Google Ads SEM: Step By Step Guide

SEM, which stands for paid search engine marketing, can be carried out via a variety of platforms, but Google Ads is the one that sees the most widespread adoption.

Using search engine marketing (SEM) on Google is a fantastic strategy for brands to enhance the amount of qualified traffic that visits their websites and boost conversions.

Here is a step-by-step guide on creating a search engine marketing campaign on Google and optimising it so that you receive better results.

 

Google’s Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Search Engine Marketing Campaign

Let’s begin the process of developing a Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaign on Google by focusing on the broadest possible aspect of the endeavour. In this manner, you will be able to acquire a more in-depth grasp of the various components that make up advertising on Google Ads.

 

Establish a Marketing Campaign.

The very first thing you must do in order to run your own search engine marketing campaign on Google is to sign up for an account at https://ads.google.com.  You’ll then be able to move forward with developing your campaign.

Because Google Ads will serve as the foundation for the advertising campaigns you intend to launch, the ads themselves need to have a goal that corresponds to what it is you hope to accomplish.

For instance, you will require a search campaign in order to attract clients who are looking for items or services that are comparable to those that you offer. A call campaign, on the other hand, is the method that is most suitable for encouraging individuals to get in touch with your business directly.

 

At the level of the campaign, we will also make decisions regarding the following:

• The location: where exactly are the users that you want to connect with?
• Language: could you tell me what language (or languages) they speak?
• You have the option of either manually or automatically placing bids when it comes to your bid strategy.
• Budget: Campaign daily budget

 

Develop your Advertising Groups.

Ad groups are the next step down from campaigns, and their primary function is to organise the campaigns’ internal workings. Consider each of the categories to be a unique “subject” for the advertisements.

While it’s important to organise your ads in a way that makes sense for your products, you don’t want your campaign to become unwieldy by adding too many ad groups. In general, the optimal number of ad groups for a campaign is anywhere between seven and ten.

 

Pick Out Some Keywords.

Keywords are the terms that users entered into the search engine, and those terms are what determine whether or not an advertisement is displayed. In general, it is recommended to add approximately twenty terms for each ad group.

When doing so, one should always be on the lookout for terms that offer greater potential for profit and conversion. When searching, it is critical to take into account the intentions of the user. Do they have a particular item in mind to purchase, or are they more interested in gathering information?

When selecting keywords for use in search engine marketing on Google, there is a second factor that must be taken into consideration, and that is the degree of agreement. In what percentage of cases do you successfully match the user’s search with the precise phrases of the keyword?

 

You can choose between the following available options:

• Broad match: encompasses not only related terms but also synonyms.
• Modified broad: match requires you to use the same words that are present in the keyword, but the sequence in which they are used can be different.
• Phrase matching: requires using the exact same wording, in the exact same order, while acknowledging the presence of additional words before and after the target phrase.
• Exact match: This type of search requires the user to enter a term into the search engine, and the user’s keyword should be an exact match for that term.

Draft the Text for the Advertisements.

Last but not least, you will need to present the many iterations of advertisements that will be displayed in the search engine in response to consumers’ queries that include the keywords in your list. There should be no more than two or three advertisements for each group.

Some ad extensions can be customised to provide more information to the user beyond what is provided in the ad’s description and title.

There are many other kinds, and each one may be tailored to meet a diverse range of purposes and requirements, but the following four are typically the most helpful for businesses.

• Extensions of links, or link links, are links that lead to other pages on your websites. Text extensions are supplementary texts that provide a more in-depth explanation of the offer.
• Call extensions are a means by which prospective clients can get in touch with the organisation directly.
• If you want to drive more foot traffic in a real store, location extensions are the perfect solution.

 

Tips: Optimising Your Search Engine Marketing Campaign on Google

 

Conduct Extensive Research on Your Selected Keywords

Your search engine marketing (SEM) campaign on Google is built “brick by brick” using keywords. If you emerge when people search for the suitable terms, your chances of being successful will increase; however, if you use terms that are very competitive or too generic, it will be much more challenging to generate conversions.

Before beginning the first campaign, devote as much time as is necessary to conducting keyword research. This is the most important step in ensuring success. The information that you generate will, in addition to that, be quite beneficial when it comes to better guiding your SEO.

 

Carry out A/B testing.

Google Ads provides a number of components that can be optimised, such as the title of the advertisement or the URL that is shown to the user. The only method to determine which variation will produce the finest results is to put both of them through a series of controlled tests, such as A/B splits, and see which one performs better.

In a perfect world, this kind of testing would take place all the time within the account, in order to publish advertisements that are steadily getting better.

 

Conduct an Analysis of the Outcomes

To continue to optimise the results of an account, periodic inspections are the only method to determine what aspects of the account are producing favourable results and what aspects are not.

The analysis of ads is possible through inner analytics as well as through third-party integrations like exporting Google Ads to Excel for more careful and detailed assesments

As a result, we should never make the mistake of assuming that “your work is done” after starting a campaign because this is a common misconception.

 

Put your faith in the obvious.

It is best to limit the number of campaigns, ad groups, and keywords that you use when beginning search engine marketing with Google, especially for smaller and medium-sized organisations. There is always time to expand later on, even if the money and the expectations have already grown.

 

Take a Strategic Approach to Manage Your Budget

Automated calculations of a large number of criteria are performed by Google’s Search Engine Marketing service in order to provide advertisers with the best possible results while adhering to their spending limits.

Because of this, if we continue to make changes to it, the system will never be able to fully optimise itself, and in the long run, we will achieve worse outcomes. The most prudent course of action would be to divide the monthly budget by 30.4 and then allot that amount of money to each individual day.

 

Consider The Importance Of Quality

It is essential to identify, among the plethora of metrics provided by SEM in Google, those that have the potential to meaningfully impact the overall performance of the account in order to maximise its potential. And without a shadow of a doubt, the highest priority should be placed on the overall level of quality.

The level of quality is a score that is assigned by Google Ads depending on the quality that is thought to be possessed by the advertisements.

In turn, it is determined by computing it using characteristics such as the projected click rate, the relevance, and the content of the landing page. When there is a higher degree of quality, the advertising will rank higher, and the cost per click will be reduced.

 

Maintain Vigilance Regarding Profitability

In the end, the return on investment (ROI) is always going to be the metric that matters the most. Because we want to use Google Ads to generate conversions in a manner that is lucrative for us, we must always maintain tight control over how much money we are investing on campaigns and what kind of value those ads are producing for us in the form of conversions.

 

Advantages of SEM

The primary advantages of search engine marketing are that it boosts the online visibility of your brand, increases the volume of visitors to your website, and improves your position on the results pages of search engines.

Additionally, search engine optimization (SEO) is an excellent method for drawing in new clients and increasing your revenue, all while maintaining a low acquisition cost.

Google Search Engine Marketing (SEM) has a significant amount of untapped potential to assist businesses in achieving their objectives in a brisk and scalable manner.

On the other hand, if you want to get the most out of search engine marketing (SEM), it’s best to work with professionals who have vast expertise promoting companies using Google Ads.