What On Earth Is A Google Ads Specialist?
It’s a whole new world out there. Digital marketing is the norm and apparently there’s a new website that’s really good at it called Goggle (sp?). No, of course it’s hard to remember a time when Google was not a part of our everyday lives. Not to mention a word recognized by both Miriam AND Webster (“transitive verb: to use the Google search engine to obtain information about [someone or something] on the World Wide Web”).
Continuing its quest for world domination, Google is one of the world’s largest advertising companies. In fact in 2020, twenty-nine percent of the total advertising revenue in the United States was generated by Google. That makes it the largest digital ad publisher in the country. But how do you, a business owner, slice yourself off a piece of that pie? And, how do you optimize your ads for google? AND who can help make the most of this incredible platform? Well, these questions can all be answered by a Google Ads Specialist.
What are Google Ads?
Okay, so what in fact are these mysterious Google Ads? To understand that, let’s go back to the beginning. Google launched Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) in 2000 as a monthly, Google-operated advertisement platform. Since then, it’s changed to a pay-per-click model. But the fact remains that businesses use Google Ads to promote their products on Google Search, Youtube and a myriad of other sites.
So, you know when you Google something, say “best burger in my area?” You get your results, but above the results are those links that have the little “Ad” sign next to them. In its most basic form, that’s a Google Ad. Essentially, by purchasing Google Ads, you are able to display your ad when folks look up specific keywords that you choose. And you have multiple options when it comes to these advertisements, as Google Ads offer a few campaign types:
- First, is a search campaign (basically what I described above). When someone searches for a product or service that is similar to yours, your ad appears in text above the search results. This is obviously coveted page space as the main point of SEO optimization and other online marketing techniques is to get you to the top of the Google Search. So, by simply paying for clicks, you are able to skip to the front of the line. Needless to say, this is a powerful tool.
- Next, are Display Campaigns. These are usually image based banner ads that appear on websites or apps that your customers visit across the Google Display Network. Oh what’s that you say? You’ve never heard of the Google Display Network? Well it is simply a group of more than two million websites, videos and apps that are authorized to display Google Ads. Admittedly, these may not reach those specifically googling your keyphrases. However, you are still showing off your business to an audience who is very likely to be interested in what you do. Using the Google Display Network, you are also able to target specific “affinity groups.” Which are essentially groups based on interests like “sports,” “art,” or “underwater basket weaving.” So don’t let those potential basket weavers miss out on seeing your ad!
- The third type of Google Ads are video campaigns. These are 6-15 second videos that play before YoutTube content. Needless to say, YouTube is a phenomenal tool when it comes to advertising. Video campaigns also offer a “Find My Audience” tool which makes it easy to understand your audiences’ interests and habits. The biggest benefit here is that, by using their metric tools, you can know definitively whether someone actually watched your ad or not. This is a much better approach than screaming your business name in a crowded theater before the movie starts.
- Google Smart Shopping campaigns allow your products to show up across all Google properties when users search for content. This drives traffic to your site, which of course leads to more sales. It also allows for optimization for both in-store and online lead conversions.
- If your product happens to be an App, Google also offers app campaigns. This shows your app to the people who are most likely to want it. It will also help you generate and preview an app ad and uses machine learning to rotate those ads to keep everything nice and fresh.
- Finally, Google offers Discovery Campaigns. Thes are essentially paid “suggested posts.” According to Google, “this campaign type helps you deliver highly visual, inspiring personalized ad experiences to people who are ready to discover and engage with your brand—all through a single Google Ads campaign.”
Okay great, how does it work?
It’s pretty simple. Google Ads is a “Pay Per Click” service. Which means that you only pay for your ad if someone clicks on it. Not a bad deal. Essentially, you choose targeted keywords and put a bid on them. Then, based on the amount of money you are willing to pay per click, Google’s all powerful algorithms will display your ad when those keywords are searched. This doesn’t just go for Google Search. It holds true for Google Play, Google Maps, Google Images, Google Shopping, etc. Then, whenever your link is clicked, you are charged whatever your bid was. It’s also worth noting that the bids you place are “maximum bids.” So if your maximum bid is four bucks, but Google decides that your actual price per click is around a buck fifty, you win the ad placement.
