When you have a small business, it can take some time for people to recognize that what you’re selling is something nice and that they need it. In our digital era, you don’t need to wait for people to discover you; instead, take the first step to aligning yourself with the right customers. If you’ve heard of Google ads, you might know a little about how it works, and we’ll expound more on how it could benefit your business.
Getting a small business off its feet takes quite a while and the best to speed up that process is by using Google ads. Google ads work for large businesses and small businesses alike. By paying for Google ads, you get to create more brand awareness and drive traffic back to your website. With more traffic on your website, you’ll get more sales and track everything.
What is PPC marketing?
PPC or pay-per-click marketing is a way in which an advertiser pays money each time the ads are clicked. This marketing method only involves paying for advertising when it generates traffic to your website. This method too drives organic traffic to your website. The most popular way PPC works is by search engine optimization (SEO). SEO allows customers to find your website once they place a keyword related to what your business is offering. So, every time someone places a keyword related to your site, they will first see your website at the top of their search engine.
How does Google ads or PPC marketing work?
Google ads operate on a pay-per-click model. Businesses bid on keywords and pay for every click their advertisement gets. Every time an internet user searches for something online, Google selects a set of “winners” to appear on top of their page as a result. These “winners” are chosen based on various things, including the quality and relevance of keywords in their ad campaign and the size of their keyword bids.
To understand how this metric works, I will explain a little more. To determine who appears on the search engine, the advertiser’s ad rank has to be calculated. This is calculated by multiplying CPC bid (how much an advertiser is willing to spend) and quality score. The quality score considers your landing page quality, relevance, and click-through rate. When Google ads use this system, it allows winning advertisers to reach their potential customers by ensuring it’s at a cost that fits into their budget or the amount they’re willing to spend. You can say that Google ads work like an auction.
Using Google ads for your small business is the most valuable thing you could do because Google is the most popular search engine, and you’ll get more traffic by using it. So, by placing an ad on Google, you’re assured of getting massive amounts of traffic which delivers the most impressions and clicks to your ads. The frequency at which your ad appears solely depends on the match types and keywords you’ve selected for your ads. Despite that, other factors also determine how successful your business will be. These include:
- Landing page quality: Creating a landing page optimized with a persuasive tone, relevant content, and a clear call to action. All these need to be tailored to specific search queries.
- Keyword relevance: Putting together relevant PPC keyword lists, proper ad text, and tight keyword groups.
- Creative: You need an enticing ad copy if you’d like to win the click game.
- Quality score: Quality score is determined by Google based on the relevance of your keywords, content, call to action, and optimized landing pages. All these should be tailored to specific search queries.
Do Google ads (PPC) work for small businesses?
Google ads work for small businesses and large businesses alike. Google ads allow small businesses to showcase their service or product online to Google users worldwide who may need it. Google ads are effective for small businesses with a solid strategy to target the right audiences, keywords, locations, and other factors. By placing a business on Google, you’re allowing anyone online to find you and your products or services.
How much does a PPC manager cost?
PPC management fees are often fixed and can be determined based on activities like ad rotation, copy updates, and landing page creation. Management fees can fall under a wide range because every business pays differently depending on the workload related to managing a company’s PPC campaigns. Management fees can range from $500 to $5000 per month.
What are key metrics for PPC ads I should be aware of?
Various factors will help you determine your key performance indicators when using PPC ads. These include:
Click-through rate (CTR)
Your ad click-through rate is an excellent indicator of how relevant your ads are to the customers. People will always click your ads if they find them relevant and valuable. Most marketers tend to measure their success based on their click rate, and by this, they decide to either pause their campaigns or boost their bids. But ad clicks are not the only determining factor of a successful campaign. To calculate your click-through rate, you need to divide the number of clicks in a reporting period by the total impressions.
Average cost per click (CPC)
The click-through rate can’t be observed by itself because if earning a single link costs you a lot, it won’t pay off. So, calculating cost per click is necessary for a business to realize if it’s worth it. Using a PPC metric, you can determine how much you’re willing to spend on each click. To calculate CPC, you divide the total cost of your clicks by the total number of clicks. Most of the time, how much you spend on a single depends on factors like your ad’s quality score and the competitiveness of your keyword.
Conversion rate
The conversion rate of your google ads is the most critical metric, and you need to keep an eye on it. It is essential because attracting customers to your site is half the job; converting these clicks into paying customers is the end goal. To ensure you convert clicks into paying customers is quite a complicated job. It depends on factors like “does your ad title grab attention?” Conversion rate varies depending on the industry you’re in. For example, if you sell products online, this means money. Still, if you offer services online, this could mean an appointment. So, before calculating this, you need to grasp what “conversion” means in your industry.
Cost per conversion
These Google ads metrics help you determine whether you made a profit or a loss. According to Google, the average cost per conversion is what you’ll pay for each customer you acquire through the ad you placed. Google measures this factor based on your quality score. To calculate the cost per conversion rate, divide the total cost of your conversions by the number of conversions.
Quality score
Unlike other PPC metrics, the quality score is a bit abstract since it was created by google to determine the quality and relevance of your ad content. To calculate your quality score, you need to look at other metrics like:
- Click-through-rate: It takes your average CTR and account history into account.
- Ad relevance: Google takes into account the keyword relevance and your ad text into account.
- Landing page quality: Google calculates this by user-friendliness and page speed and also ensures that your landing page content matches your ad message.
On a rate of 1-10, a good quality score should be between 7 and 10. It is best to ensure your quality score isn’t below 5. A good score means you will pay less for your ad campaigns. But if it’s below five, it is better to work on your ad quality before placing an ad.
The impression share
This metric only shows you how many people have been able to see your ad without additional activity such as clicking on it. It is, however, not an indicator of your campaign’s success. Even though you may think it’s not a helpful metric, your impression shows you where you stand compared to your competitors. Such data can help you increase your impressions enough to overshadow your competitors. To calculate this metric, take the number of impressions your ad received and divide it by the total number of impressions your ad was eligible to receive.
The average position
Because of how much google has changed its SERPs, it’s not all about organic and paid results. When you search on the engine, you first see relevant ads, followed by related questions and organic results. It is necessary to note that just because you have the highest bid doesn’t mean you’ll receive the top position. Instead, Google calculates the position of your ad based on your rank. To measure your rank, multiply your quality score by the maximum cost per impression.
Where can I find an agency to do my small business Google Ads?
If you’ve read all the above and you’re thinking, “I need an expert to handle this PPC marketing situation for me,” then you’re in the right place. It’s okay to ask for help when you need it. Google ads are a great way to grow your business visibility and invite customers from all over the internet to check out what you’re selling and buy it (whether a service or product). Three Tigers Media will help you run your google ads and ensure you have excellent conversion rates. All you have to worry about is offering the product or service. It doesn’t matter the type of business you’re running; Three Tigers Media is an expert at anything concerning Google ads.
You will have ads focusing on the right keywords, cost per click, conversion rates, and how many clicks and impressions you get with those keywords. With Three Tigers Media by your side, you won’t have to worry about your google ads account, how to set it up, or any strategies required to make it work. With over three years of experience in helping businesses be successful, you can also be part of a team and get your small business off the ground so it can get the kind of recognition it deserves.