By now you’ve probably heard everyone tell you that your business should be using Google AdWords, and there’s a good reason for that. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads that appear in Google search results are proven to be an effective way of generating traffic that converts into customers consistently.
Jumping to the top of the search results costs money though, and we’re often asked by our clients whether AdWords really is the right fit for a smaller business. Rather than give a definitive yes or no answer, we’ll delve a bit deeper into what Google AdWords has on offer and what you need to think about before committing.
It brings in buyers not browsers:
With the right keywording your ads appear in front of potential customers at the exact moment that they begin looking for the product or service you provide. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, the speed at which consumers shop online is increasing every year and being at the top of the list on google is incredibly powerful.
Think about someone googling something like ‘buy adidas shoes online’, they aren’t window shopping, they’ve typed in a command and you can be almost certain that they intend to buy those shoes in the near future.
It provides target-based geography:
If you run a business or are part of a smaller community, you don’t care about appearing in any search results outside of your area, it’s a waste of money for no return. With AdWords, you can target your searches based on geography, which is a very powerful tool in the right hands.
Small businesses rely on customers within their community, so the opportunity to grow your consumer base with targeted PPC ads is something that shouldn’t be overlooked in any marketing campaign.
It gives you the power to personally track results:
Many small business owners lament the lack of control they have over their own marketing and promotion, but with AdWords this doesn’t have to be the case. Google offers comprehensive means to track your clickthrough rate, ad spend and conversion rate across your landing pages.
If you aren’t happy with the ROI of your marketing, you have the data at your fingertips to make the right decisions for the success of your business.
All of this sounds great right? But we’d be doing you a disservice if we didn’t mention that Google AdWords has a learning curve. It isn’t free, and because you’re paying per click, it’s possible to spend a lot of money very quickly. As you’re getting set up in the world of AdWords you want to make sure you understand your daily budget limits and how Google is going to deploy your ads based on that budget.
If you’re unsure about how any of this works, we recommend speaking to a professional digital marketing agency about the specifics of Google Ad Management and how you can get the most out of your investment.
AdWords is without a doubt a powerful tool for small business owners, but using it correctly is vital to ensuring your future success.
