Google Ads 101

Your Google Ads Crash Course

With the high season coming, there’s no time to waste. You want to secure your customer base and make sure they come straight to you when the time is right. You want results, and you want them fast… you want Google Ads.

Google Ads is a paid marketing tool that allows you to position your business in front of people actively searching for what you offer. Whether it’s a quick search for “emergency plumbing” or “last-minute dentist appointment,” your Google ad shows up at the exact moment your customer is ready to act.

When you reach the bottom of the page, you’ll know exactly what Google Ads are, how they work, and you’ll be ready to set up your campaign.

Have you ever noticed the results with a little “Ad” tag at the top of the search results? Those are Google Ads designed to drive clicks, calls, or sales by putting your business exactly where and when your customers are looking.

How Do You Set Up a Campaign?

A campaign is about setting a clear goal and tailoring every element to achieve it. By defining your objective, you can target the right audience, craft compelling ads, and allocate a budget for a focused, measurable, and successful strategy.

What Do You Do Once You’re Live?

It’s important to keep tabs on the results. How many people are clicking on your ad or reaching out to your business? You also need to consider how relevant Google thinks your ad is, and adjust to keep improving.

There’s so much to unlock. From setting up smart campaigns to fine-tuning them for better results, we’ll show you how to get started in Google Ads. Keep reading—you’re closer than ever to turning clicks into real business growth.

What Are Google Ads?

Let’s Get Right Down to It

Time’s ticking, and you need results—fast. Maybe you’ve got a big promotion to push, or inventory that’s not moving as quickly as you’d like. Whatever the reason, getting noticed online is more essential than ever. Unlike other marketing tools, Google Ads is all about the right here, right now.

Google Ads are especially effective for small and medium businesses for three main reasons: they let you target your ideal customer based on location, interests, or keywords; they’re flexible, offering full control over your budget and real-time adjustments; and they’re timely, ensuring your ads appear right when potential customers are searching for your products or services.

How Does It Work?

Google Ads operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, where you set a daily budget and only pay when someone clicks on your ad. For example, if your daily budget is $10, Google ensures your spending doesn’t exceed that limit, and your ad pauses once the budget is reached. This gives you full control over your ad spend.

Targeting is where Google Ads shines. You can define exactly who sees your ad by selecting specific keywords, geographic locations, and even user interests or demographics. When someone searches using a keyword you’ve targeted—like “affordable dog groomer near me”—Google runs an auction to determine which ad appears and in what order. The auction factors in your bid, ad quality, and relevance to ensure your ad shows up at the perfect moment, reaching the right audience just when they’re ready to act.

What Do We Mean by Auction?

Google Ads’ PPC model means you’re charged when someone clicks on your ad. But how do you know how much you have to pay? The price you pay per click is influenced by the keyword you’re targeting. When someone searches for something like “dog groomer near me,” Google runs an instant auction to decide which ads to show and in what order. Your bid—the maximum you’re willing to pay per click—is part of what determines your ad’s placement.

Some keywords are more competitive because lots of businesses want to show up for them. For example, “dog groomer near me” might be highly sought after, which means you might have to bid higher to get your ad shown for that search. Meanwhile, a less competitive keyword like “mobile dog grooming in [your town]” might cost less because fewer businesses are competing for it. This is where Google Ads really shows its flexibility. You can adjust your bids at any time—if a keyword is too expensive, you can lower your bid or focus on less competitive keywords that still reach your audience.

Let’s Recap Real Quick

• Search Happens: Someone searches for something on Google using a keyword like “mobile dog grooming in Montreal”.
• Auction Runs: Google compares ads targeting that specific keyword, and decides which one to show based on bids and ad quality. 
• Ad Appears: The winning ads are shown at the top of the search results.
• Click Happens: You only pay when someone clicks on your ad. That budget was determined based on the competitiveness of your chosen keyword. 
• Results are Delivered: The user is sent to your website or contact page, turning that click into a potential customer.

Now that you have a better idea of what it is, let’s look at how to set up your own Google Ads campaign.

How Do You Set Up a Campaign

It’s Simpler than You Think

Setting up a Google Ads campaign might feel overwhelming at first, but it’s a straightforward process when broken into simple steps. From defining your goals to launching your ad, each stage ensures your campaign is focused, strategic, and ready to deliver results. Let’s walk through the key steps to get your campaign up and running effectively.

