Google AdWords is a tested advertising platform that has been consistently proven to help businesses reach new, prospective customers. By targeting keyword-specific audiences, AdWords helps drive traffic and increase sales.
However, many local businesses miss the opportunity to reach more customers by either not using Google Adwords or using it incorrectly. If you’ve been too intimidated to try Google AdWords, or you’re just not seeing the results you want, these 5 facts will help jumpstart your AdWords strategy and increase the impact of your ad campaigns.
- AdWords allows you to reach customers exactly when they’re looking for your product.
One of AdWords’ greatest benefits to small businesses is that it allows you to appear on the first page of Google searches, despite your competition or your actual ranking for certain keywords. It works by targeting your audience precisely when they’re searching for a product or service that relates to your business.
Of course, it’s every business’s goal to rank organically for their keywords. However, as a small business that must compete with more experienced SEO experts in bigger companies, that goal may take years of strategic SEO efforts to achieve. Google Adwords levels the playing field and allows small businesses to compete on the same level as their larger competitors by placing them on the first page of search results.
- Google Adwords allows you target customers based on location and direct them to your business.
Adwords gives businesses location targeting options, which means a business location will show up in the searches of local customers, complete with a map and your business’s address and contact information. A customer can instantly get directions to your business through Google Maps or call to ask questions.
The platform also allows for proximity targeting, which shows your advertisements to people within a certain radius of your business. You can exclude certain areas that may not generate relevant business leads, as well as include specific areas where a large segment of your target customers reside. Location exclusion lowers the cost of your AdWords campaign by eliminating traffic from people outside of your immediate area and helps you target more specific customers.
- You can target and retarget customers.
Google Adwords is known for utilizing keywords to target customers. Keywords are the specific descriptive words that Google uses to pair a customer’s Internet search with your company’s product or service. By focusing on certain keywords or keyword phrases, your ad will bring more of the right customers to your business. Researching which keywords will reach your intended audience is the first step in this process, and fortunately, Google makes this easy with guided keyword research tools.
Retargeting is also essential for a small business, as neighborhoods or product offerings change. Businesses use this to reclaim potential customers who visit a site, then leave. Retargeting happens when ads are pushed toward that customer, after he or she leaves the site, to remind them that your business has what he or she needs.
Ads will follow a customer’s Google search, keeping your company fresh in the minds of your potential customers.
- You can reach customers when they’re on the go.
Often, when a customer is searching for a business, they’re doing it from a mobile device. If your ads aren’t reaching this rapidly growing mobile audience, you could be missing out on countless sales opportunities. With Google Adwords, you can create mobile-friendly ads that allow customers who are on the go to easily find your business. The Adwords platform guides you through this process, making it simple to create mobile ads that will reach customers, no matter what device they’re searching from.
- You can measure results, control your budget, and run multiple campaigns.
The options with Google Adwords are vast, and as you get more comfortable with the system, you’ll find that you have a lot of control over when, where, and how your ads are displayed.
To start, Google allows businesses to run multiple AdWords campaigns. This allows you to test the impact of different campaigns and find out what really works. Try out different keywords, text, or images to see what creates the best response in your audience.
Further, Google allows you to closely monitor and track the results of your campaigns. These metrics tell you which keywords are working, what customers are coming to your site, what they’re doing once they get there, and whether or not those clicks are translating to sales.
The platform also allows you to control the budget for your individual AdWords campaigns. As all ads are pay-per-click, you can choose to set a cap for the amount you’re willing to pay for an ad. If an ad isn’t doing as well as expected, simply cancel it and point funds to a better ad that is pulling in more views.
By using these tools to test, measure, and control your AdWords campaigns and spending, you can continue to fine-tune your strategy and bring more and more customers to your business. Google Adwords has changed the face of advertising. Is your small business taking advantage of the benefits?
To talk more about starting your own Google Adwords campaign, contact us today.
