As the UK economy bounces back from a difficult 2021, it has become clear that business owners are pushing forward with your plans to refocus your efforts, plan your marketing strategies and use a variety of means to achieve your business goals! That's the advantage of being a digital marketing strategist: I speak with business owners day in, day out and I am constantly finding out what business owners are doing (or want to do) to get new customers.
When we were all locked down in 2020, lots of businesses called upon my services to build websites and improve organic SEO. More recently andto secure a healthy amount of market share, plenty of businesses invest in Google Ads as a quicker way to find customers than organic SEO would yield.
I've always been a big believer in using platforms which offer free of charge services to promote a business. After all, if one can gain profit from free promotion, then it is a good deal, right?
That said, there is a limit to everything and using free tools to advertise may not offer the scalability that a business requires. As well as this, promoting a website using organic SEO can be quite a time-consuming affair.
Enter - Google Ads
ARE GOOGLE ADS WORTH IT?
Short answer - yes.
Whereas organic SEO takes time to build up and requires the SEO manager to spend time on a variety of tasks and platforms, running a Google Ads campaign yields instant visibility to a targeted audience from just one location: a Google Ads Manager account.
As a business owner, you should always consider your organic SEO strategy for longevity but what will you do to get seen by your target market whilst you build your SEO credibility?
PPC (Pay per click) advertising has been around for a long time and has always been popular but in saturated markets, plenty of business owners are turning to specialists to run their Google Ads campaigns to maximise their chances of a return on their investment.
WHY HIRE A GOOGLE ADS SPECIALIST?
Google Ads is not what I would call a simple tool to use. There are infinite options of campaign types, keyword combinations, ad text copies, conversion trackers and... well, you get the picture. Most business owners want to run their businesses rather than sift through virtual piles of spreadsheets and lists to find a great combination of 'everything' in the hope that their ad might get seen by the right person who might then have a good experience on their website and therefore might call to speak with you and buy your product or service.
"So, if Google Ads are so complicated, how do I know who is the right person for the job?"
Well, I'm glad you asked...
I AM A CERTIFIED GOOGLE ADS PROFESSIONAL
It sounds so important, doesn't it....?
It took some effort, but I decided to get my qualification to manage google Ads so that I could at least have the authority from Google themselves to manage their platform; a bit like the backing of a regulatory body
Becoming a certified Google Ads professional didn't happen by chance. After a period of on-the-job experience, I undertook a fair bit of research and studying before sitting exams to qualify. With a pass mark of 80%, the exams are rigorous and challenging. I sat two exams to cover Google display ads and Google search ads which qualifies me as a Google Ads professional. This qualification is valid for one year after which I will re-sit the exams.
But that isn't all...
WHY HIRE A GOOGLE PARTNER AGENCY?
Whilst an individual can become a certified Google Ads professional, a company can achieve Google Partner status. The criteria for achieving google Partner status are as follows:
a company must have 50% of their staff qualified as a Google Ads professional in the campaigns which they manage (search, display, video, shopping, apps).
a company must manage google Ads campaigns to the value of $10,000 in the last 90 days
deliver strong Google Ads revenue and growth
So, the reason why it is worth finding an agency who has partner status means that they will manage a large budget of adverts, possibly across a wide range of businesses and will have demonstrated effectiveness across their managed campaigns.
I am extremely pleased to be able to say that Full Circle Website Design achieved Google Partner status this week which means that I am in a good position to help your business to research, set up and manage an effective Google Ads campaign that will get your website instant traffic and engagement!
COMPLETE GOOGLE ADS SERVICES
When I work with a client to set up and manage a Google Ads campaign, I look to consider the whole process. As a website designer I am able to assist with making all links in the Google ads chain strong. The following should be considered when planning a Google Ads campaign:
industry and keyword research to identify useful
creation of ads which can be tested for effectiveness
creation of ad specific landing pages on website
set up of campaign to include keywords, ad copy, conversion tracking, sitelinks, and ad extensions
after setting live, constant monitoring and adjustment to keywords and ads
It is also possible that images and video creation will be needed, depending on the type of Google ad that are being set up.
As a website designer I would look to set up high performing landing pages that are specific to each ad version so that the person clicking on the Google ads is provided with exactly the right information to answer their initial search query. The landing pages would be comprised of all required information like:
Keyword rich content (correctly labelled as H1, H2, H3, Paragraph etc)
High visibility data capture points
call to action buttons
Testimonials
'Reasons to choose' bullet points
High quality, relevant images (with alt text).
Once all the components are in place and the Google ad campaign is set live, responsive search ads can benefit from Google machine learning which will actively optimise the ad campaigns over time.
I will cover Google machine learning in another article that focuses more on learning.