5 Types of Google Ads & How to Use Them For Sale

Have you ever found yourself wondering how many different types of Google Ads there are?Or is that just us? Huh. Maybe that’s why we’re the ones that work in digital marketing.Well, here’s a fun fact for you - 90% of people believe that ads successfully influence their purchase decision making. 90%!There’s more where that came from, too - 58% of millennial shoppers have agreed to purchase something after watching an online ad.There’s plenty more where these statistics came from, and they teach us one thing – the power of ads. If you choose to invest money into your advertising, it is imperative that you take the time to choose a medium that is going to benefit your business as much as possible.Google has 259 million visitors every day and 4.8 billion interactions daily. The conversion rate of Google Ads is around 75%, and 63% of people have agreed to click on a Google Ad at least once.Those are some big numbers! Google Ads have an incredible reach, with a successful track record to match. Today, we’re going to explore the five different types of Google Ads, and how you can use each one to your advantage.Take a seat, get comfortable – it’s a long one! By the end, you’ll be a seasoned Google Ads pro.

What Is Google Ads?

Just two years after the launch of Google.com, the world witnessed the emergence of Google Ads. Originally referred to as Google AdWords until a 2018 rebrand, Google Ads is a popular advertising platform, categorized as a Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing channel. Essentially, Google Ads require advertisers to pay for every click or impression received on an ad.Popular among many companies and marketers, Google Ads is a super effective way to attract consumers through the ease of the Internet. This platform works by helping to generate website traffic, leading to an increase in lead generation for your business.What's more, Google Ads helps create well-timed ads for your target buyers. Your business page or website can show up on a Google search result when looking for a specific product or service using pre-decided targeted keywords.With the help of Google Ads, you can assess your online presence and make improvements over time to reach out to more people through your campaigns.One of the best components of Google Ads is that the platform considers your budget. So whether you have a restricted or huge budget, you can easily tailor your ads to suit your monthly cap. Google Ads can propel your business out into the world, without breaking the bank. What more could you want from an advertising service?Still not convinced? Here are a few more of our top benefits from Google Ads.

Benefits of Google Ads

Google's reach is massive

As stated earlier, there are few advertising platforms that can compare with the reach that Google has. In comparison to all other search engines, Google holds over 91% of market shares, whilst 84% of Internet users use Google more than three times a day. Since you’re here, reading this article, we’re sure it’s the same for you!If it isn’t clear enough yet, Google is essential in the lives of many, especially in this day and age. There’s a reason you’re told to “Google it” – Google has all the answers, and everyone knows it.

Helping with different ways of targeting

Having your ads targeted to specific audiences allows for your budget to be as maximized as possible, with the most effective results.Lucky for you, Google Ads offers many different methods of targeting that can help your online campaigns reach the heights you desire.

Google gives you all the control over costs

If you’re looking for ultimate freedom when it comes to your ad spend, then look no further than Google Ads. Google Ads allow you to have complete control over your ad budget, with a minimum and maximum spend that you can set yourself.You are free to choose the amount you want to spend per day or per week and can change around your budget depending on what works and what doesn’t.

You can use Google Ads to manage campaigns

The platform helps to monitor or manage your ad campaigns. You can also easily measure the success of an ad by tracking the different behaviours of your customers.For instance, if someone has purchased a product from your business or downloaded your app, you can easily track that.By analysing which ads don't get clicks and which ones do, you can make wise investment decisions and boost your lead generation as a result.Google Ads also provide you with other pieces of helpful data, including:

• Customers shopping habits
• Overall funds spent on a campaign
• Spending trend of your consumer

Simply put, Google Ads can be your best friend when it comes to advertising your business.

Now, it’s time to establish which of the five Google Ads are the best choice for you.

Types of Google Ads

Now that you know the benefits and basics of Google Ads, here are the types of Google Ads or campaigns that you should be aware of.Yes, you read that right - there are eight types of Google Ads.

