Google Adwords Campaign: A Beginner’s Guide

The Anatomy of a Google Adwords Text Ad

Advertising online is crucial for the success of any B2B business, however the process of setting up your first Google Adwords Campaign can be quite overwhelming and confusing for beginners. But thanks to Google’s own Academy of Ads Skillshop, learning the basics of paid ads becomes a much easier task.

As much as we believe in the power of SEO and the importance of organic traffic here at VA Partners, we also have a couple of clients that can benefit from PPC – especially when promoting specials or advertising an event. This is why I personally put some time aside to explore the Skillshop and learn best practices for creating Google Adwords text campaigns. Today I’d like to share my knowledge with you and help you set up your first Google Adwords Campaign.

Headline

The headline text is the most important aspect of the ad! It consists of three headlines where you can enter up to 30 characters each to promote your product or service. This text is the first thing that your viewer will see and sometimes it is the only aspect of the ad that they read. That’s why it’s imperative to keep the headlines catchy and informative – after all, this could be the one factor that determines whether or not someone clicks through to view your landing page.

google adwords campaign

Keep in mind that the multiple headlines are separated by a vertical pipe symbol (“|”) and may show differently depending on the device someone is using when they view your Google ad.
 

Description

google adwords

Description fields are limited to 90 characters each and should highlight how your product or service can benefit the viewer. This is also a way to weed out those who are not your target audience and discourage them from clicking on your ad and costing you money. Excite your target audience by highlighting a feature that could benefit their business. Also, consider including a call-to-action – the action you want your customer to take. If you’re are selling products online, your CTA might include “Shop now” or “Buy x product now!”. If you are offering professional services, you might want to add something like “Get an instant quote today!” or “Sign up for our course/service now!”.
 

Display URL

The green display URL shows your website address. It is made up of the domain from your final URL and the text in the optional ”Path” fields.

google adwords

The fields give your potential customers an idea where they will be taken on your website if they click on your ad, so the text you put in these fields – can have up to 15 characters – should describe the product or service mentioned in the ad in more detail. It’s important to note that the paths are not guaranteed to show, however it’s still good practice to use them and optimize them.
 

Extensions

Extensions allow you to expand your text ad with additional information and thus give viewers more reasons to click on your ad. In fact, according to Google, extensions typically increase an ad’s click-through-rate by several percentage points!

Ad extensions can include interactive ways of reaching you, such as call buttons, location information, apps, links to specific parts of your website, etc. In sum, they improve the visibility and performance of your text ad, and they don’t cost anything!
 

Google Adwords Campaign Do’s and Do Not’s

Follow these do’s and do not’s to ensure that your ad is approved by Google.

  • Landing Page – Link your ad to the most relevant landing page. This can be a page on your website, or a page created specifically for your offer or promotion.
  • Capitalization – do not use an excessive amount of capitals within your ad especially inter-capitalization. Google wants all ads to adhere to certain guidelines and this will not be approved.
  • Phone Number – do not add a telephone number within your ad unless it is a call extension.
  • Punctuation – do not use a ‘!’ in the ad headline. You are allowed to use the ‘!’ in description lines 1 or 2, but only once. Do not use punctuation excessively.

Are you looking for help with setting up your first paid ad campaign or improving your website visibility? Contact us today!

Google Adwords Campaign: A Beginner’s Guide