Have you seen the real estate market lately? Average home prices have increased by more than 25% in certain areas, more than double 2020 and 2021 rates. Many sellers are offloading their properties for more than 150% of asking prices, while buyers are scrambling to find any deal they can. That might seem like an odd introduction to an article on Google text ads, but the online advertising market is becoming equally as competitive.
With a network of over 4.3 billion users and 1.2 million individual advertisers, Google reaches far more people than any other search engine or media platform. Writing effective and catchy Google text ads that drive conversions requires extensive knowledge of the Google Ads network, as well as a splash of creativity and intuition to help your ads stand out from the rest. In the following article, we outline and walk you through how to create compelling Google text ads.
What Are Google Text Ads?
Google text ads are a text-based type of marketing communication that companies use to drive traffic to their site. These ads are created using a Google platform known as AdWords, in which advertising companies bid to display products, services, and content to Google users. Text ads appear on search pages and across the Google Display Network, although they may look different for mobile users than they do for those searching on desktop. Most text ads contain the following components:
Headline
Headline text is the most prominent part of your ad and has a significant impact on how users respond to your advertisement. Each headline can include no more than 30 characters, so it is important to choose your words carefully.
Display URL
The display URL shows the address of a website and usually appears in green.
Description
The description field of a Google text ad consists of two lines of text in which you can explain to users why they should visit your site. It is often advisable to include a specific call-to-action in this space to motivate users to want to learn more about your product.
How To Create Compelling Google Text Ads
Google text ads are versatile advertisement tools that can be altered depending on targeted audience, budget, and keywords. Setting up a Google text ad campaign may be difficult at first and can require consistent practice, experimentation, and research.
The following steps will help you set up your own basic Google text advertisement campaign. If you find yourself stuck, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
1. Set Your Campaign Type
Before you can create and organize your advertisement campaign, Google will ask you to select a campaign type. Your campaign type may vary depending on your marketing goals, brand strategy, and available time and cash. Each type allows you to run slightly different ad formats, such as shopping ads or Youtube ads. For text ads, you will want to select the “search” type.
2. Campaign Objective
Your campaign objective should align with the primary purpose of your advertisements. Selecting a campaign objective helps Google tailor your advertisements so they target the most appropriate audience.
3. Campaign Settings
After establishing a primary campaign objective, it is now time to get a bit more specific. Campaign settings allow you to select whether you’d like to appear on the search network, display network or both.
The search network consists of search-related websites where your ads and product listings can appear. When you advertise on the search network, your ad can show next to search results, on other Google sites like Maps, Shopping, Google Images, and on the websites of Google search partners.
Selecting the display network option, on the other hand, shows your ads as display options next to search results. Display network also draws on Google’s extensive user database to show your advertisement to the right audience during the time at which they are most likely to buy. This can work to reduce costs and maximize your budget for other ads.
After you choose your preferred network and name your campaign, you are now ready to set up your campaign’s budget.
4. Budget And Bidding
The budget and bidding section allows you to select exactly how much money you are willing to spend on your campaign. Google ads follow a bidding format, in which users place bids on different keywords in an effort to secure ad space. Bids are specific amounts of money placed in Google ad auctions that compete against one another for ranking potential.
These bids then compete against bids from competitors with the winning bid (a combination of user experience and max CPC) receiving the higher ad placement.
The budget and bidding section gives you the additional option to set a target cost per action (CPA). This is an automated bidding strategy that allows you to establish an ideal amount of money you’d like to spend to get someone to click on your ad or purchase your product. Some actions may cost more than your target CPA and others may cost less, but overall, Google will look to get you as many bids at your target CPA as possible.
5. Audience Segments
Audience segments allow you to browse and identify potential audiences based on data that Google has collected. These segments can be as specific or as general as you’d like. For example, if you are a t-shirt shop in Seattle running ads for a Seattle Seahawks inspired t-shirt, you might choose to specify your ads based on interests to target sports fans. If you’re looking to target existing customers, you might select the option that targets customers based on how they’ve interacted with your business.
6. Keywords And Ads
Once you have determined your ideal audience segments, Google Ads will ask you to input a few select keywords for your ad to target. After you have added keywords to your ad group, Google will let you automatically update your ads with these keywords.
You can also automatically update your ads with relevant keywords using a process called keyword insertion. You can do this by adding the keyword insertion code in your ad headline.
When applicable, Google will replace these keywords with other keywords in your group. If it does not find any applicable matches in your group, the ad will simply contain the phrase match.
7. Extensions
Extensions allow you to expand and augment your advertisement by including additional information that might not fit in your original text. When optimally designed, they can improve your ad’s click-through rate and drive conversions. There are two significant types of extensions: call extensions and callout extensions.
Callout Extensions
Callout extensions allow users to promote specific products, services, and sales. Users can also alter these extensions in response to changes in analytics or customer response. When using callout extensions, you can project as many as 10 callouts, in addition to the text of your ad. Callout extensions show up differently on mobile devices than desktop. Mobile extensions often appear in paragraph form, whereas extensions on desktop usually show up separated by lines.
You can add callouts at the account, campaign, and ad group levels. Extensions at the account and campaign level may be more general, whereas ad group extensions are usually only related to specific products. One of their main benefits is their customization element, which allows you to choose where to add them and schedule when you want them to appear.
Call Extensions
Call extensions allow you to add phone numbers to your advertisements, making it easier for customers to reach you via phone. Inputting call extensions is the easiest and safest way to add phone numbers to ads. Placing a phone number directly in text or secretly linking it can result in your ad being disapproved and removed by Google. Call extensions can also work to measure the effectiveness of your ads.
How To Set Up Call Extensions
Before your call ad can be displayed to the public, it must be attached to a specific website or phone number. You can also set business hours for your extension so customers know when they may be more likely to reach you.
How Much Do Call Extensions Cost?
There is no direct cost to adding call extensions, however, you are charged for the clicks these extensions generate. Certain interactions that are connected to these extensions, such as downloads and phone calls, may result in additional charges.
The cost of call extension clicks works in the same way as cost-per-click on text ads. Just as ads with higher positioning usually charge more per click, extensions with more prominence usually cost significantly more. The cost of your extension is calculated in the same way as ads without extensions. In both cases, the minimum cost is the amount necessary to clear the CPC and ad rank thresholds.
It is important to note, however, that adding more extensions to your ad often costs much less than paying to increase your ad’s placement or create a new ad entirely. Some Google Ads users prefer to develop a robust ad and then add call extensions rather than create a series of individual, related ads.
Other Extensions
Call and callout extensions are the two most popular, but other extensions can also allow you to reach additional customers that may be enticed by different information.
8. Create Campaign
At this point you have set your campaign objectives, reviewed and established a budget, chosen keywords, and determined your preferred extensions. Congratulations! Your Google Text Ads campaign is almost ready to be published.
Before publishing your campaign, Google will ask you to complete a few final steps, including deciding on a final URL for your ad, choosing headlines, and previewing your completed advertisement.
Be sure to check that your campaign type, settings, keywords, cost, and extensions all read as you prefer. If all your information looks accurate, click the “Next” button.
Then, hit “Publish Campaign” and your campaign is ready to start generating sales!
Overall
Google text ads are a text-based type of marketing communication that companies use to drive traffic and increase conversions. These ads are created using a Google platform known as AdWords, in which advertising companies bid to display products, services, and content to Google users.
Writing effective Google ads that drive conversions requires extensive knowledge of your product, your consumers’ intent, and the Google ads process. When running a Google ads campaign it is important to set a fixed budget, include a target audience, and have patience. Even the most expertly designed ads can take some time to start converting.
