All you need to know about Google Ads

In a saturated digital environment, where competition is fierce, standing out from the crowd is crucial. Google Ads has become a must-have for any company wishing to increase its online visibility and generate qualified leads.

This comprehensive step-by-step guide will help you master Google Ads, turning it into a genuine growth lever for your digital strategy.

Google Ads at a glance 

How Google Ads works 

Before diving in, it's essential to understand what Google Ads is and how it works. 

Also known as Google SEA, this is the web giant's official advertising platform. It enables companies to display their ads in Google search results, on other partner websites, as well as on YouTube and Gmail.

Every day, over 3.5 billion searches are carried out on Google. Google Ads are therefore visible to an audience looking for a solution to a specific problem. Conversion rates are generally quite high .

And as an added bonus, companies can also precisely target their audience based on various parameters: 

• location ;
• age ;
• interest ;
• consumer habits, etc. 

Your ad won't simply be broadcast at random: it will be presented to those who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.

📍Attention - it's important to distinguish between Google Ads (paid search) and SEO (organic search). When you set up Google Ads, your content will appear on the first page above the Google organic results.

What is the Google Ads bidding system?

Google Ads is based on a bidding system. Companies pay for their ads to appear in search results when users use specific keywords.

Every time an Internet user performs a search on Google, an auction is launched in the background between all the ads whose keywords correspond to the search. It's not necessarily the ad with the highest bid that appears first, but rather the one with the best quality score.
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Planning your marketing budget is an essential preliminary step to a successful online campaign.

Set up your first campaign, step by step  

Here's a step-by-step guide to creating your first successful Google Ads campaign.

Step 1: Define the campaign objective

Before creating your ad, clearly identify your objective. Do you want to increase visits to your website, receive more phone calls, or get more customers to visit your store? Your choice will influence the configuration of your Google Ads campaign.

To set relevant goals, use the SMART method. Your goals should be : 

• Specific : define precise objectives so you know where to focus your efforts
• Measurable : make sure you can quantify your progress so you can analyze it.
• Achievable : make sure your goals are within reach 
• Realistic : don't be tempted by illusory goals that are beyond your means
• Time : define a time frame in which to achieve your objectives 

Step 2: Choose the distribution network

The platform offers four main types of network for displaying your ads :

1. The search network, which displays your ads on Google's search results. Advertisers can thus target users who perform searches close to their offer in the search bar. 
2. The display network, which displays your ads on partner websites, applications and videos. With advanced targeting options, the display network enables advertisers to deliver ads strategically to reach their ideal audience.
3. Shopping ads are particularly interesting for retailers. They display product visuals at the very top of search results, helping you to attract new customers. 
4. Video or YouTube ads are ideal for grabbing the attention of existing customers or prospects in a matter of seconds. They give you the opportunity to deliver dynamic content to your target audience.

The choice of network depends on your campaign objectives and your target audience.

• Your priority is conversion : the search network is the most effective way to precisely target your ideal customer and directly increase your conversion rate. 
• Your priority is brand awareness : The display network enables your ad to be displayed on all Google display network partners, reaching 90% of users worldwide. This means your ad will be highly visible, enabling you to promote your brand to as many people as possible. 

📍You can also combine the two networks. By using the display network, you'll gather interesting field data to better understand your audience, your geographical area, etc. You can then reuse this data to better target your campaigns on the Search network. 

Step 3: Select your keywords

Don't neglect this very important step. To help you, Google Ads offers suggestions based on commonly used expressions that correspond to your website and products. 

As this part is key, we've dedicated an entire section to it later in the article 😉

Step 4: Create your ad

Once you've chosen your keywords, you can create and publish your ad. It's important to :

1. Write compelling ad copy.
2. Use a clear call to action.
3. Include keywords in the ad text.

Choosing the right keywords to optimize visibility

Optimizing your Google Ads campaigns hinges on one fundamental element: the choice of keywords. They largely determine the performance of your ads and their ability to reach your target audience.

Choose popular keywords 

First tip : adapt to the language level and vocabulary of your target audience. You need to put yourself in your customer's shoes to identify the keywords they're most likely to type into the Google search bar. 