• Search: Standard text ads
• Display: Image ads which appear on Gmail or on Google Searches
• Video: YouTube video ads, playing before a video
• Shopping: Product listings
• App: App promotion
• Smart: Automated ads
• Local: Attracting a customer to a specific physical location
• Discovery: Running of ads on all Google's feeds

The remainder of this article will explore the five primary types of Google ads. These five key types are useful to understand and wrap your head around before shifting to others.Before we get into the thick of it, here are a few key terms that would be useful to know before learning more:

• Bidding - When working on Google Ads, you need to decide the maximum amount of money you are willing to invest in your ad. There are no restrictions on how much money you prefer to spend, but ads with high bids receive better placements.
• CPC (Cost-per-click) - This is the amount any business or marketer pays for every click on a running ad.
• CPM (Cost-per-mile) - This is the amount paid on every 1000 impressions. Impressions refer to the times an ad is shown to the target audience.
• Ad Campaign - A campaign contains a set of different ads represented by a unanimous budget, settings, and criteria for targeting.
• Keywords - These are phrases or words that define a service or product. Best keywords are those that match your target audience and influence the location and frequency of your ad content.
• Conversion - This term defines an action that your customers take as a response to your campaign. It could be anything from making a purchase to signing up.

The Five Key Types of Google Ads

It’s time for what you’ve been waiting for. The five key types of Google Ads, and how you can leverage them to use for sale.Each ad type can help you maximize your advertising efforts – it all comes down to implementing them in the right way.

Google Search Standard Text Ads, or Google Search Ads

These are ads that appear as texts on the result page after you have searched for a keyword. They usually show up on the top of your search results or at the page's bottom.The Google Search ads work best for those who are ready to buy your product or engage in your service. For these ads to work properly, you should choose keywords that can meet the buyer's intent. As a result, your business can be visible to the people searching for a particular product that you have to offer.The position of your ad campaign depends on many factors. The price of your bid, however, plays a significant role in its visibility. The higher your bid is, the more attractive and visible your ad will be. It goes without saying that visibility plays a large part in both attracting customers or leads, and generating sales.That said, position alone can't provide you with your desired results. Some best practices attached with Google Search ads can increase your conversion rate and result in compelling sales – and a combination of all elements is the ultimate recipe for success.

Create an attractive ad copy

Since text ads rely on words only, with no visuals attached, it can be tough to attract consumers. Therefore, it can’t be said enough that the copy of your ad is essential to help attract leads and boost sales.So, how can you make sure that your ad text is compelling? Instead of focusing on the features and properties of a product, use your text to reflect the benefits of the item. These benefits can appeal to your consumers and immediately grab their attention.Additionally, use your limited ad space wisely. Ignore generic words and phrases and instead focus on using a precise call-to-action that leaves no room for misinterpretation.Most of all, keep your ad succinct and to the point – if you drone on for too long, you risk losing interest of the consumer.

Target the branded terms of your competitors

This might sound unusual, but it is a common practice within Google Ads.There is a high chance that people who are searching for your competitor’s products may be interested in your services and products as well. So, take this as a brilliant opportunity and target the terms that your most popular competitors use too.

Opt for Dynamic Search ads

Do you know that around 15% of total daily searches on Google are entirely brand new? While this is an excellent opportunity to stay on top of your game, at the same time, finding relevant keywords for every new search can be pretty challenging.Management of keywords is crucial when it comes to Google Search ads. So, to use this to your advantage, you can opt for Dynamic Search ads and run them at your convenience.Now, what’s a Dynamic Search ad? Dynamic Search ads pick content from your business website and use it for targeting. These ads save you from having to manage lists of keywords every day.These ads do have a few limitations that are worth mentioning. For one, if you update your website frequently, the Dynamic Search ads fail to work efficiently. Moreover, websites that lack a clear structure may also fail to support such ads.Running a dynamic search ad can also prove fruitless if your website has a lot of unnecessary flashy content. If people can't access your content before signing in, these Google Ads may also fail to serve their purpose.

Create ads with a high response rate

To create a well-curated responsive ad, you should prepare different ad descriptions and headlines before Google picks the ones that match well with your target audience.These ads are designed to improve the performance of the campaign. You can also create a tailor-made ad to achieve your desired response from your customers.

