Google AdWords is an advertising platform from Google that allows advertisers to display ads on Google, the Google search engine, and third-party websites. It’s a great way for businesses to bring new customers or visitors to their website by targeting potential customers based on specific keywords and phrases they might use when searching for a product or service like yours. The benefits of using AdWords are numerous. First, you can set your budget as low as you’d like so you don’t have to spend a ton up front. In addition, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad—so there’s no risk involved if your ad doesn’t get any clicks. It is also super affordable; even small businesses can afford it. And lastly, if you invest in AdWords, you will grow your business faster with lead generation and an increase in website traffic.
Step 1: Set up your Google AdWords account
The first step is to create your AdWords account. You’ll need a Google account to set up an AdWords account, but it doesn’t have to be the same one you use for Gmail or Google Drive. You can set up an AdWords account for free with just your name, phone number, and email address. After you set up your account, you’ll be prompted to choose your business type, select your language, and enter your credit card information. You can also choose to have your ads run globally or just in specific countries.
Step 2: Determine your campaign goals
Decide what your main goal is for running an AdWords campaign. Are you trying to bring in new customers? Grow your email list? Or increase sales for an existing product or service? Once you know what your top goal is, you can decide if you should focus on growing your brand awareness, bringing in new customers, or generating more leads for your business. Although there may be overlap between these goals, it’s important to determine which one is your main focus.
Step 3: Define your target audience
Next, determine whom you’d like to target with your AdWords campaign. Are you looking to target people in a specific location? Or would you like to target a specific demographic like millennials, parents, or retirees? If you’re targeting a specific location, you can use the location feature in your campaign to show your ads to people in a specific area. Similarly, if you’d like to target a specific demographic, you can select an audience based on factors such as age, gender, interests, and more to ensure your ads are shown to the right people.
Step 4: Select your ad types and format
Next, select the type of ad you’d like to include in your campaign. There are many different types of ads you can choose from, including text ads, headline search ads, image ads, and more. You can also select the format of your ad, which refers to how your ad appears to people on Google. There are two formats: standard and enhanced. The standard format is the traditional look of your ad, while the enhanced format gives you the option to add a logo, more headlines, and a call-to-action button.
Step 5: Write your ad copy
Now that you’ve selected the type of ad and format, it’s important to write excellent ad copy so your ads stand out to potential customers. You have a few options here, such as writing a short ad that includes a call-to-action or creating a long-form ad with a lot of information. We recommend creating a short ad that includes a strong call to action, like “sign up today,” “learn more,” or “get your free trial.”
Step 6: Choose your keywords
This is an often-overlooked aspect of creating a successful AdWords campaign. Keywords are the words and phrases you’d like your ad to show up for, like “online marketing” or “online marketing software.” You can either choose specific keywords to target or use a broad match. If you decide to use a broad match, make sure you still add those keywords in your ad copy.
Step 7: Review and approve your ad(s)
Now that you’ve written your ad copy and selected your keywords, it’s time to review and approve your ad. You’ll find this option under the “Ads” tab in your AdWords account. There, you’ll see your campaign name, the status, and the total budget you’ve allotted for the campaign. Scroll down to the “Ads” section, select the ad you’d like to review or edit, and make any necessary changes. You can also create a new ad by clicking “+New ad.” Once you’ve selected your ad and completed all the necessary fields, click “Review” to approve your ad.
Step 8: Track and optimize your campaign
Google AdWords has a variety of helpful tools that make tracking and optimizing your campaign simple. From your AdWords dashboard, select “Campaigns” and then “Campaign” from the left-hand menu to view your Campaign Summary and budget. From there, click on the “Ads” tab to see a list of all your ads, their performance, and helpful data like average cost per click (CPC) and average number of clicks per ad (ACCP). From there, you can also change your ads, pause your ads, pause your campaign, or end your campaign to end your AdWords campaign.
Final Words
AdWords is a fantastic way to drive new traffic to your website and increase your brand awareness, and it doesn’t cost very much to get started. The cost of your ads will depend on your budget, the number of people clicking on your ads, and the competition for your chosen keywords. If you follow these eight steps to create a successful AdWords campaign, you’ll be on your way to bringing in new customers and increasing your brand awareness.
