11 November 2015

PPC

Google AdWords for Startups - Part 1: Introduction

Are you a start-up business finding it tough to get your business seen online? Are you operating in the shadow of bigger brands or competitors?

Thankfully, you’re not the only one!

Today, in this modern, digital age there are so many platforms that can assist you in kick-starting your online presence and increasing your business's online visibility. But with with so many options, sometimes it can be tricky to figure out where to begin your online journey.  

We recently held an event at Google’s London offices, and we discovered 97% of web users searched for local products and services in the year of 2014. Millions of people search the internet on a daily basis, so it is vital that your business is visible in search engine results if you are looking to market to a large number of potential customers.

Since we are a digital agency at the forefront of all things internet based, we have identified Google AdWords as being the tool that can help your business thrive in the online market. Also, did we mention, we are Trusted Google Partners, this means we have full backing from one of the world’s most recognisable companies.

Not sure what Google AdWords is? Well this is why we are here to explain. Google AdWords is an online software tool that allows users to create adverts that are displayed in search engine results. When used to it’s best effect, AdWords can help any type of business, regardless of the type of service they provide or industry they are in. From furniture to chicken feeders, AdWords is your path to successful online marketing.

In the following steps, we will outline the specifics that will help your business’s online visibility.

What is Google AdWords?

It’s what is otherwise known as a “PPC (Pay-Per-Click)” advertising platform. In other words, you only have to pay when somebody clicks on your advert. If executed correctly, using Google to increase your online visibility can be a very affordable card to play in the online game. You get the extra peace of mind that Google is, and probably always will be the most used search engine, indexing billions of web pages and processing more than a trillion worldwide searches per year.

By using AdWords, you can reach customers at the right time, which is precisely when they are searching for things related to your business. Google isn’t like your local news agent, there is no closing time, users are constantly visiting and searching for things, and if your products and services are well advertised, the chances are you will be found.

AdWords allows you to target queries by using keywords of your choice (obviously something related to your business). You can set these keywords up at the same time as your ads. It is important for your keywords to be related to what you are promoting. Be careful when choosing your keywords, you don’t want them to be too broad otherwise you will get visitors that won’t be interested.

How does AdWords work?

The system allows you to generate your online advert that will then be displayed on a Google search result page. They can either show at the top, or on the right-hand side, this will depend on the strength of your advert and the budget you are putting into it.

There are certain guidelines when it comes to advertising on Google though:

• Headline - Maximum 25 characters

• Display URL - Maximum 35 characters

• Description line 1 - Maximum 35 characters

• Description line 2 - Maximum 35 characters

Here is an example of what a final, approved ad looks like:

This is just the beginning though… There is a lot of work to do before you can implement your ads.

Click here to read Part 2 of our AdWords For Startups blog.