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Pocket Guide for Effective Google Ad Campaigns

Good ads are an effective way to build value for your business. But, budget restrictions and lack of knowledge lead to millions of wasted dollars in Google Ads every year. So, how can you maximize your ROI and get the most of your PPC budget? This how-to guide gives you some great insight on how to get what you want out of your Google Ad campaigns this year.

What Google Ad Network Are Available?

Did you ever think about how many Google Ad networks are available for your PPC campaigns? Search, display, shopping, and YouTube only scratch the surface of the networks available to build value for your business. You know your niche market. You understand what you need to meet your business goals. You know what you want your ad campaigns to accomplish. But, do your campaigns actually match your knowledge?

If you want to maximize the return on all your ad dollars, you need to deliver your ads to the network best suited to meet your needs. The truth is that PPC is somewhat of a crapshoot. Even though it’s a gamble, it doesn’t need to be frustrating. And, you don’t need to throw your money away.

Everyone is on a budget. Whether your budget is large or small does impact your ad campaign success. But, even if your spend budget puts restrictions on you’re the potential impact of your campaign, you can still find ways to optimize your results. If you exhaust your budget on an ad network that doesn’t meet your campaign objectives, you truly are throwing your money away. But, if you understand the difference between each ad network, and choose the primary Google Ad network that works best for your unique goals, you may just hit the jackpot.

Let’s take a closer look at the four primary Google Ad networks. How can you leverage each network to meet your campaign objectives? How can you allocate your budget in a way that brings you better results? A little knowledge goes a long way and this just might be the key to better results in your PPC efforts!  

Find Active Consumers Ready to Convert with the Google Search Network

The search network is a great place to find prospective clients who have already decided they need your products and services. These potential customers have decided that they want to buy, they just need a little coercion of who they are going to buy from. That’s where the Search and Display networks come in.

Search and Display make up the traditional advertising avenues of Google Ads. While they both have their advantages, the Search network far exceeds any other traditional Google Ad network. One of its greatest advantages is that it carries higher conversion rates.

Across all industries, the average conversion rate in Google Ads using the Search network is 3.75%. The reason is simple. Users on the search network are already active. They go to the search bar looking for something. When you create ads that target your niche market, your ads will provide immediate, relevant information based on the keywords they’re already searching. If your business represents a product or service that provides an on-the-spot solution for an immediate need, you will hit the mother load!

Even if you aren’t in a niche market that provides products or services with an immediate need, you can use the Search network to create a sense of urgency with potential customers. Another advantage of the Search network is that you can big on high-intent keywords. This puts your ads in front of the eyes of an audience who is ready to pull the trigger.

Google Display Network: A Less Aggressive Means of Conversion

Now that you know where to find those active prospects ready to buy now, where you can find an audience who is casually searching? The Google Display network reaches a large number of consumers online. With ads displayed in more than 100 countries, covering 30 different languages, the potential to be seen on the Display network is huge. Using the Display network is a great way to build brand awareness.

The biggest advantage to putting your Google Ad on the Display network is that it puts your brand at the top of the funnel for brand awareness. While the Search network carries more weight when it comes to better ROI, the Display network is not one you should ignore. Although potential prospects on the Display network are fully committed to making a purchase, it has a unique return. The Google Ad Display network gives you the change to generate leads and get people talking about your brand.

Although click-through and conversion rates are lower on the Display network, they are also substantially cheaper. So, you can create a buzz about your business at a much more affordable rate. And, that buzz can lead to higher click-through rates and conversions on other networks. Remarketing, for example, can help you deliver ads to previous visitors from the Display network while they’re active on other sites across the web. It’s a subtle reminder that keeps your brand at the forefront of their mind, leading customers to take action with YOUR business if they do decide to buy.

When you allocate some of your budget to the Display network, you can build your brand on a larger scale for a lower cost.

The Google Shopping Network Attracts More Qualified Clicks

The online shopping trend started years ago and hasn’t lost its steam yet. In fact, it’s only gained momentum over time. Currently, the majority of shoppers are making their purchases online. That’s why placing ads on Google Shopping have become more popular in recent times.

U.S. retail businesses who currently leverage Google Ads are spending upwards of 76% of their budget in Shopping. So, what’s the potential return? More than 85% of their clicks are coming from these ad campaigns. And the numbers increase in mobile shopping. The average cost-per-action of mobile shopping ads is less expensive. And, if you’re selling a tangible product, the Shopping network is worth your time and money. Why?

  • Your reach is greater. Shopping ads appear in Google Search, Google Shopping, and across many of Google’s partner sites. They come up in search results and are even delivered at the top of the SERP results. At lowered costs, they actually appear before your traditional text ads.
  • They are bigger and more visually appealing than traditional text ads. Google Shopping ads are in your face and they are more attractive to the eyes, leading to better click-through rates.
  • They deliver more qualified clicks. With better visuals and a display that gives shoppers all the information they need to make a decision, most clicks are from customers further down the sales funnel. They know enough about the product to be ready to make a purchase when they decide to click your ad.
  • You don’t need to manage keywords. Google Shopping ads connect directly to your product listings in your merchant center. So, optimizing your product listings for the Search network is where you get your ad placement, not creating content with keyword implementation.

As you can see, there’s a ton of advantages in the Google Shopping network.

YouTube: Maximize Impressions with TrueView

The number of businesses who use YouTube to advertise has nearly doubled in the last couple of years. That’s because more and more people are moving away from traditional written content and moving towards video content. On a daily basis, more and more traffic is coming from video content. It’s easier for consumers and advertisers are taking advantage. And, visual assets are easier to create and require minimal input, training, and time. This leaves businesses with effective video ads at a low cost in record time.

YouTube’s default ad format is called TrueView. The great advantage to TrueView is that you only pay when users actually watch or interact with your video for 30 seconds or more. This is a great way to reduce wasted ad spends. TrueView comes in two options:

  • TrueView in-stream plays ads before or during YouTube videos. You’ve probably seen these quite frequently. After five seconds of air time, users are given the option to skip your ad. You only pay if users watch your ad to the end or click.
  • TrueView video discovery appears alongside other YouTube videos. They also show up in YouTube search pages and on other websites on the Display network.

If you aren’t leveraging TrueView, there’s another YouTube ad format available. Bumper ads are six seconds or shorter. They play before, during, or after YouTube videos. The advantage of these is that they can’t be skipped. You also only pay per 1,000 views. So, they are a creative resource for businesses looking to build brand awareness.

In general, YouTube is a great way to maximize meaningful ad impressions and unlock the future of video marketing ads.

What did Google Ad Network work for Your Business?

As you can see, each Google Ad network has its own strengths and advantages. To be honest, if your budget allows, most businesses find the biggest return when they use all four networks simultaneously. But, if you do need to choose, how can you be sure you are maximizing your return? The solution lies in your answer to this question: what is your objective?

If you know that your brand is amazing, but have trouble getting customers talking, the Display network and YouTube bumper ads can be a great asset to build awareness for your brand. If you are looking for more qualified clicks, it might be time to shift to the Google Shopping network. And, if you are specifically looking for higher conversion rates, your best option is to stick to the traditional Search network.

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to which network works best for you. But, all of these channels can help you in different ways. When you find the budget allocation that works best for you, you can be sure your business will be on the fast track to greater success and massive gains.

The good news is you have options! Take time to tweak these options to your unique needs and you will leverage the advantages of all the Google Ad networks. And, that’s the best way to stop wasting money and increase your ROI for more effective Google Ad campaigns.