Although this is an extremely intuitive and easy to use service, don’t expect your advertising campaign to be hugely successful overnight. It takes time to see which ads work best. The good news is that Google uses Smart Campaigns technology to constantly monitor and improve your ads as they go. So typically within a month or so you’ll start to see results.
Why use Google Ads?
Well, as we discussed in a previous blog, Google is the most widely used search engine on the planet. In fact, it is used about 40,000 times per second (that’s 1.2 trillion searches per year for you math whizzes). The sheer volume of use is the biggest reason to use Google Ads. Not only that, but when people Google something, they are generally in search of your product. It’s not like T.V. where people tune out the commercials. People are on Google specifically to find your products, services and content. On top of this, Google Ads has extremely easy to use built-in tools that allow you or a Google Ads Specialist to research analytics. With Google Ads, you can see your click-through rate, cost-per-conversion, keyword search volume, ad position and so on.
You are also able to target specific markets. Google Ads allows you to enable location limits to focus on your local area. This is important because 72% of shoppers who do local searches visit a store within five miles of their current location. Another great reason to use Google Ads is the flexibility. Unlike traditional ad campaigns, Google Ads can be stopped or paused with the click of a button, leaving you in complete control. There are no penalties in doing this, and since Google Ads is a Pay Per Click service, you are in charge of your budget.
What is a Google Ads Specialist?
You may be thinking, “after reading all that, I must be a Google Ads Specialist.” If that’s the case, stop reading here and start your marketing business. Best of luck on your new endeavor! For the rest of you, just know that a Google Ads Specialist is an expert in this specific tool. As we’ve already discussed, this is an extremely powerful advertising platform that requires a fair amount of attention and expertise. Google Ads Specialists plan, set up and manage campaigns in Google Ads. This brings about more leads, increased online traffic and of course, scaled revenue. Small businesses often bring on a Google Ads Specialist because they simply lack the time to manage an effective campaign. These specialists generally work either freelance, at an agency or sometimes as an in-house professional. Regardless, it’s essential to have someone who knows what they’re doing running your Google Ads campaign.
Why Get a Google Ads Specialist?
But what are the benefits of having a dedicated Google Ads Specialist? What can they do that I can’t? Well, there are a few basic ways Google Ads Specialists increase the value of your ads.
- First and foremost, it saves you time and allows you to focus on running your business. Plus, who is going to be better at a task, someone dipping their toes into a new technology or someone with the word “specialist” right in their title? While Google Ads is a pretty intuitive platform, there are many nitty gritty (not to mention time consuming) details that can make it difficult to master. Not to mention some higher level functionality that a Google Ads Specialist can help optimize. Some experts say that a Google Ads Specialist can be ten times as effective at increasing clicks than a casual Google Ads user.
- Google Ads Specialists interpret your data so you don’t have to. By doing this, they are able to maximize the amount of clicks in accordance with your budget. By getting a professional to look over your data, you ensure that it gets interpreted the correct way. Two huge metrics that Google offers relate to your budget and your ad rank. To a Google Ads Specialist, these can say a lot about whether or not a business is missing out on potential clicks. Using this data, a Google Ads Specialist can make informed decisions on the best way to use your advertising money. Of course there are a myriad of other data points. For instance, if your site is showing a high “bounce rate,” a Google Ads Specialist might suggest investigating your page speed to see if it is operating too slowly. In short, they are able to interpret high level data and convert that information into actionable next steps.
- Additionally, a Google Ads Specialist is able to increase the value per click. We’ll get into this a bit later, but just know that Google Ads Specialists are able to build keywords and keyphrases that are more likely to hit, for customers who are more likely to buy. This ensures that the money spent on clicks is going to people who have higher intent to purchase. It also allows you to allocate the correct amount of resources to low and high volume ads.
