Google Search Ads are quickly becoming one of the most popular marketing techniques in the digital world. After all, they’re a phenomenal way to gain visibility, target new customers, and—if all goes well—increase sales. In fact, Google has estimated that for every $1 a business spends on Google Ads, that business receives $8 in profit through Google Search and Ads.
If that’s the success of Google advertising, then it makes sense why Google’s advertising revenue went from $146.92 billion in 2020 to $209.49 billion in 2021; that’s an increase of 43% in just one year! Of that $209.49 billion, “Google Search & Other” ads accounted for nearly $149 billion, over 70% of the total ad revenue. The “Other” Google ads include display ads (imaged-based ads on websites) and shopping ads (product listings within Google search results). However, Google Search Ads are the dominant force within Google advertising and PPC ads a whole.
The Basics of Pay-Per-Click Ads
PPC ads stand for pay-per-click advertisements. This is a model of marketing where advertisers pay a certain fee every time one of their online ads is clicked. That’s why it is aptly called pay-per-click.
PPC is a method to reach potential customers more directly, and there are several different platforms that offer pay-per-click advertising. The largest ones include Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, Bing, LinkedIn, Twitter, TikTok, and Snapchat. Among those, Google (which includes YouTube), Facebook (which includes Instagram), and Amazon account for over 60% of the market share for digital advertising.
The Basics of Google Ads
While Facebook, Amazon, and Google make up the “triopoly” in digital PPC ads, Google itself owns the lion’s share of the market. And as mentioned, Google Ads can come in different forms. In addition to search ads, display ads, and shopping ads, there are also video ads (video-based ads on YouTube) and remarketing ads (which are display and search ads that target people who have already visited or taken an action on a website).
What Are Google Search Ads?
Google Search Ads are paid results that appear at the top of a Google Search query. Instead of waiting for a page to appear (i.e., “rank”) for a particular Google Search, you can bid on and buy ad space for that search. Search Ads function the same way as an organic result, but they’re distinguished with “Ad” by it. As part of a pay-per-click ad, Search Ads also charge the advertiser every time someone clicks on it.
Organic results can sometimes take 3-6 months to rank for a specific search. On the other hand, ads can be up and running in just a few days. Therefore, Search Ads help provide traffic much faster than organic traffic. That’s just one reason among many why Search Ads are the primary digital ad type for businesses.
Components of Google Search Ads
So what goes into a Search Ad? The text-based digital ad has 3 primary elements: a headline, display URL, and description.
The headline is limited to 30 characters, and it’s the first bolded line users view. The URL is where searchers will go if they click on the ad (aka the “landing page”), but it can be edited to have a cleaner-looking appearance. For example, the ad below takes users to helium-seo.com/seo-cincinnati but we edited the URL to appear as helium-seo.com/helium/seo for a better aesthetic.
Lastly, the description is limited to 90 characters, and it’s the unbolded text underneath the headlines. This is where you can explain more about your product or service.
Putting these components together, each Search Ad is allowed to have 3 headlines, 1 display URL, and 2 descriptions. Here’s a side-by-side example of what that looks like:
On top of those base components, there are several other bells and whistles you can add to a Google Search Ad. These possible additions are sitelink extensions, callout extensions, call extension, location extensions, advertiser rating display, structured snippets extension, and price extension. (If you’re curious to learn more about and visualize Search Ad extensions, check out this tool from Karooya.)
Once you understand all of the elements of a Google Search Ad, then a great Search Ad boils down to highlighting your unique selling point and catering the right message to your target audience. From there, you decipher what works well and continue to adapt as needed. That’s the strategy for mastering not just Google Search Ads, but all pay-per-click ads.
7 Helpful Examples for Your PPC Campaign
One of Helium SEO’s digital marketing solutions offered is a pay-per-click ads service. We’ve gotten to work on hundreds of successful PPC campaigns for clients looking to elevate their digital presence.
When you manage Google Search Ads alone, you can easily run into some pain points. So, here are 7 examples of Search Ads that you can learn from and use to kickstart your 2022 Google Ads campaign.
