Google AdWords (currently Google Ads) is an essential service for advertising strategies on the web. If you use Google AdWords well, you can increase your
rate and improve your company’s business performance even with a small budget.
Therefore, many people would like to use Google Adwords to advertise. However, even though you are thinking about using Google AdWords, you may be worried about not being able to use it because you are not sure what kind of service it is.
In this article, we will explain the basic knowledge of Google AdWords and also explain how to get started with Google AdWords, so please use it as a reference.
What is Adwords (currently Google Ads)?
Google AdWords (currently Google Ads) is a general term for services provided by Google that are used for web advertising, advertising management, and advertising operations. The official name as of November 2022 is Google Ads.
Before the name change in 2018, the official name was Google AdWords, so some people still call it Google AdWords from that time.
It’s a little confusing, but Google AdWords and Google Ads mean almost the same service, so it’s a good idea to memorize both names. You can use Google Adwords by creating an account.
By setting the posting location and posting timing on the management screen, you can post ads on Google search results, websites affiliated with Google, and YouTube.
Main advertising destinations for Adwords (currently Google Ads)
There are three main places where Google AdWords (currently Google Ads) is posted:
I will explain each in turn.
Search results
Search results are the results that are displayed in response to the search keywords entered in the Google search engine.
Advertisements displayed in search results are also called listing advertisements.
For example, if you type “AdWords” into Google Search, you’ll see “ads” listed at the top of the search results. This “advertisement” is a Google AdWords ad.
Advertisements displayed in search results are linked to the search keywords set on the Google AdWords management screen.
If you are able to select keywords that match the needs of your users, you will be able to efficiently place ads targeting users with a high purchase intent.
Website
Websites are advertising spaces on websites and mobile applications that are mainly affiliated with Google, and the ads displayed here are also called display ads. Postings can occur in a variety of places, including major media websites, personal blogs, and various mobile applications.
By placing advertisements on sites viewed by users who are likely to be interested in your product, you can effectively appeal to users. Conversely, by widening the coverage area, you can appeal to people who are not yet familiar with your product or service, so it can also be used to advertise with the aim of acquiring new customers.
Video (YouTube)
Google Adwords also allows you to post ads on YouTube. Ads that can be posted on YouTube include “in-stream video ads” and “in-feed video ads.”
In-stream video ads are video ads that play before, during, or after a video. It can be used for a variety of purposes, including promoting sales, acquiring potential customers, and increasing brand awareness.
In-feed video ads are video ads that can be placed next to related videos on YouTube, in YouTube search results, on the home page of YouTube mobile, etc.
Although a user’s click operation is required for the ad to play, the ad fee is charged only when the user clicks and views the video, so video ads can be posted on YouTube at a relatively low cost.
What is the difference between Adwords (currently Google Ads) and Google AdSense?
Google AdWords (currently Google Ads) and Google AdSense (Google AdSense) are different services. With Google AdWords (currently Google Ads), advertisers are the main users of the service. It is used to promote your products and services to acquire customers and sell products.
On the other hand, with Google AdSense, the main users of the service are website operators who want to earn advertising revenue.
We provide advertising space on our own content (blogs, YouTube, etc.) and use it to display ads posted on Google AdWords and earn advertising revenue.
Because of the differences mentioned above, remember that Google AdWords is a service used by advertisers, and Google AdSense is a service used by people who want to earn advertising income.
Benefits of Adwords (currently Google Ads)
Google AdWords (currently Google Ads) has three advantages.
I will explain them one by one.
You can keep publishing costs low
Google AdWords advertising costs are basically pay per click (PPC).
Pay-per-click is a billing style in which a fee is charged for each click on an ad posted.
There is no cost to place an ad at the time of publication, and only after a user clicks does it incur a cost.
Since it requires a user action called a click, it is possible to avoid clicking on ads from users who are not interested in the product or service, which can reduce unnecessary costs.
Since you can specify the posting area and time of day, it is also possible to place advertisements that are targeted to housewives in a specific area.
You can start advertising with a minimum cost of 1,000 yen, so you can start advertising with a small amount and then increase advertising costs after seeing the results.
As mentioned above, you can start with a small amount of money, and you can effectively advertise by avoiding users who have little interest in your product or service, so you can keep your advertising costs low.
It takes effect quickly
Google AdWords ads can be placed in highly appealing places such as Google search results, websites, and YouTube, so the time it takes to see results is relatively short. .
For example, when advertising on Google search results, you can set search keywords and display your ads to users who search for those keywords.
Search keywords are generally considered to be the same as the user’s needs.
