Advertising your business on Google can be a fantastic way to increase sales, generate leads and raise brand awareness. But for many business owners, getting to grips with Google Ads can seem like an impossible task.
Google is the number one search engine in the UK, with more than 86% of the market share, according to September 2021 stats from Statista. As such, paying to get your business at the top of their search results can be an enormous – and instantaneous – boost.
Understanding Google Ads and whether you should outsource it to a professional is a topic that comes up again and again on UKBF. Whatever you decide to do, having an understanding of Google Ads is absolutely essential to ensure you get value for money.
In this guide, we explain the basics and look into the various ways you can outsource with confidence.
Adele Hamer, pay per click (PPC) manager for online marketing agency MUV, described Google Ads as a valuable marketing tool that gives businesses instant visibility and is flexible, scalable and manageable.
“Google Ads gives you fast results. You can be ranking on the search results page the same day. Whereas search engine optimisation could take months, with Google Ads you can be competing with your competitors straight away and getting customers to your site,” said Adele, known as @makeusvisible on the forum.
“Google Ads can bring you plenty of website traffic but Ads can’t make it convert. That’s your job. So take a dispassionate look at your website. If it’s sluggish to load, a nightmare to navigate, unpleasant to look at and a car crash on mobiles, then that needs putting right before your campaign begins,” said Ross, known as @Fagin2021 on the forum.
Ross added that business owners need to be honest about their offering, too. If products and services aren’t matching or beating competitors, an increase in website traffic from Google Ads isn’t going to achieve much.
Goals might include:
Metrics might include:
“If you accept the Google default recommendation, your adverts will appear everywhere. That’s probably not a great idea,” Ross said.
Ross uses the examples that a Jaguar car dealer in Bristol will typically not want their adverts shown to yurt dwellers on the grassy plains of Mongolia.
“It’s keywords that trigger your ad to be shown. So selecting the right ones is crucial to the success of your campaign,” Ross said.
After deciding on your keywords, it’s important to make sure they are grouped in a way that makes sense. For example, a furniture retailer should have all their wardrobe keywords – like “oak wardrobes”, “pine wardrobes”, “walk-in wardrobes” – placed together in the ad group “wardrobes”, Ross explained.
“Typically, each ad group will have one to ten keywords in it. This is important because the keywords in each group will trigger ads that are written specifically for that ad group,” he said.
Adele said that Google has various tools to help you pick the best keywords. She recommends using the keyword planner in the Google Ads software. With this tool, you can type in any search term and see what traffic it gets. You can also put a web page in and Google will suggest keywords.
“You decide what keywords you want to use, let's say trainers,” Ross explained. “You say to Google, ‘For every click, I'm willing to pay £1’. When somebody searches for trainers, you go into auction with other businesses selling trainers. If your competitors bid £2 per click, they'll be at the top of the page. If they bid 50p, you'll be above them.”
The amount of money you will need to bid for each click largely depends on two factors: the overall value of your product and the competitiveness of your market.
Ross said that it’s essential that the landing page gives the searcher exactly what they’re looking for. If you don’t have relevant landing pages they need to be created, he added.
A basic ad comprises a short headline and description. While the bells and whistles include site links, call outs, snippets and extensions. Google recommends creating three to five different ads for each ad group and rotating them to see which perform the best.
When starting out, it’s important to decide how much data is needed to make a decision about whether Google Ads works for your business – and how much it will cost to get that data, Ross said.
“If you're a personal injury lawyer, for example, you could be paying £10 a click. So £100 is going to get you 10 clicks and you may not get any business out of it. If you are selling trainers, maybe that will cost you £1.50 per click, so £100 is going to get you a reasonable amount of clicks and data,” he said
Adele said that Google Ads is a testing ground, especially in the early days, and business owners need to allocate a budget for experimentation.
“Initially you have to say, 'Right, month one, we might not see the results but we'll give it a go’. In the first instance, you've got to be prepared to do that research and spend the money to see whether it's going to work,” Adele said.
When your campaign is running smoothly, you may want to consider extending its reach or experimenting with new keywords or adverts to achieve even better results, Ross said.
Adele recommends setting up Google Analytics along with Ads so you can track people’s journey after the land onto your website.
“The pros are that you don’t have to pay for outside help and nobody knows your business better than you. On the other hand, there’s the cost of time spent learning ads, the money you will inevitably waste as you climb the learning curve and the sales you’ll lose through inexperience,” Ross said.
He added that business owners will typically have more important things to do than manage Google Ads.
“The downside is that by taking all the default options, you’ll end up with a campaign that chews through whatever budget you set, large or small, in no time at all. Over time, as it acquires data, your Smart Campaign will adjust and become more efficient. But without oversight, you’ll still spend money you don’t need to,” Ross said.
In the UK, hourly rates for freelancers are typically between £30-£50. Daily rates are around £250-£350. And monthly management fees are usually £350-£500. Most good freelancers don’t require a minimum contract, he added.
