertisers must use AdWords, Google's advertising platform. Different search engines use different advertising platforms- creating Yahoo ads requires using Yahoo! Advertising, and Bing uses Microsoft AdCenter.
Understanding how to use Google AdWords is essential in creating successful Google Ads, with AdWords being the most popular form of pay-per-click (PPC) marketing.
In the below example of a Google search engine results page (SERP), you can see two paid links sections, one above the "natural" or organic links and one to the right of the organic results:
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The sponsored results differ from the organic Google results in that they are Google Ads that have been paid for.
Google Ads : Utilizing Keywords
The first step in creating Google Ads is deciding what your keywords are. Keywords are the foundation of PPC advertising. You'll want to create a list of keywords that are relevant to your business. The most successful marketers will create not just ad text based off of these keywords, but website landing pages as well.
The best way to craft a keyword list is with the help of a keyword generator tool. WordStream offers a great free keyword generator tool that can help you find relevant keywords for your business in a snap. We also have a free keyword grouper tool that can help you organize your list of keywords into segmented groups. Having organized keyword groups becomes essential for creating relevant Google ad text and landing pages.
The AdWords Auction and How to Win
Companies can enter into an auction to have their Google ad appear if it's relevant to a user's search query. Advertisers pay Google for clicks on their ads, hence the name pay-per-click marketing. WordStream's infographic can help you better understand how the AdWords auction works.
The key to "winning" these auctions and getting your Google Ads displayed is through Quality Score. The higher your Quality Score, the better your ad positioning. The following factors (among others) affect your Quality Score:
- The relevance of your Google ad to the search query
- The relevance of the Google keyword to your ad group
- The relevance of your ad to its landing page
- The historical click-through rate (CTR) of the ad and its ad group
- Overall historical account performance
Google Ads : Cost of Google Ads
The amount of money you'll dish out to get your advertisements displayed with Google AdWords Advertising varies based on a number of factors. One big determining factor on your Google Ad costs will be how competitive your keywords are.
Our infographic shows the Top 20 Most Expensive Keywords, and the industries that rely on these keywords will have to pay big bucks to get their advertisements on Google.
In addition to giving you improved ad positioning, Quality Score also helps lowers your costs. When it comes to advertising on Google, relevance is the key to Quality Score. Google wants to connect searchers with ads that correctly match their search query and help them reach what they are searching for. Advertisers with tight and relevant keyword groupings are rewarded with higher Quality Score.
Raising your Quality Scores across your account will have benefits including:
- Lower costs – Google rewards advertisers with high Quality Scores by lowering their cost per click (CPC), helping improve ROI.
- More exposure – When you have high Quality Scores, your ads will display more often, increasing your number of impressions, and your Google ads will appear in better positions. This enables you to get more exposure, more clicks, and more conversions without having to raise your bids.
High Quality Scores make it easy to make money on Google and are essential for a successful Google ad campaign.
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Types of Google Ads
Google advertisements come in all different sizes, shapes, and formats.
Google Display Ads - These are advertisements that exist on the Google Display Network. While the Search Network is connected with ads on the Google search results pages, the Display Network is a collection of outside websites that have partnered with Google as display partners. Google ads on the Display Network can be in text, image, video, or rich media format, and can be targeted differently.
Google Image Ads - Image ads run on Display Network sites. They can be still images or they can include animation and Adobe Flash elements.
Google Banner Ads - Banner ads are a popular form of image ads.
Google Local Ads - While there aren't specific "local ads", you can create Google ads and use location targeting options to target users by physical location or search intent.
WordStream for PPC : Google Ads Made Easy
While creating Google Ads and learning how to advertise on Google might seem overwhelming, it doesn't have to be. WordStream's PPC AdWords Management Software is a unique tool built specifically for Google marketing that simplifies and improves your PPC marketing processes so you can maintain high Quality Scores and collect search-driven profits with Google ads.
Writing Clickable Text Ads for Google Advertisements
WordStream works as your personal Google ad manager, even helping you write text ads that draw users in, raising your CTR and Quality Score. Our text ad tools automatically populates the fields of your Google ad with the most popular and relevant keywords in your ad group. This way, you know you're focusing on the words and phrases that will appeal to the most potential customers.
Just adjust the language to craft messages that will grab the searcher's attention when they are displayed as ads on Google. Also make sure that your ad directs the user to a landing page that's relevant to both the ad and the keyword you're bidding on, improving Quality Score. You can also preview and publish your Google AdWords ads right within WordStream.
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Try WordStream And Begin to Make Money With Google Ads
WordStream offers expert Google ad tools and Google ad services that can guide you towards Google advertising success. Learn more about WordStream's pay-per-click marketing solutions: