Deciding to advertise with Google Ads can be a daunting step for any small-to-medium-sized business. Frankly, Google doesn’t do a good job of spelling out what types of businesses would benefit from search ads. Nor are they particularly forthright about what to expect with different-sized budgets. The whole Google Ads platform is designed with advertising professionals in mind.
That being said, Google Search Ads can be extremely useful and very profitable at nearly any price point for many businesses. But, you want to make sure it’s right for you. With that in mind, here are four questions to consider to see if Google Search Ads are a good fit for your business…
1. Did your business advertise in the Yellow Pages?
One of the most revealing indicators that your business might benefit from Google Search Ads is whether your business bought (or would have bought) an ad in the Yellow Pages 20 years ago. That means local and regional businesses and professionals like plumbers, accountants, landscapers, personal injury attorneys, etc.
Google search results have since taken the place of the Yellow Pages, essentially becoming a more dynamic and complete version of them. So, if you were or could have been a Yellow Page advertiser there is a very good chance Google Search Ads are good for you now.
2. Are your customers searching for you or your product or service?
Keyword research is essential to ensuring your prospects are indeed using search to discover your products/services and to hone in on all variations in search syntax. If folks aren’t searching for what you’re selling, there is obviously no point in buying placement in search results.
Google’s Keyword Planner Tool is your best friend during Google Search Ads campaign creation as it gives you the ability to check and compare search volumes, create budget estimates, find additional keywords and more.
Pay very close attention to search volumes, if you’re seeing that all your relevant searches have very low volumes, say 0 – 10, it’s a good indication that your customers are not seeking your service/product via search. On the flip side, thousands of monthly searches for your keywords is a great indicator that Google Search Ads are a very good fit for your business.
3. What Do the Numbers Say?
Google’s Keyword Planner Tool provides estimates on the cost-per-click for each keyword. With this information, you can estimate how much money you’ll need to spend to gain a new customer and whether that expense is affordable. For example, let’s say you’re an accountant and each new customer is worth about $1000 to you. In your area, the average cost-per-click is $5 and for every 100 clicks, you get about 2 new customers… a 2% conversion rate. That means, for every 100 clicks you spend $500 but you bring in $2000.
On the flip side, let’s imagine a business where the cost-per-click remains $5, the conversion rate remains 2%, but a new customer is only worth $100. For every 100 clicks, you’re spending $500 and only bringing in $200. The best that the campaign can hope for is to break even.
Not knowing your numbers in advance is a very common mistake for small business owners and often leads to a lot of wasted money. Beware!
4. Do You Have The Budget?
The issue with everything above is that it’s based on Google’s estimates over long periods of time. You will need enough budget to test everything and optimize. Often, this means running campaigns that could initially lose money but then make money as you refine the targeting and bidding over multiple months.
Any business considering Google Ads needs to have some extra runway, so to speak, to test out the effectiveness of search campaigns.
Conclusion
Google Search Ads are a remarkable tool for a lot of small-to-medium size businesses, local, regional and international. Ask yourself these fours questions and you’ll be on the road to building profitable AdWords campaigns. Check out more of our Google Ads articles to further hone your strategy and build success!
