8 tips for strong Google ads
Google Ads was founded in 2000 under the name Google AdWords. It was then renamed Google Ads in 2018. These are paid advertisements in various places within Google (Google search & advertising network).
Here you can find out everything you need to know about Google Ads and we will show you how to make your Google ads successful.
Note: To get the most out of our blog post, it is helpful if you are already familiar with the following terms. If not, simply click on the relevant links to find out more in our glossary. We wish you much success and enjoyment with your training!
Google Ads = SEA?
The term "SEA" (Search Engine Advertising) is often used instead of Google Ads. But are they one and the same thing?
When you get right down to it: no. Because SEA not only includes Google as a search engine in which an ad is displayed, but also Bing, Yahoo and other search engines.
SEA and Google Ads therefore describe both the placement of advertising in search enginesGoogle Ads is limited to the Google search engine, while SEA is broader and also includes other search engines.
Why do companies place Google ads?
Google campaigns are very well suited to Targeted online advertising to place ads. If set up correctly, you will not only reach general Google users, but also your specific target group.
With a wide variety of settings and campaign types, you can reach people who are searching for a service like yours or a product like yours on Google. And at exactly the right time.
Google Ads are also a marketing measure with which companies can quickly to new customers can come.
And why exactly Google? Because the search engine has been the market leader in many parts of the world for ages - and with a really big lead. Your Global market share of 80.41 % in 2024while the next largest search engine only has a market share of 11.6 % (source: Statista (2024)).
Campaign formats for Google Ads
If you want to create Google ads, there are various formats available to you. Here is an overview:
- SEARCH ADVERTISEMENTS
Search ads are text ads that are displayed in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Advantage:
The ads appear where most users search for information first - Google. Your ad is displayed in the same format as the other results. Only a small hint indicates that it is an advertisement. - DISPLAY DISPLAYS
In most cases, image ads are used here to draw attention to the ad. However, they can also be text ads or a combination of both. These ads are shown in the display network (partner websites in the Google advertising network, including YouTube and Gmail). - VIDEO DISPLAYS
Video ads are displayed before, after or during a YouTube video. Note that YouTube also works like a search engine. With the right keywords, your ads will appear before, during or at the end of the video that the user is watching.
- SHOPPING CAMPAIGN
The product images are the most striking feature here. The other information is taken from the data feed, which means that companies do not write any ad text here.
- APP CAMPAIGN
Companies can advertise apps in Google Play, for example, and thus increase downloads.
- Performance Max campaigns
These are played out across the entire Google advertising network and are designed for maximum performance (target achievement). - SMART CAMPAIGN
This is an automated type where Google takes care of many settings for you. - DISCOVERY CAMPAIGN
This type of campaign is also highly automated. The ads can be displayed on several "platforms" (e.g. Gmail, YouTube), but only ever in their Discover feed.
8 tips for your Google ads
Companies should not simply create a Google Ads campaign on instinct and then hope for the best.
So here are 8 tips to make your advertising on this marketing channel strong.
1. prepare & inform
First of all, find out what options you have with this form of advertising and what you can set in principle.
You should ask yourself the following questions:
- What types of campaigns are there?
- What settings can you make depending on the campaign?
- How do I create an account?
- What bidding strategies are there?
2. define target project & campaign type
What do you want to achieve? This question is always important in marketing - and so it is with Google Ads.
To make it easier for you, here are a few examples Possible goals of Google Ads marketing campaigns:
- More visitors to the website
- More sales
- More newsletter subscriptions
- Advertise a specific offer (e.g. Christmas special)
- Increase brand awareness
Once you have decided on a target project, you can also choose your Select campaign types. The important question is where your advertisement should appear: as a text ad on Google? As a shopping ad with an image? As an advertisement on YouTube?
You can find more details on the campaign types further down in the article.
Once you have defined your target project and your campaign type, you can also select the corresponding Define key figureswhich you then use to measure the success of your campaign.
This way you can determine whether your campaign is working or whether you need to make changes to it again.
3. focus on the right keywords
The best online advertising is useless if it is displayed for inappropriate search queries.
So you need the right keywords with which you can Search intention of the users cover. They should then find exactly the answers or products they were looking for in the ads and subsequently on your site.
To find these keywords, you should first ask yourself the question: What do users enter when they want to find my product/service? Here is an example:
If you are a communications consultant, is your target group more likely to search for "communications consultant", "communications trainer" or "communications workshop"?
3.1 Pay attention to the search volume
However, the chosen term should not only match the user's search intention, but also be a have a certain search volume on Google. If this is high, many people will also search for the term, which will benefit you.
Most online keyword tools show you the search volume on Google (or other search engines if you are interested). And the free Google Keyword Planner gives you help with your keywords. When you create a Google Ads campaign, it shows you other possible keywords that you can still use. You can find this planner in your Google Ads account.
3.2 Use keyword options sensibly
With Google Ads, you can also choose between different keyword options.
This also determines when your ad is displayed and when it is not. For example, should it also be displayed when users have mistyped (e.g. Komucommunication consultant instead of Kommucommunication consultant)? Or if they write the term apart instead of together (e.g. communication consultant instead of communication consultant)?
You can also select keywords for which your ad should not be displayed ("negative keywords").
4. choose the right structure
If you offer several services or products, it makes sense to create several Ads campaigns with several ads.
You then use your own keywords and ad texts for each ad.
