Looking for ways to generate online brand awareness?
Want to increase your conversion rates?
Do you want to score more leads and sales?
Paid search ads might be just what your business needs. They are one of the most effective methods of online advertising available in today’s competitive and crowded market.
At Soak Creative, we are experts in online advertising in Brisbane. Here, we’ll cover everything you need to know about paid search ads. After reading this guide, you’ll know how to use them to do everything from improving your online brand visibility to generating more sales.
What Are Paid Search Ads?
You might have heard of paid search ads from your online advertising research. But what exactly are they?
Paid search ads are a popular form of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. They are the ads that appear at the top of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) whenever a consumer types in a phrase for a product or service.
Platforms such as Bing, Yahoo, and Google utilise this marketing method. They provide these digital ads on SERPs through an auction-based PPC model.
However, simply paying for search ads does not guarantee that your ads will appear at the top of SERPs. How often they appear, their rankings, and how much you spend per click – all this depends on your bid and quality score.
When setting up a campaign, you bid for placement on SERPs. This means that you determine the maximum amount you want to spend per click. You also determine the maximum amount you want to spend on the entire campaign. This is referred to as your budget.
Then, you create your ads and connect them to landing pages. The respective search engine determines rankings by calculating the quality score of each.
For better or for worse, your initial quality score is subject to change. The score depends on the following factors:
- Relevance of keywords. Do your targeted keywords match the content of your ads?
- Relevance of landing page. Is the information on your landing page what users were expecting when they clicked?
- Performance. As your ads run, search engines will see how they perform. Are users who are searching for your targeted keywords clicking on your ads? Are these clicks turning into conversions?
To effectively strategise your paid search ads, you have to know how to fine-tune their key elements.
What Are the Key Elements of Paid Search Ads?
If you have never worked with paid search ads, they can seem like a foreign concept. Here are some of their key elements:
Location: Where Do They Appear?
They can appear on search engines such as Yahoo, Bing, and Google. Usually, they will appear above or below organic search results.
When you create your campaign, you can determine the target audience you want seeing your campaign. A local Brisbane company, for instance, should use paid search in Brisbane. By using online advertising targeted at locals, you will put yourself in front of a relevant audience.
Three Main Components
There are three main components of a paid search ad. These elements are what convince users to click.
Headline
Headlines are crucial in any online advertising. Often the first thing users notice, headlines should draw attention. Their text is larger than other components, making them stand out.
On the three main search engines, you can designate two headlines per ad. Each headline has a max limit of 30 characters. Yahoo allows you to designate just one headline. If you go this route, the headline must be 50 characters or less.
Good practices for creating engaging and optimised headlines include using main keywords and naturally incorporating calls to action.
Display URL
The display URL is essentially your website address. It consists of your final URL domain. To provide additional clarity, it can also include subdomains and path fields.
Across all search engines, display URLs have a character limit of 35. They are listed in green right underneath the headline. On Bing, the display URL is in boldface.
Descriptive Text
A good headline compels users to read the descriptive text. This ultimately influences whether or not they click.
Descriptive text should highlight the key features of your product or service. It tells users what sets your company apart. The idea is to convince them to click through.
With Google and Bing, you can have up to 80 characters. Yahoo permits up to 150 characters. Use this space wisely. In addition to highlights and what sets you apart, include clear calls to action.
Ad Extensions
These extensions allow your ad to take up more space on the SERPs. They are a crucial feature in your campaign as space is very limited.
They do not just make your company more visible. According to Google, they also improve your click-through rate.
Extensions enable you to provide more information to users. Some examples include:
- Maps giving a business location
- Call extensions (on mobile, you can include a “click-to-call” function)
- Reviews showing how consumers rate a business
- Sitelink extensions that direct users to a specific page on your website
When you perfect the art of creating engaging paid search ads that not only boost your site visibility but also lead to conversions, you’ll see a lot more benefits than a well-crafted advertisement.
What Are the Benefits of Paid Search Ads?
Paid search ads can be beneficial for several reasons. Consider the following:
Bypasses the Need for Traditional SEO
We are not saying that traditional SEO (search engine optimisation) is not important. Your website should still implement good SEO practices whenever possible.
However, it can take time for traditional SEO methods to increase traffic to your website. Paid search ads speed up the process.
That being said, your website still needs to be optimised. The landing pages connected to your paid search ads, for instance, have to contain relevant keywords. This will ensure that you are getting the most out of paid search in Brisbane.
Puts You in Front of Potential Consumers
Gone are the days of outbound marketing. Traditionally, marketers focused on sending out messages to the general public. This is not the most effective route any more given that with outbound marketing, your audience is not clearly defined. People who do not necessarily want to hear the message may be the only ones who come across it.
Some companies still use outbound methods. But in truth, inbound marketing is the way to go. Companies seek to attract people to them instead of actively seeking out new audiences.
With paid search ads, you can target customers who are already looking for a company like yours.
For instance, let’s say you are a local bicycle shop. Through paid search in Brisbane, you can put your company in front of locals who are looking for bicycles. When creating your campaign, you use keywords like “bikes in Brisbane” or “bicycles in Brisbane.” That way, a relevant audience who is more likely to purchase your products will come across your company.
Tracks and Improves Performance
When you invest in marketing, you want to see a return. With paid search ads, you can track your progress. Free analytics show details such as:
- Who is clicking on your ads
- What devices they are using
- What keywords they are using
You can use this information to tweak your campaigns so that they perform even better.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”30px”][vc_column_text]
Improve Your Online Brand Awareness with Paid Search Ads
As effective as they are, paid search ads also can be a pain. You don’t want to just throw money into them and hope for the best. They require research and constant maintenance.
Looking for experts in online advertising in Brisbane? At Soak Creative, we can help you maximise your budget. We make sure your selected keywords are reaching your customers when it matters. We optimise landing pages to improve conversions and make adjustments as necessary.
Contact us today to learn how we can improve your online brand awareness![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