If you can accurately approach users who are interested in the advertised product or service, you can target users with a high conversion rate at that point, making your advertising more effective.
Additionally, if you use a website or YouTube, you can promote your product or service by posting it on related sites, or you can appeal to a wide range of users who are not yet familiar with your product or service.
Since you can effectively place advertisements in a wide range, it is easy to lead to advertising effectiveness.
Run PDCA in real time
You can start advertising with Google AdWords in as little as 15 minutes, and you can stop or restart distribution, or change conditions at any time.
In addition, since it is possible to analyze posted advertisements in real time, you can quickly run the PDCA cycle while checking information such as click rate and contract rate of advertisements to increase advertising effectiveness.
PDCA is a business improvement method that repeats the cycle of Plan → Do → Check → Action (plan → execution → evaluation → improvement).
Possible PDCA methods include setting conditions for ad distribution, performing an analysis after actually posting the ad, improving the conditions and ad content based on the analysis results, and changing the conditions for ad distribution and posting again. Masu.
Since you can quickly repeat the above process, you can perform the optimal advertising at each time and maximize advertising effectiveness.
Disadvantages of AdWords (currently Google Ads)
Google Adwords (now Google Ads) has two disadvantages.
I will explain each.
Depending on the keyword, the budget may be high.
The advertisements and rankings displayed in the search results are determined by an auction-like mechanism, and the advertising costs incurred when clicking on the displayed advertisement change depending on the results.
The advertising cost per click is determined by bidding processing for each search based on the bid price set for the keyword for advertising.
Therefore, if you want to advertise on popular keywords, you will need to make it easier to win bids in the auction, which will likely result in higher bids.
Depending on the keyword, one click can cost anywhere from a few hundred yen to several thousand yen, so if you choose an inappropriate keyword, your budget may end up being higher than expected.
Google AdWords also has tools such as bid price simulation, so it is important to consider setting bid prices and selecting appropriate keywords according to your budget.
If the quality of the LP is poor, the number of impressions will decrease.
Google AdWords sets a quality score for LPs (landing pages).
Quality score is a numerical value that evaluates the experience users have when viewing an ad, such as the relevance to the search keyword and the usability of the ad page, based on Google’s standards.
The likelihood of winning the bidding auction for ads displayed in search results also changes depending on the ad rank, which is determined using quality score as one factor.
Therefore, if Google determines that your LP is of poor quality, your ad rank will drop, and as a result, the number of ad impressions will decrease. Google will not display ads that do not meet certain quality standards, so in the worst case scenario, your ads may not be shown at all.
Although the quality score itself is only a guideline, there is no doubt that if the quality of the LP is poor, the number of ad impressions will decrease. For this reason, it is important to create a solid, high-quality LP.
How to start using AdWords (currently Google Ads)
Here’s how to get started with Google AdWords (currently Google Ads).
I will explain each in turn.
Create a Google Ads account
To get started with Google AdWords, you first need to create a Google Ads account. The following information is required when creating a Google Ads account, so preparing it in advance will help the setup process go smoothly.
Once you have the necessary information ready, go to the Google AdWords (now Google Ads) web page and follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the various settings.
Decide on publication content
Advertisements to be published must be created with appropriate advertising content according to the product, service, and place of publication.
Be sure to clearly define the method and policy for advertising, such as a website if you are advertising your store, a LP if you are selling products, or a video to introduce your products, and then decide on the content and create the advertisement.
Specify the transition destination (LP/website)
Google Adwords ads are managed in units called campaigns. Once you have completed the ad you want to run, create a campaign and configure the ad settings.
Set the distribution conditions such as the purpose of advertising, the type of advertisement, and the range of advertisements to be displayed, and then set the destination of the advertisement to be displayed.
Decide on a budget and start operating
Once you have set the content, it is time to set the budget. Start operation by considering the cost-effectiveness of advertising, such as determining bid prices and average daily budget by calculating backwards from the target sales.
Turn the advertising PDCA cycle
Just because you’ve started advertising doesn’t mean you’re done. After advertising, it is very important to go through the PDCA cycle to further increase advertising effectiveness. Check the click rate and closing rate data, find any problems, take action, and aim to maximize the effectiveness of your advertising.
summary
In this article, we have explained the basic knowledge of Google Adwords (currently Google Ads) and how to start using Google Adwords. Google Adwords allows you to easily place advertisements on search results, websites, videos (YouTube), etc.
Advertising effects occur quickly, and if you can effectively reduce advertising costs, you can increase conversion rates and improve business performance even with a small budget. Please use this article as an opportunity to use Google AdWords as a form of marketing.