Google Keyword Planner is an essential tool for discovering new, relevant keywords. It gives you an overview of the search volume for each keyword and the competition.

📍Recap on search volume and keyword competition : 

• The search volume corresponds to the number of searches carried out by Internet users on a defined keyword. It can be calculated over different periods (week, month, year). Please note that certain keywords can have a strong seasonal effect (big search peaks in summer, for example, or during vacation periods).
• The competition allows you to estimate the number of competing sites positioned on the same keyword. Obviously, the more competitors there are, the more difficult it will be to rank for the keyword.

Targeting the right formulations

It's also important touse long-tail keywords. 

These expressions are more precise and often less competitive than generic keywords. 

📍For example, instead of targeting the keyword "shoes", you can target "women's running shoes".

Know your consumer target

And don't forget to consider the user's search intent. The keywords you choose should match both what the user is looking for and what your company has to offer.

It's possible to better understand your audience's search intent by observing the most common types of queries in your field of activity. Look at what your competitors are doing, talk to your users and identify search volumes for the main keywords. 

Remember to include negative keywords

Finally, it's essential to create a list of negative keywords in your strategy. 

They allow you to exclude certain queries for which you don't want your ads to be displayed. This improves the quality of your traffic by focusing on your target audience.

📍For example, you sell a SaaS CRM. Your customers are salespeople in small and medium-sized companies. There are many low-competition queries relating to sales techniques (there's both a lot of volume and little competition). But these queries are often typed more by business school students than by your target persona. So it's best to avoid these keywords.

Continuously improve your keywords 

Keyword research requires constant monitoring and optimization to ensure the success of your Google Ads campaigns. So you need to regularly analyze the performance of your keywords and adjust your list accordingly.

Keywords are important because they link ads to user searches. The different types of keyword matching influence the accuracy with which an ad is delivered based on user searches.

For example, you can use a broad match to reach a large audience or an exact match to target specific searches.

Optimization and tracking of Google Ads campaigns

Optimizing your Google Ads campaigns is essential to maximize the return on your Google online advertising investment. 

You can adjust your campaign settings after launch to improve performance. Here are several strategies for optimizing your Google Ads campaigns.

1. Regularly analyze the performance of your advertising campaigns

To optimize your Google Ads campaigns, it's crucial to regularly monitor their performance using the Google Analytics tool. This analysis enables you to identify keywords that aren't performing well, and make any necessary adjustments.

2. Optimize your Google Ads bids

You can also optimize your bids on Google Ads. 

In particular, you can adjust your cost-per-click (CPC) strategy to improve click-through rate (CTR) and return on investment. Depending on your objectives, choose the right KPIs to track on your dashboard.

3. Refine your keywords

Keyword optimization is another possible strategy for improving your campaigns.

From the very first weeks of distribution, analysis of your campaigns reveals precise information on user behavior and successful keywords. Using targeted keywords not only attracts the right audience, but also increases the chances of conversion.

4. Improve ad quality

The quality of your ads is another key factor in improving the performance of a Google Ads campaign. This includes writing a catchy headline, using a relevant description and including a clear call to action.

5. Use the Google Display Network

The Google Display Network is a group of partner websites where your Google Ads can appear. This network enables you toincrease the visibility of your ads andreach a wider audience.

Best practices with Google Ads

Here are a few keys to getting to grips with Google Ads and reaching your audience first time: 

• Put yourself in your customers' shoes and work on your relevance. The most effective ads are those that respond specifically to consumers' needs and expectations.
• Associate a keyword with a specific customer need and build your ad around it.
• Set up split-testing campaigns - the best way to test different approaches by alternating keywords, ads and bids . This will help you identify what works best for your business.
• Track conversion rates to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns. This enables you to understand which ads and keywords are generating the most qualified traffic.

Boost your performance with Google Ads: what you need to know

Google Ads is an essential tool for your online visibility. By displaying ads to a relevant audience, it offers you new potential for conversion and growth .

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To maximize your results with Google Ads, follow these 4 basic steps: 

1. Define your objectives and budget;
2. Choose the distribution network best suited to your needs;
3. Keyword selection to reach your target ;
4. Optimize your performance according to your results.

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Write compelling ads and regularly analyze your performance indicators to fine-tune your strategy over time.