GeneSight makes a genetic test sound easy and quick in their ad copy: “Just a Simple Cheek Swab.” Then in the description, they build credibility (“Backed By Extensive Research”) while conveying a personal tone (“How Your Genes May Impact Your Outcomes With Medication”). Plus, the ad has sitelink extensions if people want to learn more and a phone number in case someone wants to get started right away.
Nothing grabs a potential customer’s attention better than numbers, and that’s what SellYourMac does well with this ad. Users quickly notice the 99.9% customer satisfaction and are then motivated to keep reading. When they do, they’ll see they can get an instant quote and—more importantly—”get paid.” Who wouldn’t want to click on that?
A crucial part of great ad copy is a call to action (CTA), which you can see Orion Talent does: “Find Qualified Candidates Now.” This encourages searchers to click better than if the headline just said, “Qualified Candidates.” And once someone clicks on the ad, they know they’ll find “unmatched” and “experienced” military job seekers.
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Provider Solutions & Development gets creative with their headlines. They recognize they’re limited to 30 characters for each one, so they combine 2 headlines that’ll read naturally together: “Get Ready for the Next Step For Senior Year Residency.” PS&D also has 2 sitelink extensions that have CTAs as the display text (“View Events” and “Prepare For Interviews”) which will drive clicks to those landing pages.
Team Fitz Graphics makes the most of their headlines by emphasizing their unique selling point (“Great Prices & Fast Turnaround”) and identifying one of their products (“Run Through Signs”). Then the ad copy descriptions build more on the benefits of a run-through sign/banner (like creating excitement and getting everyone fired up with a “grand entrance”). Better yet, the descriptions use CTAs (“Get Your Team,” “Call Now,” “Create Excitement,” and “Get a Free Quote”) to really motivate searchers to click.
JBM Packaging gets right to the point with this ad’s headlines. Searchers immediately know they can get free samples of environmentally safe and recyclable packaging. The descriptions also explain more of what that means while ending with CTAs (“Learn More” and “Request a Quote”). On top of that, the sitelink extensions and their descriptions offer a place for searchers to actually learn more about JBM and the sustainable choices they provide.
The biggest headache for anyone managing projects is keeping them on time and on budget. Mintek Resources recognizes that and offers their “cost effective” solutions. Potential customers can “request a quote” and “learn more” by clicking the search ad or one of its sitelink extensions. Relating to your audience while driving your unique selling point makes an ad effective.
What Makes a Google Search Ad Great?
The simple metric for whether or not your Search Ad is great is if people are clicking on it. Clicks, in this case, indicate a conversion (which is when a user takes a website’s desired action). Every ad’s goal is for someone to click so they can learn more, request a quote, and then eventually make a purchase. Successful ad campaigns depend on improving the conversion rate of clicks.
However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to Google Search Ads. You have the essential elements of good ad copy, including a CTA, and distinguishing yourself to a searcher. But from there a great Search Ad will vary by industry, location, and company.
Beyond the visual ad itself, a lot also goes into setting up a Search Ad. This includes keyword research, keyword bids, quality score, demographics, historic performance, bid adjustments, and more. It can be overwhelming for Search Ad first-timers or those who want to improve their ad performance but don’t know how.
That’s where Helium SEO’s pay-per-click services help businesses thrive. We can choose the most effective keywords, use Google Ads effectively, track your PPC campaign, and grow your leads at a minimal cost. Contact us to learn more about elevating your digital presence with better PPC ads.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Do I Write a good google search ad?
A good Google Search Ad encourages searchers to click on it. While this will depend on the company and target audience, a good ad includes a unique selling point and call to action (CTA).
What do google search ads do?
Google Search Ads appear at the top of a search result and help drive traffic to a website.
what is the difference between google ad and google search ad?
A Google Search Ad is a type of Google Ad. Google Ads can either be Search (text-based ads), Display (image-based ads), Video (video-based ads on YouTube), or Shopping (product listings).
What are the benefits of search ads?
Search Ads are beneficial because they appear much faster than organic results. You can even tailor how you want your ad and ad copy to appear unlike with an organic result. Google also estimates that you can expect a 700% return on investment with Google Search and Ads results based on your ad spend.