Their fee structure will depend on what an agency sees as the value of your business. For example, most agencies will charge a percentage, typically around 15-20% of your Google Ads spend. They may or may not charge a set-up fee. An agency will likely require you to sign up for a minimum term, he said.
However, Ross warned that if you’re not spending several thousands of pounds per month, your campaign might not be a top priority for an agency.
“Clients need to remember that it’s their Google Ads account. At MUV, we put their bank account details on the Google Ads account. Ultimately, they're in control of it. So if they want to switch, they can take all that data, all the adverts, all the set-up and move to somebody else. If any Google Ads company is saying, ‘Give us £5,000 and we'll spend the money for you’, you risk not getting what you think you're paying for,” she said.
Google is the number one search engine in the UK, with more than 86% of the market share, according to September 2021 stats from Statista. As such, paying to get your business at the top of their search results can be an enormous – and instantaneous – boost.
Understanding Google Ads and whether you should outsource it to a professional is a topic that comes up again and again on UKBF. Whatever you decide to do, having an understanding of Google Ads is absolutely essential to ensure you get value for money.
In this guide, we explain the basics and look into the various ways you can outsource with confidence.
What is Google Ads?
Google Ads is an online advertising platform where advertisers bid to display advertisements to web users. These adverts can be displayed at the top and bottom of related Google search results, but can also appear on partner websites, mobile apps and on videos.Adele Hamer, pay per click (PPC) manager for online marketing agency MUV, described Google Ads as a valuable marketing tool that gives businesses instant visibility and is flexible, scalable and manageable.
“Google Ads gives you fast results. You can be ranking on the search results page the same day. Whereas search engine optimisation could take months, with Google Ads you can be competing with your competitors straight away and getting customers to your site,” said Adele, known as @makeusvisible on the forum.
Sort the basics before starting an Ads campaign
Before launching a Google Ads campaign, it’s essential to get the basics right, said Ross Dawson, an independent PPC expert with nearly two decades of Google Ads experience.“Google Ads can bring you plenty of website traffic but Ads can’t make it convert. That’s your job. So take a dispassionate look at your website. If it’s sluggish to load, a nightmare to navigate, unpleasant to look at and a car crash on mobiles, then that needs putting right before your campaign begins,” said Ross, known as @Fagin2021 on the forum.
Ross added that business owners need to be honest about their offering, too. If products and services aren’t matching or beating competitors, an increase in website traffic from Google Ads isn’t going to achieve much.
Set clear goals
When launching a campaign it’s essential to be clear about what you want to achieve. The type of campaign that you run will depend on your goal, so clarity is important.Goals might include:
- Making sales
- Raising brand awareness
- Getting people to sign up for something, like a subscription or catalogue
- Collecting personal details, like email addresses
- Generating enquiries or leads
- Encouraging visitors to your physical premises
Decide how you will measure goals
Next, you need to decide how you’re going to measure whether goals have been achieved.Metrics might include:
- Number of visitors to your site
- Time spent on your site
- Volume of sales
- Value of sales
- The number of enquiries from people who have visited the site
- The number of people who come to your shop as a result of the website
Targeting ads
After deciding the goal and way of measuring its success, you have to decide who you want to target with your ads.“If you accept the Google default recommendation, your adverts will appear everywhere. That’s probably not a great idea,” Ross said.
Ross uses the examples that a Jaguar car dealer in Bristol will typically not want their adverts shown to yurt dwellers on the grassy plains of Mongolia.
Keyword and keyword phrase selection
Keywords and keyword phrases are the words people enter into the Google search box when they’re looking for something.“It’s keywords that trigger your ad to be shown. So selecting the right ones is crucial to the success of your campaign,” Ross said.
After deciding on your keywords, it’s important to make sure they are grouped in a way that makes sense. For example, a furniture retailer should have all their wardrobe keywords – like “oak wardrobes”, “pine wardrobes”, “walk-in wardrobes” – placed together in the ad group “wardrobes”, Ross explained.
“Typically, each ad group will have one to ten keywords in it. This is important because the keywords in each group will trigger ads that are written specifically for that ad group,” he said.
Adele said that Google has various tools to help you pick the best keywords. She recommends using the keyword planner in the Google Ads software. With this tool, you can type in any search term and see what traffic it gets. You can also put a web page in and Google will suggest keywords.
The Google Ads bidding process
After choosing your keywords, you need to tell Google how much you are prepared to pay every time somebody clicks on your advert (your bid). The amount you are prepared to pay will determine where your ads are shown on the search engine results page – or even if they’re shown.“You decide what keywords you want to use, let's say trainers,” Ross explained. “You say to Google, ‘For every click, I'm willing to pay £1’. When somebody searches for trainers, you go into auction with other businesses selling trainers. If your competitors bid £2 per click, they'll be at the top of the page. If they bid 50p, you'll be above them.”
