Are you trying to run your own Google Ads campaigns spending money on pay-per-click ads and wondering why they aren’t working as well as they should?
If you are – STOP!!!!
It’s so easy to spend your money on marketing and ads, but without a clear plan – you are just wasting money.
You need to have a concise integrated marketing strategy as well as all your digital assets in place.
There are so many intricate parts to running Google Ads that many business owners do not really know about – let alone understand. Nor should they have to.
There is a considerable amount of the backend “stuff” required in order to produce an ads campaign that actually converts.
What Do You Need Before Running Google Ads?
There as so many things that need to be in place before you spend a cent on Google ads or any ads for that matter.
Understanding exactly what is needed will help you not only get your money’s worth for the leads you will be getting – it will help make sure you actually get leads.
First – You need a FULL keyword analysis. You need to know exactly what your customers are searching for when they are looking to purchase your products and services. And knowing the keywords is only half the battle when it comes to ads.
You’ll also need at least one dedicated landing page for your ads to run to. If you’re spending money to get a potential customer – you don’t want them coming to your website and clicking around forgetting why they came in the first place and leaving – that’s not an effective use of your marketing dollars. A dedicated page with a clear call to action helps keeps them focused on why they are there and forces them to make a decision.
You will also need to make sure your Google My Business is up to date with accurate information and testimonials.
Next – you need to make sure that your website is up to date, mobile responsive, loads quickly and has a compelling message that speaks directly to your target audience
Because after they see your ad and go to your landing page – they most definitely are going to check out your website to learn more about you.
You also need a Strategic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plan for both On-page and Off-page SEO for your website. This is critical if you want to make the most of your marketing dollars. This is your long-game strategy. SEO takes time. But when properly executed will not only deliver impressive results at a very low cost (high ranking on search engines = more organic lead generation) but will effectively complement your Google paid advertising.
Fair warning, doing your own SEO is not recommended. There is a lot more that goes into creating and executing a winning strategy than meets the eye to ensure that you are dominating in the markets you want to reach – be they local, regional, or national.
How Do Google Ads Work And Will It Benefit My Business?
If you are going to run paid advertising, Google Ads are one of the most effective methods to use. Why? Because you are reaching a warm market. One that is already out there looking for your products and services.
That’s why doing the research and knowing the right keywords your target market uses to search for your products and services is critical.
Other digital advertising options (and even traditional advertising options) tend to run more to cold audiences – interrupting them in their feeds or showing up in their mailbox – hoping to gain their interest.
Google ads help you get your name out there right away. They increase not only the number of people exposed to your brand but also the number of interactions. And they allow you to be as broad or specific as you need to be with geotargeting.
And finally, Google ads are very measurable and cost-effective. And there is nothing better than to have great data to help you make the right decisions. And you only pay for ads people click on. Once your ads are optimized you can see which ads are bringing the best ROI and turn off the rest.
Bottom line: While you can do Google Ads yourself, however, if you want the best results, I recommend you put it in the hands of an expert.
If you would like a free review of your overall marketing strategy, are interested in a new website, SEO or Google ads, contact me for a free consultation.
Although there are no guarantees in marketing, I promise to make the best recommendations for your business and budget based on best practices and years of experience in the market.