Display Image Ads

Text ads have certain limitations, and they require some effort to grab the attention of target customers. Therefore, unless the content of the ad is not powerful, you may fail to experience your preferred results.The lack of visuals may also create hurdles in obtaining a high response from your target buyers. To overcome this problem, we now have Display Image ads. Designed to increase brand awareness, these ads use images to attract people who might be interested in your products but are still not ready to buy them.Most Display ads appear while browsing websites. However, they are also available on apps, videos, and even Gmail accounts.What's more, Image ads can be static or animated images. You can even use GIFs for your display image ad!These ads allow you to connect with your target audience long before they even think of buying your products. This is how a Display Image ad successfully helps create brand awareness, making sure your customers consider your businesses before committing to one.Google shows your Image ad through Google Display Network. This network contains more than 2 million videos, apps, and websites, so your ad can be displayed to an extremely large audience.The Google Display Network helps you to reach 90% of shoppers and users around the world. This channel gives all the freedom to decide how, when, and where you want to display your ad.Lucky for you, we have a few extra tips as to how you can use display image ads to your advantage.

Choose responsive ads over other formats

These are three kinds of Display ads: Gmail ads, responsive ads, and uploaded ads. All three types help serve varying marketing goals and are effective in their own ways. Responsive display ads, however, tend to have the highest reach, so it’s worth considering assigning these ads the highest budget.One of the best things about responsive ads is that they don't require any manual adjustments. They automatically adjust their size, appearance, and format to fit correctly.You have only to upload your headings, image, logo, and description, and Google will manage the rest on its own.Responsive ads prove quite successful in attaining a rapid response from your desired audience and are super easy to manage on the business end.

Use display ads for remarketing only

The primary aim of a Display ad is to remind your customers about your products and services. These ads don't necessarily serve people who might have already visited your website and now demand some other content to know more about your company.So, instead of using these ads for everyone, exclude people who want to know a new aspect of your business. Segmenting these ads is a clever way to get the most out of your budget, whilst targeting the consumers that matter.

Create attractive ads

Okay, this one is also quite self-explanatory. It’s always good to remind yourself, however, that image ads should contain a clear message. Use your brand colours, logos, and fonts (or get our team to help you out!), and make your business as clear as possible.

YouTube Video Ads

YouTube, being owned by Google, is a pivotal part of Google Ads. You can use video ads to target consumers based on their preferred video content.More than 2.3 billion people use YouTube at least once a month. Therefore, this number also includes a significant proportion of people that you want to target.So how do YouTube video ads work? The ads you create are placed before a YouTube video or after them. Some even gain a spot during a YouTube video.Video ads allow you to benefit from demographic targeting. This means that you can create content for a particular location and then ask Google to show it to the people living in that region only. You can also use a video ad to connect with your target audience based on their gender, interests, and age.If that isn’t enough fun stuff to convince you, all video ads come with a timer, usually with a minimum of five seconds. This duration is enough to deliver your message before the viewer can switch back to their video.Below we have mentioned some best practices related to video ads. Following these is critical to reaching your target market and building brand awareness effectively.

Target a niche audience

If you want to gain your desired results from a video-based ad campaign, opt to target a small audience. Targeting a super specific audience will help ensure that only people who are more likely to directly engage with your ad will see it.Spend time creating content with specific keywords so that only your relevant audience can benefit from it. Ensure to keep your audience's demographics, interests, and gender in mind before creating a video ad for your brand.This approach is an effective way to reach the maximum amount of people possible that will engage with your ad.

Create a direct message

There are high chances that YouTube viewers will only know about you through your video ad. So, to use this to your advantage, create content that delivers your message as clearly as possible.Making video content can be quite tricky, especially if you’re new to it. The best approach, however, is to integrate a call-to-action after the ad ends so that your viewers are aware of what to do next.Try to refrain from using complex vocabulary or inappropriate language to drive your potential customers away – simplicity and clarity is clear!

Keep it short and sweet

Speaking of simplicity, ensure that you keep your content short and straightforward. Long videos are relatively boring, and they often demand high-quality graphics or music to grab the viewer's attention – we don’t want that to happen here.Imagine spending time and resources to put together a long ad that viewers end up just skipping. That’s not fun for anyone!Instead of spending money on these features, work towards delivering your message through a short, succinct video, with a clear CTA and message.

Apply campaign settings for your ad

Running your ad all the time can result in your audience losing interest in its content. This may also be too expensive to sustain as a business.To avoid this, you can set some specific hours or days in which Google will be able to run your ad for your target audience.You can choose these limitations after measuring the response from your audience. For example, if your target buyers are most active during weekends, you can set the timing according to that.To prevent ad fatigue, you can also set the number of times your ad appears during or before a video. This is crucial to avoid boredom or clicking away from your ads.