Here's an example: If someone is looking for a black rain jacket, they don't want to end up on an overview page for rain jackets in general. The following structure would be suitable here:
The right structure for your campaigns and ads is a great help in Increase the quality of your ads and get Google users to click on them.
Don't know which structure is right for your Google Ads campaign? Then get in touch with us! We'll be happy to help you with your Google Ads.
5. write convincing ad copy
Your ad texts must be convincing so that users click on your ad (i.e. a conversion occurs). The best way to do this is to use the full space that Google makes available to you (utilize the number of characters).
Otherwise, your ad text should contain the following elements:
- CTA: A call to action such as "Call now"
- USP: If possible, also include your unique selling proposition (USP) in your text
- Include keywords: This makes your ad appear more relevant, increases its quality and the click-through rate rises
6. use display extensions
Display extensions are a Type Additional information with your ad. This could be your telephone number, your location or ratings. These are not written in the ad text, but can be found below it.
This way, users not only get more information about your company, your Display also gets bigger. This makes it stand out even more from your competitors' ads.
This is what ad extensions can look like:
- SITELINK EXTENSIONS
Sitelink extensions allow you to add further links to specific pages of your website to an ad. This allows users to click directly on specific offers or information.
- CALL EXTENSIONS
With the call extensions, you can add your phone number to the ad so that users can call you with one click.
- SITE EXPANSIONS
Location extensions allow you to enter your location and other details such as opening hours. This option is ideal for local "near me" searches.
- SUPPLY EXPANSIONS
You use these to show special offers. The result is that the user clicks on your ad instead of that of your competitors
- APP EXTENSIONS
App extensions provide mobile users with a direct download link for the app.
7. check your website
If your ad works, users click on it - and then land on your website (or a website created especially for the Google ad). Landing page). But that's not all. Because not only your ad, but also your site must convince users.
Therefore, you should make sure that the correct page is linked and that the users can use the Find the desired information immediately. The site must inspire confidence, its content must match the previous search query and the design must also be convincing.
Also the Mobile optimization plays an important role - as it always does in online marketing. If your site is not mobile-optimized, for example, it can ruin your layout. And then users will quickly leave again, even if your advertising was convincing in the previous step.
8. test, measure, optimize
With Google Ads, you can also run two almost identical ads and campaigns in parallel as part of an A/B test. In one of the two versions, you only change one aspect (e.g. the ad text) and then see which of the two versions works better.
Such A/B testing is a great help to keep improving your ads.
In addition, it is always important to Measure the success of your Google Ads campaign. To do this, you can use the so-called Conversion Tracking set up. You can use this to track how many sales you have made through your ads, for example.
What exactly you measure here (clicks, sales, etc.) depends again on your previously defined target.
And last but not least Optimizations important. Always look at which keywords are useful and which are not. Then sort out the ones that don't work. You can also always edit at what time of day and on which devices your ads should be displayed.
You should carry out such optimizations on an ongoing basis to reduce costs and make your advertising more effective.
What do Google ads cost?
To be able to create and place Google Ads, you need a Google Ads account. This is free of charge. Otherwise, you only pay when someone clicks on your ads. Simply displaying ads therefore does not incur any costs.
The only difference is with video and display ads: there you usually pay according to views or impressions. However, if we stay with the other campaign types, it looks like this: You place a Monthly or daily budget that you are willing to invest.
The costs are therefore based on the budget you set.
The only thing that can happen is that Google sometimes exceeds the daily budget. On other days, however, it will be undercut so that your monthly budget is adhered to.
You can also set your account so that you are informed by email if you exceed the limit. You can then check everything again manually.
The auction principle: How your position is created
With SEO, you build up your position in the search results slowly and over the long term. With Google Ads, on the other hand, the position in which your ad is displayed is decided in a fraction of a second. But places are limited and the top position is highly coveted.
Google uses the auction principle here. Companies create their ads on the basis of keywords. If users then search for exactly these keywords, an auction is started. Auction between all companies that have created an ad for this keyword.
Google then uses the quality score of your ad and your bid to decide which position your ad should occupy. The former describes the quality of your ad (from 1 - 10), the latter is the price you are willing to pay per click on your ad.
If you pay attention to the quality of your ad, you have already taken a big step towards a good ranking.
Our tip: Make SEO & Ads a team
If you read up on SEA and think about creating Google ads, you will also come across the term SEO (search engine optimization).
Both come from online marketing, both are about rankings in Google searches and both are based on a previously defined keyword, among other things.
And: SEO and SEA/Google Ads can be complement each other perfectly:
- If your SEO rankings for certain (important) keywords are poor, you can create Google Ads until your SEO positions have improved.
- If you have ads that are performing particularly well, you can also use them for your search engine optimization: You can create articles on precisely these topics and thus support your ads with SEO.
Our tip: Optimize your marketing by combining SEA and SEO in a targeted manner.
Google Ads: This is our conclusion
Google Ads are an important field in online marketing. Here you can create campaigns, ad groups and ads to win customers quickly.
You can choose different campaign types for this - depending on the target project. It is important that your ads are always based on a predefined keyword and fulfill the user's search intention.
You only incur costs when someone clicks on your ad and the quality of your ads and your bid are used to calculate your position. If you take our 8 tips mentioned here into account, you can have a positive influence on quality.
You can also think about combining your Google Ads with SEO so that both marketing measures complement each other.
Do you have questions or want to have your Google Ads campaigns done by an experienced professional? Then get in touch with us!
We will discuss which online marketing measure is suitable for your company and how you can best achieve your goals.