Define Your Campaign Goal

Before launching a Google Ads campaign, you need to clarify your objective. Are you looking to drive website traffic, generate leads, increase sales, or boost brand awareness? Google Ads allows you to choose a specific goal that aligns with your business needs. Your goal determines the type of campaign you should run and influences your bidding strategy, ad format, and targeting options.

For example, if you want more website visits, you’ll focus on clicks, whereas an e-commerce store might optimize for conversions. Defining a clear goal ensures your campaign is structured for success and delivers measurable results.

Set Up Your Budget

Your budget controls how much you’re willing to spend per day. You can set a daily budget to ensure you never overspend, and Google will distribute your ad spend accordingly. Regularly reviewing and adjusting your budget based on performance helps maximize your return on investment.

When it comes to bidding, there are different options: cost-per-click (CPC) for driving traffic, cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) for brand awareness, and cost-per-action (CPA) for conversions. Choosing the right bid strategy helps maximize your return on investment (ROI) while keeping costs aligned with your business goals. Monitoring and adjusting over time is key to optimizing performance.

Select Your Target Audience and Keywords

Google Ads allows you to reach the right people by selecting specific targeting criteria. You can define your audience based on demographics, location, interests, and online behaviour. Refining your targeting over time ensures your ads reach the users most likely to convert, improving overall campaign efficiency.

Keywords play a crucial role in determining when your ad appears. Conduct thorough keyword research to find terms your potential customers are searching for and categorize them based on intent (informational, navigational, commercial or transactional). A well-researched targeting strategy ensures your ads reach the most relevant users, increasing engagement and conversions.

Writing Good Ad Copy

Your ad copy is the first thing potential customers see, so it needs to be clear, engaging, and persuasive. A well-written ad includes a compelling headline, relevant keywords, and a strong call to action (CTA). Google Ads allows limited character space, so every word must be impactful. Make sure you think of your customers’ needs and position your business as the solution.

Highlight your unique selling points (USPs), such as free shipping, discounts, or expert service. Use action-oriented language like “Get a Free Quote” or “Shop Now” to encourage clicks. Test out different versions of your ads can help identify which messaging resonates best with your audience, improving overall campaign performance.

You’ve Got the Basics Down

What Do You Do Once You’re Live?

Hitting “publish” on your Google Ads campaign feels great, but the real work starts after you go live. How do you know if your ad is working? What do all those numbers in your dashboard mean? And how can you make sure your ads are as effective as possible? These are the questions every business owner faces, and the answers lie in measuring, tweaking, and optimizing.

When your campaign is live, the numbers start rolling in, and understanding them is key. They tell you if people are seeing your ad, clicking on it, and taking action, like visiting your site or calling your business. Without tracking these metrics, you might as well be throwing money in the air blindly, praying it lands on the right spot. Here are important metrics watch out for:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of people who see your ad and click on it. A higher CTR means your ad is relevant and grabbing attention.
• Cost Per Click (CPC): How much you’re paying for each click. This helps you track your spending and ROI.
• Conversion Rate: The percentage of clicks that lead to actions, like a purchase or a call. It’s a direct measure of your ad’s effectiveness.
• Impressions: The number of times your ad is shown. A higher number means more visibility.
• Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your site without taking action. A high bounce rate can signal that your ad doesn’t meet client expectations.

Quality Score

Google assigns a Quality Score to your ads, ranging from 1 to 10. This score reflects how relevant and useful your ad is to users, based on three main factors: how likely users are to click on your ad (click-through rate), how closely your ad matches user search intent (the reason why they’re searching for services like yours), and the quality as well as relevance of the webpage users land on (landing page).

A good Quality Score (7 or above) means your ad is more likely to appear in better positions for less money. If your score is below that 7, there are always ways to improve it, starting with tests and optimizations.

Testing and Optimization

Testing and optimizing are essential for improving your results over time; it’s especially crucial to boost your Quality Score. Experiment with different versions of your ads: try out new headlines, images, or keywords to see which ones perform best.

Optimizing is all about taking what you learn from those tests and making adjustments to your campaigns. You can tweak your bids, refine your audience targeting, or rework your ad copy to make it more effective.

Once Step Closer to the Results You Want

Once your campaign is live, you get to learn and improve as you go. By tracking metrics, understanding your Quality Score, and constantly testing, you’ll ensure your ads perform better and deliver more value.

Simplifying Your Digital Marketing Journey

Google Ads is one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience and grow your business. It’s a process, but when done right, it can deliver incredible results for your business. The best way to get started right is to work with a team like Ubiweb. We help businesses like yours maximize their online presence and achieve measurable results.

Let’s work together to make your marketing more impactful!