Paid media is a very big world! By paid media, I’m referring to paying for ads online to get a much more targeted and significantly higher quantity of exposure online. While there are many platforms that sell pay per click (PPC) advertising (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), in this article, I’m going to walk you through the ins and outs of paid ads on one of the biggies—Google.
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Paid media is a very big world! By paid media, I’m referring to paying for ads online to get a much more targeted and significantly higher quantity of exposure online. While there are many platforms that sell pay per click (PPC) advertising (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), in this article, I’m going to walk you through the ins and outs of paid ads on one of the biggies—Google.
Getting Started
PPC campaigns are set up through Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords). This is a tool that businesses use to pay for keywords and phrases. Paying for certain keywords and phrases helps your business come up front and center in those precious online search results. For example, if you search the keyword phrase “massage near me,” the first three to four businesses that appear toward the top of your screen are paid ads (and are labeled as such).
You might think it’s complicated to see up PPC advertising but Google Ads makes it very easy. All you must do is set up an account with them. The account itself is free; you’ll pay only for the ads that viewers actually click on.
Negative Keywords
Your next step will be to create a list of what are called “negative keywords.” Basically, you’re telling the Google algorithm that you DON’T want your ad to appear if someone searches using those particular keywords. For example, don’t show my ad if someone searches for “free” massages (unless you like giving out free massages!). Google Ads keyword planner can help you determine broad keyword matches, phrase matches and exact matches on keywords that you do want people to use to find your ad as well as negative keywords.
Setting up negative keywords will save you so much money. Oversights and mistakes on the negative keyword front not only costs you money but may also attract the wrong type of clients. Remember, you’ll be paying EVERY time someone clicks on your ad—so spend wisely.
Related: Streamline Your Business with SEO Best Practices
Target Your Dream Demographic
Homing in on your ideal client helps you reach the right audience. Just like negative keywords, you can exclude certain groups by adjusting your settings. For example, your potential clients’ geographic location, income, gender, age, marital status, lifestyle, etc.
Google Ads are important because they allow you to hyper target your audience. By doing so, Google Ads will reward you with a good quality score, which in turn will reduce your cost per click (CPC).
You can also create different campaigns to target specific services, specials and so on. For example, you can set up a campaign for Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage and trigger point massage—each one using its unique keywords and phrase.
When writing the copy for your ad(s), include a title and descriptions that match keywords based on ad groups from your keyword planner.
Crushing It with Landing Pages
Every time someone clicks on your ad, they will immediately be taken to your website. And while every website has a home/landing page, you are the one who tells Google Ads which page you want them to visit. So, rather than simply using your home/landing page (which you can), why not take them to a page that entices them to buy something from you? For example, if they buy $100 worth of gift cards from you, you will give them a free $25 gift card.
Test a variety of headlines and descriptions for your landing page. Of course, you’ll want to choose the combination that gets you the greatest results, and Google will automatically optimize your best combination.
Related: Money-Making Marketing Strategies
Summary
Setting up a PPC account in Google Ads is one of the most effective ways to target your dream client. You control your budget, when your ads run and can pause the ads anytime. If you haven’t tried PPC, it’s easy and it’s worth it.
Louis “The Laser Guy’s” Three Additional Tips for Pay Per Click Advertising
- Keep a weekly check on your keywords (including negative) and how much you’re spending. Neglecting your account for a few weeks can result in many unwanted clicks that you can easily control if you’re aware of who is clicking on you.
- Ask new clients how they found you; although you can track your clicks through Google Ads, it’s always a good idea to know where clients are coming from.
- Also track your success through Google Ads “key performance indicators” (KPI). If you’re ads aren’t garnering the success you hoped for, pause them and try new keywords, demographics, etc.
