What is Google AdWords and How Does it Work

Google Adwords is an effective form of online advertising, where you only pay when a user clicks on your adverts. This Pay-Per-Click advertising is known in the industry as PPC and has been around for over a decade.

Google first introduced their flagship Adwords platform in 2000 as a way for businesses to advertise effectively online within their search results pages. Now the tool is more powerful than ever and Google adverts can be seen across the web, featuring within websites, email platforms like Gmail and on mobile and tablet devices too. Adverts are becoming more dynamic with new formats like engaging images, videos and maps being added every day. 

How does it work?

A Google Adwords campaign is setup by bidding on a number of specific keywords that are relevant to your business. For example, an online marketing company, such as us, might bid on keywords like ‘website design’ or ‘social media marketing’. When a user types a query into Google that contains one of your keywords, your advert will appear. 

Adverts appear at the very top of the search results page and down the right hand side. The rank of your advert depends on the relevancy of your ad to the user’s query and on how high your bid is. Google Adwords can get competitive, especially on popular keywords so it is good practice to think creatively about which keywords you can target and how. This is why using experts, such as us, is a good idea as we have knowledge and experience with works in Google.

So why is PPC so effective?

With marketing budgets so scrutinised and increasing pressure to get a good return on all your investments, Google Adwords could be the answer to your problems. In the past, an advert in a local newspaper might have been a strategy for your marketing team – but how do you know if the right people are seeing it and if they are even looking at it or not? 

The key with Google Adwords is that you only pay for your adverts that are working; measured by how many people are clicking on them.

The reach of Google Adwords is huge and, not only can you target your local area but also specific cities, countries and languages. This is great for a business operating in a specific market or location, as you are only targeting potential customers. Adverts can be launched almost instantly, so there is scope to experiment with little preparation time.  

The data that you are provided with can be hugely beneficial to your business. You can find out exactly which phrases people are typing into Google to find your website. These search terms can help you to understand how your business is portrayed and what information surrounding your products people are interested in.

Another key benefit to Google Adwords is that you control your own budget entirely. You can set daily budget caps so that you will never go over your limit - perfect for small businesses who only want to spend a certain amount on a campaign.

Pay-Per-Click is such an effective form of advertising that other internet giants now offer similar functionality within their own platforms. For example you can run an advertising campaign in both Facebook and LinkedIn now and choose to target specific interests, job titles and demographic data which users have entered into their profiles.

A Google Adwords account needs attention in order to optimise the adverts and adjust budgets effectively to ensure you are always targeting the right audience. We offer Google Adwords campaign management to those who want expert help creating a strategy, setting up adverts and managing them.

If you would like to know more about Google Adwords and PPC and how it could help your business, contact us on 01743 272609 or email studio@vibecreative.co.uk.