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The new norm in our lives is we are so much accustomed to searching for information on the internet.As users search for information they make use of either a mobile device ( smartphone / tablet ) or computer ( desktop / laptop ) as their internet access device. Coupled with the device is the web browser which can be Google Chrome, Firefox , Opera,Microsoft Edge ( Internet Explorer) just to mention in passing. Ultimately the software that is used to search for the information on the internet is the search engine. 

Popular search engines are Google,Bing,Yahoo, Baidu, Yandex, Ask.com, Duckduck Go and many others as the list is long to completely cover them. As users input their search queries in the search bars , there are search results that are displayed in relation to what a user is searching for. In most of the browsers listed above the first results that appear are paid search ads that are matched closely to the user search terms. 

On average there are thousands of search queries that are being made every second with users actively searching for information. A subset of the search queries that are being made relate to your business offering and most likely your competitors have their search results being displayed as in relation to the search queries.

Most businesses have the notion that since they have a website their customers are going to organically find them. However today there is no business that can mention that they do not have any competition. Being present online means that an organisation’s competition is no longer the business down the road but it’s any similar business that has an online presence based in any geographical location worldwide.

In order to fight off competition a business needs to ensure that they appear on the first page of the search results. Most of the internet users barely go past the first page of the 

SERP ( search engine results page). On most search engines there are dedicated slots on the top of the results pages that are solely reserved for advertisers. 

How Paid Ads Fit In Search Query Results

Businesses can advertise their products and services on search engines as long as their offering is not part of the prohibited content. Getting started on running paid search ads is fairly simple and easy. Firstly there is a need to create an ads account on which you can run your online campaigns. Google Ads and Microsoft ads are the big platforms on which you can create your ads account on. 

As part of the account creation there are some basic settings that will need to be completed such as setting up billing details and admin rights for accounts. Just to note periodically Google has been offering a discount for first time users which they can use to test the effectiveness of their platform. As much as it is fairly simple to get started on paid ads, it’s better to get someone with experience to set up your first campaigns. 

Essential Components Of Search Ads 

Campaign Objectives 

Customers are the lifeblood of any business. The simplest way to describe a customer is a user who pays money in exchange for your product or service. Without customers it’s difficult for most businesses to operate as it will equate to revenue. Most campaigns are set up with mainly two objectives: leads or sales. Leads are prospects that are interested in your offering but are not yet ready to purchase. Sales these are the customers that are ready to purchase your product or service.

Keyword Research 

Keywords are the words that users input in their search engine. This is one of the cornerstone of setting up a paid search ad. Keywords will determine on which search query your ads will be displayed to a user. Therefore choosing the right keywords will enable your ad to be placed in front of the right customer 

Ad Copy 

The general rule of setting up ad copy is to keep it short and simple but at the same time ensuring that you capture the interest of the potential user who will see your ad being displayed to them. Usually the format of a search ad mainly comprises three headlines and two descriptions. Thirty (30) characters is the cap for a single headline and ninety 90 characters is the cap for descriptions. 

Ideally it’s good practice to include some of your keywords as part of the ad copy. Usually it’s good to have your keywords research and ad copy written before you can create and launch your campaign on search platforms.

Targeting 101

Every business has a profile of their customers mainly where they are based (geo location), what they like (audience interest ) and who they are (gender).For every product or service every business has some information as to who would be an ideal customer.Therefore when it comes to targeting it involves making use of the information that is available in order to ensure that ads are shown to the right audience who are most likely to be interested. 

Bidding Strategies 

To compliment the campaign objectives, bidding strategy setup gives details as to which action your business is prepared to pay for as a desired action by the customer. Bidding strategies can take the form of clicks, conversions and impressions. 

Every time an ad is displayed in the results of a search query an impression is recognized or recorded. Click is recorded when a user clicks on an ad and taken to the relevant webpage. Conversion is an important action that is completed by the user that is important to the advertisers. This could relate to users signing up for a newsletter, registering for an account and even purchasing a product or service. 

Impressions and clicks are the two most common bidding strategies available for first time advertisers. In order for conversion campaigns to run there is a need for data to be accumulated before the option is available. 

Getting started on paid search advertising is relatively simple and easy. However it is better to have an expert be available to help you as you are building your campaigns from the onset. This will save you time and you will be able to see meaningful results in a short space of time. We have the expertise and knowledge to boost your business. Get in touch with us today and we can help you with your paid search ads requirements .