The amount of money you will need to bid for each click largely depends on two factors: the overall value of your product and the competitiveness of your market.
Ensure landing pages are relevant
When somebody clicks on your Google ad, they are sent to a page on your website. This is called the landing page. It’s usually a page directly related to their query, not the home page.Ross said that it’s essential that the landing page gives the searcher exactly what they’re looking for. If you don’t have relevant landing pages they need to be created, he added.
Write a compelling advert
When crafting your advert, make sure it’s compelling and will stand out from your competitors.A basic ad comprises a short headline and description. While the bells and whistles include site links, call outs, snippets and extensions. Google recommends creating three to five different ads for each ad group and rotating them to see which perform the best.
Setting your budget
You need to tell Google how much you’re prepared to spend each day or each month on advertising. You also need to specify how you want that budget spent. For example, do you want your ads shown immediately until your daily budget is exhausted or do you want them spread out over the course of the day?When starting out, it’s important to decide how much data is needed to make a decision about whether Google Ads works for your business – and how much it will cost to get that data, Ross said.
“If you're a personal injury lawyer, for example, you could be paying £10 a click. So £100 is going to get you 10 clicks and you may not get any business out of it. If you are selling trainers, maybe that will cost you £1.50 per click, so £100 is going to get you a reasonable amount of clicks and data,” he said
Adele said that Google Ads is a testing ground, especially in the early days, and business owners need to allocate a budget for experimentation.
“Initially you have to say, 'Right, month one, we might not see the results but we'll give it a go’. In the first instance, you've got to be prepared to do that research and spend the money to see whether it's going to work,” Adele said.
Monitor the performance
Once you’ve activated your ad campaign, it’s important to monitor how it’s performing. This will help you to understand what’s working and what isn’t.When your campaign is running smoothly, you may want to consider extending its reach or experimenting with new keywords or adverts to achieve even better results, Ross said.
Adele recommends setting up Google Analytics along with Ads so you can track people’s journey after the land onto your website.
What are the options for small businesses setting up Google Ads?
Broadly speaking you have five options when it comes to running a Google Ads campaign:1. Do it yourself
There are many blogs, articles, YouTube videos, plus more, to help you navigate Google Ads. Google also has extensive content to help you.“The pros are that you don’t have to pay for outside help and nobody knows your business better than you. On the other hand, there’s the cost of time spent learning ads, the money you will inevitably waste as you climb the learning curve and the sales you’ll lose through inexperience,” Ross said.
He added that business owners will typically have more important things to do than manage Google Ads.
2. Let Google set it up for you
When you set-up a Google Ads account, Google’s automated settings can get a campaign up-and-running for you in a matter of minutes. This is called a Smart Campaign and it’s founded on machine learning.“The downside is that by taking all the default options, you’ll end up with a campaign that chews through whatever budget you set, large or small, in no time at all. Over time, as it acquires data, your Smart Campaign will adjust and become more efficient. But without oversight, you’ll still spend money you don’t need to,” Ross said.
3. Hire a permanent member of staff
Ross said that for many businesses, hiring a competent member of staff to manage Google Ads is often the best choice. However, he said that Google Ads alone is not a full-time job and advised that if you were looking to invest in staff, you would want somebody managing all PPC, social media marketing, plus traditional marketing.4. Hire a freelance Ads specialist
Typically, a freelancer will charge you an hourly, daily or monthly fee, in addition to any set-up charge for your campaign. Depending on the size of your project, set-up charges range from £300-£1,000, Ross said.In the UK, hourly rates for freelancers are typically between £30-£50. Daily rates are around £250-£350. And monthly management fees are usually £350-£500. Most good freelancers don’t require a minimum contract, he added.
5. Employ a digital marketing agency
A digital marketing agency will usually be the most expensive option, as they have employees and infrastructure to support, Ross said. On the other hand, they’ll have a broader range of experience and expertise in social marketing, for example Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram.Their fee structure will depend on what an agency sees as the value of your business. For example, most agencies will charge a percentage, typically around 15-20% of your Google Ads spend. They may or may not charge a set-up fee. An agency will likely require you to sign up for a minimum term, he said.
However, Ross warned that if you’re not spending several thousands of pounds per month, your campaign might not be a top priority for an agency.
Advice on outsourcing Google Ads
When outsourcing, Adele advises that businesses should always be in control of their Google Ads account and make sure they are paying, rather than handing the budget to a third party.“Clients need to remember that it’s their Google Ads account. At MUV, we put their bank account details on the Google Ads account. Ultimately, they're in control of it. So if they want to switch, they can take all that data, all the adverts, all the set-up and move to somebody else. If any Google Ads company is saying, ‘Give us £5,000 and we'll spend the money for you’, you risk not getting what you think you're paying for,” she said.
