Beginner’s Guide to Google Ads for Small Businesses
Small business owners often juggle multiple roles simultaneously, including sales, customer service, and marketing. To make the most of your time and resources, you should utilise digital marketing platforms that will deliver measurable and scalable results.
Given the challenges that small business owners face, Google Ads can be a game-changer. With tailored PPC campaigns, your offerings will reach relevant customers, only costing you money when they click on your sponsored link.
If you’re a small business looking to hold your own against bigger competitors, Google Ads is one of the most cost-effective and high-impact tools available.
Google Ads 101
Google Ads is a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform that lets businesses of all sizes advertise directly on Google search results. To put it simply, you can select keywords that your customers are searching for, create ad copy, and bid for your ad to be shown to potential customers.
Benefits of Google Ads for Small Businesses
Google Ads is an adaptable advertising service that can be a great option for smaller companies.
Only pay for results: You get to choose how much you spend per day, only paying when somebody clicks on your ad.
Target locally: You don’t have to waste ad spend. Google Ads campaigns allow you to show your ads to people in a specific service area, maximising relevant leads.
Instantly visible: Compared to organic search, Google Ads will start delivering traffic as soon as your campaign is live.
Level the playing field: PPC advertising can enable small businesses to gain more visibility than larger brands when smart targeting and bidding are well-tailored.
High-intent customers: Your ads will reach people who are searching for the products and services that you offer.
Measurable ROI: Every click and conversion will be tracked, giving you data and clarity on ad performance.
Key Building Blocks of a Successful Campaign
If you are new to Google Ads, there are a few things to keep in mind to lay the groundwork for success.
Keywords: These are the terms that people type into a Google search. Choosing the right keywords will determine who sees your ad. You can find the perfect keywords by determining what your ideal customer might be searching for and refining them with the Google Ads keyword planner or other similar resources.
Ad copy: This is the text that convinces users to click on your ad. Be sure to choose compelling, clear, and relevant copy to maximise your ad efficiency. When writing this copy, it is essential to include your targeted keywords.
Landing pages: These are the pages that customers will be taken to after clicking on a link. A landing page should have strong, focused copy to increase conversions and reduce wasted clicks.
Bidding strategy: The keywords you bid on will help Google decide which ads show up. Smarter bidding means better ad placement for less spend. Once you see how your ads are performing, you can adjust your bids and budget accordingly.
Mistakes to Avoid
Google Ads can be extremely beneficial for your business. When small businesses are just dipping their toes into the world of paid advertising, there are a few mistakes that can be easily avoided.
Broad keywords: Make sure your keywords are not too broad, or you will burn through your monthly budget quickly. Keyword matching includes broad match, phrase match, and exact match. We advise starting with exact match to understand how your customers are interacting with your ads. Only when you have a strong depth of data, conversion tracking and a strong understanding of smart bidding should you expand to phrase or broad match.
Generic links: Rather than sending every ad to your homepage, create tailored landing pages that your ads can send customers to. This will help drive traffic directly to the relevant product or service that a customer is looking for.
Lack of tracking: A great metric that Google Ads keeps track of is conversions, but conversion tracking is often not set up properly. When setting up conversion tracking, think about what qualifies as a conversion. Some examples of this include a customer purchasing a product, subscribing to a newsletter, or filling out a form.
“Set and forget”: Search terms and digital marketing best practices are always evolving, so don’t set up the ads and forget about them. As you run your ad campaign, you will be able to see what is working and what is not. With this data, you can edit your ad copy, add new keywords, and adjust your budget.
Consider a PPC Agency For Help
While your small business can definitely set up a Google Ads campaign, performance can be better optimised by an experienced PPC agency. An expert digital marketing agency like Glassbox offers years of experience and is well-connected. What does this mean for small businesses? Let’s take a look!
Budget-friendly: An agency will utilise its expertise to cut out inefficiencies that may otherwise waste ad spend.
Advanced tools: Agencies have access to premium PPC campaign management tools that can offer deeper insight into analytics and bid management.
Quicker results: Your small business campaigns will be optimised for peak performance from day one.
Future-proofing: Agencies stay up to date with evolving Google Ads features, keeping your small business ahead of the curve.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to small businesses, Google Ads is one of the most powerful digital marketing resources available. It delivers instant visibility, measurable ROI, and the ability to compete directly with larger competitors.
At Glassbox, we help small businesses transform ad spend into measurable growth. Ready to get started? Contact us today and discover how we can make every click count.