Shopping Ads Product Listings

Shopping Google Ads are relatively different from the other types as they are entirely based on the products. These ads are displayed only on the product searched on Google.So how do they work? Suppose you searched for a smartphone on Google. In that case, Google will display all the relevant products with their images, prices, titles, and even store names. The information also has some popular reviews on smartphones.In short, these ads help you get all the essential information on a smartphone before you plan to buy it from a physical or online store. The purpose of shopping ads is to help increase traffic to your online store and simultaneously generate sales while creating brand awareness.You can benefit from three different kinds of shopping campaigns:

• A Product Shopping ad uses data you might have shared in your account in Google Merchant Center.
• Alternatively, a Showcase Shopping ad contains different varieties of similar products. These ads allow your buyers to evaluate all the products that you have available and give them an opportunity to know about your portfolio before even visiting your store.
• Lastly, a Local Inventory ad works excellent for people with their own physical store. These ads display the inventory present in your store, and then Google shows the content to people who live nearby.

Regardless of which shopping ad you go for, it is essential to follow certain tips and tricks to help you achieve your desired result.

Use keyword-friendly product details

Google uses your product description and details to match it with a search made by a potential buyer. If that product detail doesn't contain relevant keywords, however, then Google won't be able to recognize your product or display it for a customer.So, make sure that all your product descriptions are well-written. They should be precise, but must contain all relevant keywords to help Google rank your ad properly.

Go through your description (more than once)

Unfortunately, Google doesn't support product descriptions that fail to mention upgraded prices and details. Ensure to also update the availability of your product as well, so Google can easily recognise it.Google spreadsheets are a great way to check all the product information. In the case of more extensive product ranges or information, you can look for specialised software that can double-check your product data automatically.

Don't compromise with images

Many people fail to achieve their desired results because the images they use are either old or poor quality. Don't make that same mistake – be better, you can do it!Make sure that all your product images are the latest. Taking these pictures from a good camera and in front of a background that helps to highlight the product will also help boost your ad.If you lack the necessary equipment, photographic eye, or both, chat to us and see how we can help.

App Promotion Ads

Our final popular Google Ads type is the App ads. These ads are designed to increase the number of installs for your app, which should of course boost revenue.App ads help promote your app and are also helpful with increasing its frequency of installs, and using app promotion ads across all Google platforms are crucial for this.Lucky for you, you don't need to involve yourself in creating an ad for an app campaign. Google designs them automatically!All you need to do is share your budget, bid, text, location, and languages, and Google Ads will handle the rest. Using this information, Google will prepare a multitude of ads that are customized to different networks and audiences.

Wait - let Google produce results for you!

It is normal to feel tempted and increase your ad budget when an ad fails to provide your desired results. We can't blame you, everyone would love quick results. This, however, will leave you disappointed – Google definitely doesn’t rush.Even if your ad has been running for a week, take your time and let Google optimize its bid and placement before you plan to increase its budget or stop it from running.

Upload different assets

If you want to experience positive outcomes from your ad campaign, and contribute your own assets, you can upload an image, a landscape video, and a portrait video for your ad. Google will assess all these uploaded assets and use them to run ads and increase their visibility.

Set your first Google Ads

You did it! You’re a Google Ads whiz now. It’s time to set up your first Google Ad.Luckily, the platform guides you through every step and shares examples along the way, so you know exactly what to do.Once you are on the Google Ads site, click on "Start Now." After this action, Google will take you through different steps to help you run your ad successfully. This process doesn't take more than ten minutes if you have images and ad copy ready to upload.After you have successfully submitted your ad for review, you can take the following steps to make sure you can track your ad performance:

• Link your Google Analytics to your ad to track conversions and traffic.
• Set conversion tracking to know the number of people you have acquired through your ad campaign.
• Integrate your CRM with your Google Ads to evaluate the ad campaigns working for you. This way, you can fund and market them correctly.

So, now what?

You’ve learnt about the types of Google Ads. You’ve had a chat with your team, and you’ve decided which ads are the best for your business. You’ve even set up your first Google Ad.It’s time to track, track, track! Stay on top of your performance and figure out what works, and what doesn’t. Google Ads is flexible enough that you can adjust whatever you need to, to make sure you receive optimum results.If you want that extra boost on your Google Ads, we’re here to help. Get a free proposal with us today to see the Local Digital difference.