Google Ads is an advertising platform that allows businesses to reach billions of people across Google properties, like Google Search, YouTube, Gmail and Google Play.
When it comes to online marketing, Google Ads has one of the largest networks of search partners and websites that can display your ads, giving you the potential to connect with a huge audience. It’s also an affordable advertising option for businesses—no matter the size of your budget.
How does Google Ads work?
Google Ads is an auction-based advertising platform. When a user completes a Google search, an auction automatically takes place across advertisers bidding on those keywords. Google then displays the winning ads to the user in the search engine results page (SERP). But the highest bid doesn’t always guarantee a win. Google considers other factors to determine the winning ads, including how relevant the ads and landing page are to the user’s search query.
What are the different types of Google Ads available?
There are various types of Google Ads campaigns, and within each campaign, there are different ad formats.
Here are just a few:
- Search ads – are the most common type of Google Ads and appear at the top of the search engine results page when a user completes a search. These are text-based adverts that can be customised with headlines and descriptions.
- Shopping ads – are displayed across Google services, such as Google Search, Google Images and Google Shopping. These ads feature product images, prices and other information.
- Display ads – are shown on websites and apps that are part of Google's Display Network. These ads can be videos, images or text-based and target specific audiences based on interests, demographics and more.
- Video ads – are found on YouTube and other video platforms. You can select skippable or non-skippable ads and target your audience based on demographics, interests and keywords.
- App ads – are used to promote mobile apps on Google Play, Google Search and Google Display Networks.
How does bidding work in Google Ads?
Google Ads bidding works by setting a maximum bid amount for your ads to show in search results or websites.
When a user searches for a keyword or visits a website, Google Ads will run an auction. The auction system will choose which ads to display depending on the bid amount and other factors like ad relevancy and quality. The advertiser with the best bid and ad quality wins the auction. But remember, you won't be charged until a user clicks on your ad.
Setting up a Google Ads campaign
Setting up your first Google Ads campaign is quick and simple. Just follow these steps:
- Create a Google Account. (If you use Gmail, you’ll already have a Google Account, so skip ahead to the next step.)
- Sign in to your Google Account, go to Google Ads and click the ‘Start now’ button.
- To set up your first campaign, you'll need to answer a few questions, such as your business name, website and advertising goal.
- If you don't have a website or don't see your primary advertising goal listed, you can click the 'Switch to Expert Mode' button at the bottom of the page. (Expert Mode offers more Google Ads features and campaign types.)
- Or, if you’re ready to kick-start your first campaign, complete the Google Ads campaign set-up and enter your ad headlines and descriptions.
- Upload your ad images.
- Select the search terms you want to target.
- Choose your target locations.
- Set a budget.
- Review your campaign.
- Confirm your billing information.
- Once your ad is reviewed and approved, it will go live.
If you have any trouble setting up your account, contact the Google Ads support team.
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