Google Ads

Google Ads is a paid tool that allows webmasters to advertise their websites on Google’s results pages.

Definition

Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) is an internet platform of the Google group, which operates the search engine of the same name.

On this platform, website operators can place targeted advertising in various forms such as text ads, banners or product listing ads.The platform offers the largest online advertising network in the world, through which the Internet giant Google generates almost all of its revenue.

What are Google Ads for?

If you have already implemented the various OnPage and OffPage methods and your site is appropriately optimized for search engines, but you still want to gain more reach, it may make sense to book ads.

Google is the market leader among the search engines in Germany by a clear margin and is therefore correspondingly interesting for marketing strategies. A well-placed advertisement via Google Ads has a large direct reach due to the prominence of the search engine – and because the advertisement is linked to search terms, it is also very target group specific.

How does Google Ads work?

The AdWords platform works according to the so-called binding method and charges the costs for an advertisement according to the cost per click method. What does that mean? Binding means that you place a bid on a specific search term – the keyword – that a Google user enters in their search and should lead to your website. Matching this keyword you place an ad text or a graphic – for example a banner – on Google Ads. Your bid for a keyword is in competition with bids from other advertisers who are also placing ads for that keyword.

Google itself evaluates the ads themselves according to different criteria and places the ads on the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). The most important factor in the positioning of the advertisement is the bid of the advertiser – prices for a keyword range from 10 cents to 10 euros per click. Other factors include:

• Relevance of the keyword to the search query. This quality factor calculates how relevant the advertised keyword is for the respective search query. For this, the Google algorithm analyzes the expected click-through rate and the landing page quality.
• The advertiser’s AdWords account: A well-maintained account with regularly updated keywords and ads will be rewarded by Google with better rates.
• The target group approach influences the price. Is the keyword only regionally relevant? Or is this intended to address a supra-regional target group?
• A display ad with graphics or videos is more expensive than an ad that consists of just a text block.

You don’t have to commit to advertising on the exact keyword. Besides advertising on the exact keyword, you can also advertise all words that are thematically relevant or belong to a similar group of words.

What types of advertising does Google Ads support?

Google Ads offers a wide range ofservices and should be able to cover the needs of a wide variety of customers. Google also regularly revises its portfolio of different advertising options. In 2017, Google is introducing new formats to its AdSense ad network that will allow you to customize your ads visually. These formats are called “in-feed ads,” “in-article ads,” and matched content banners.” The formats are said to be higher quality Title, Appearance and Description than the previous formats.

Since the latest, there are so-called Smart Campaigns, which are especially aimed at small businesses and automate an advertising campaign. With this tool you can easily set up a small advertising campaign and define performance goals depending on your budget.Not all products can be advertised with Google Ads – for example, Google refuses to publish ads for alcohol, tobacco or narcotics. Strict rules also apply to online pharmacies.

Why is Google Ads interesting for SEO?

Promoting your site is not directly a part of search engine optimization. But it is a good way to improve your key performance indicators (KPI). Especially if you are starting a new site it is a good way to improve your page impressions and generate reach in the beginning.

Even later, you can use Google Ads to improve your conversion rate. Used skillfully, Google Ads is a cost-effective tool to attract more users to your site.

Conclusion

Google Ads is a paid tool that allows you to promote your site on the most important search engine in the world. The different tools Google gives you with this software are a useful tool to target your audience and improve your site’s KPI. Google Ads is especially interesting if you are launching a new site to give it a little “jump start”.

Image credit: © Alexey Malkin, 123rf