- Google Ads Specialists shape the traffic going toward your site. If you have an adept Google Ads Specialist, they know where to look to send a steady stream of customers your way. Basically, when users click on your site (or similar sites) and snoop around its underlying pages, Google learns what search terms got them there in the first place. A Google Ads Specialist can use this info (along with a good SEO strategy) to increase and focus a target audience to your ads. So, if you’re looking to specifically target people who frequent similar sites to yours, Google Ads has the tools to make this happen.
How do Google Ads Specialists do that?
Great question, me! Now that you know the what and why of it all, it’s time to dive into the how. Of course, every business has different needs. But in general, most Google Ads Specialists provide some key services that most business owners may not want to (or be able to) undertake themselves. Here are just a few:
- Keyword Research. A Google Ads Specialist constantly investigates the latest technologies and strategies related to keywords optimization. Using Google’s Keyword Planner, A Google Ads Specialist can discover new keywords that will be most relevant for your business. They can also gain insight into how frequently certain words are searched and how those searches change over time. This allows you to whittle down your keyword list to the ones that actually provide value and ultimately the ones that will most boost revenue.
- Checking the performance of your current Google Ads. Specialists in Google Ads obviously need to know how good of a job they are doing. This allows them to keep up with what is and isn’t working. They do this by checking several metrics. These metrics include clicks, conversion rate, cost, impressions and click through rate. By understanding these stats, Google Ads Specialists are able to determine the success of a campaign. Hopefully everything goes according to plan and your numbers are all within optimal parameters. But if a Google Ads Specialist notices abnormalities, they have to come up with ways to boost numbers. That includes…
- Launching new campaigns. This goes along with keyword research. As new keywords align with your objectives, a Google Ads Specialist will launch new ad groups and new ad campaigns. This involves identifying and implementing the searches they want to target. In addition to the search campaign, they may also begin new display, video or shopping campaigns. This is a process that is continuous and only achievable through constant researching and updates.
- Optimizing existing campaigns. Of course, you have to keep your existing ads relevant and working. These may require tinkering from time to time. A good Google Ads Specialist will be able to improve upon them. They achieve this in a few ways. First, they can modify and update their bidding strategies for keywords and keyphrases. They may also adjust the targeting plan for an existing campaign. Of course as the world constantly updates, so too must the keywords themselves and Google Ads specialist will update these as it is needed.
- Give recommendations. We’ve touched on this a bit, but a huge part of a Google Ads Specicialist’s job is to offer up ideas on how to increase performance. Especially for campaigns whose main objective is to drive conversions. Since most conversions happen on the company’s website, a Google Ads Specialist might recommend improving their landing page or overall website performance. Anything they can do to uptick the number of eyeballs on the site and remove any obstacle preventing that from happening.
- Write and interpret reports. Depending on the campaign, a Google Ads Specialist will share reports monthly or weekly. They do this by monitoring the accounts and combing through relevant data. The reports allow a client to stay informed with what is happening with their ads and to see how their performance aligns with their objectives.
- Lots of other stuff too. These are the main tasks of a Google Ads Specialist, but not their only ones. Additional tasks may include: Mining query reports, writing and testing new ads and comparing the performance of competitors and goal/strategy creation.
Let’s wrap this up…
Okay, admittedly that was a lot of info. This is all to say that Google Ads are too important to ignore. They account for such a huge percentage of the market share and are essential to just about any campaign. If you’re not advertising with Google ads, you are essentially leaving money on the table. And if money is left out, it goes bad (per my understanding). Since Google Ads is such an important tool, a Google Ads Specialist is needed to ensure that you get the most out of it. You know when you’re learning an instrument, like guitar, and you’re practicing and think you sound pretty good? Then someone who REALLY knows how to play picks your guitar up and you’re like “I had no idea it could make those sounds.” A Google Ads Specialist is the good guitar player.
They save time and can increase the tool’s usefulness tenfold. You don’t want to miss out on clicks. So why do it all yourself when you can let the specialists at KARMA jack Digital Marketing Agency bring their expertise to your business? Contact us today to get started!
