Let’s get something out of the way quickly…
Yes, Google Ads can help small businesses achieve their growth goals, yielding an ROI that’s worth it. But it’s not necessarily super simple, especially if you’re working with a limited budget and aren’t sure where to start.
At Pronto, we’ve seen many small business owners struggle with the complexity of Google Ads, worrying that they might be wasting money on ineffective campaigns or failing to reach their target audience. It’s definitely a valid concern.
But, when done properly, Google Ads can be a big deal for small businesses. Targeting people who are actively searching for your products or services and presenting them with compelling ads at the right moment? That’s a sure fire way to drive qualified traffic to your website and ultimately increase your revenue.
The Keys to Google Ads Success
The key to success with Google Ads lies in understanding your target audience, setting clear goals, and continuously optimizing your campaigns based on data and performance. It’s not a “set it and forget it” approach, but rather an ongoing process that requires patience, attention to detail, and a willingness to adapt.
Prefer video? I break down Google Ads for local service businesses in 20 minutes
This guide will walk you through our essential steps for creating and managing successful Google Ads campaigns, even on a tight budget. These are the very same steps we use when helping our own Google Ads clients.
By the end of this guide, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to use Google Ads to reach your target audience, generate leads, and grow your business.
So, let’s get to it.
Quick summary
✅ Set clear goals and track conversions to measure success
✅ Set up your campaign with a strong foundation with a negative keywords
list, compelling ads, and strategic scheduling
✅ Conduct keyword research and leverage Google’s AI for optimized bidding
✅ Choose the right campaign type for your business goals
✅ Continuously monitor and optimize your campaigns for long-term success
Setting Clear Goals for Your Google Ads Campaign
Before diving into the tactical aspects of setting up and managing your Google Ads campaigns, it’s crucial to take a step back and define your goals. What exactly do you want to achieve with your advertising efforts? It might seem like a simple question, but taking the time to clearly articulate your objectives will help guide your decision-making and ensure that your campaigns are working towards a specific, measurable outcome.
Define your desired outcomes
When setting goals for your Google Ads campaigns, you must be as specific as possible. Avoid vague objectives like “get more business” or “increase website traffic” like the plague. Instead, really focus on tangible, actionable outcomes that directly impact your bottom line.
For most small businesses, we find that the primary goals of Google Ads campaigns will fall into one of two categories: generating phone calls or driving form submissions.
If your business relies heavily on phone interactions, such as a service-based company that schedules appointments or consultations, then your primary goal might be to get more phone calls from potential customers. In this case, you’ll want to set up your campaigns and ad copy to encourage users to call directly from your ads or website.
On the other hand, if your business typically generates leads through online form submissions, such as a request for a quote or more information, then your main objective will be to drive more form completions. Your ads and landing pages should be optimized to guide users towards filling out and submitting your lead generation forms.
Setting Up Your First Google Ads Campaign: Key Strategies for Success
We have talked to numerous small businesses who are looking to launch Google Ads for their business. By far, the most common question we get is “Where do I start?”
Let’s walk through some crucial steps to set up your campaign for success from day one.
Start with a Solid Foundation: Your Negative Keywords List
Before you even start bidding on keywords, you should first consider what you don’t want to show up for. This is where negative keywords come in handy.
Think of negative keywords as your campaign’s bouncer. They keep the riff raff out — in this case, irrelevant searches that waste your budget.
Here’s how to get started:
- Brainstorm terms related to your business that you don’t want to target. For example, if you’re a high-end jeweler, you might add “cheap” or “discount” to your negative keyword list.
- Use Google’s Keyword Planner to find related terms and add irrelevant ones to your negative list.
- As your campaign runs, regularly check the search terms report. You’ll often find surprising terms that triggered your ad. Add irrelevant ones to your negative list.
So, say you’re a financial advisor specializing in retirement planning. You might add “free,” “DIY,” or “student” to your negative keywords list. This prevents your ads from showing up for searches like “free retirement calculator” or “retirement planning for students.”
Why avoid these search terms? There are two main reasons:
- These searches likely come from people who are either too early in their decision-making process or don’t have the financial means to pay for professional services. For example, someone looking for “free” options or “DIY” solutions might not be ready to invest in a financial advisor’s expertise.
- Allowing your ads to show for these terms would likely be a waste of your advertising budget. Clicks from these searches are less likely to convert into paying clients, meaning you’d be spending money on traffic that probably won’t generate a return on investment.
By excluding these terms, you can focus your budget on searches that are more likely to come from potential clients who are ready and able to use your services.
Craft Compelling Ads: Use All Available Assets
Google Ads gives you several places to shine. Use them all.
- Headlines: You get up to 15 characters for each of your 3 headlines. Use them wisely. Include your main keyword, a benefit, and a call to action.
- Descriptions: You have two 90-character description lines. Use one to elaborate on your offer and another to highlight what makes you unique.
- URL Path: This doesn’t affect your landing page, but it shows in your ad. Use it to reinforce your offer (e.g., /retirement-planning).
For example, a law firm might create these variations:
Ad 1
- Headline 1: Personal Injury Lawyers
- Headline 2: 20+ Years of Experience
- Headline 3: Free Consultation
- Description 1: We’ve won millions for our clients. Let us fight for the compensation you deserve.
- Description 2: No fee unless we win. Call now to speak with an experienced attorney.
Ad 2
- Headline 1: Injured? Get Compensation
- Headline 2: Top-Rated Personal Injury Firm
- Headline 3: Call Now – Free Case Review
- Description 1: Don’t settle for less. Our attorneys have a 98% success rate in personal injury cases.
- Description 2: We handle all types of injury claims. Get the justice and compensation you deserve.
Set Your Ad Schedule: Be There When Your Customers Need You
Think about when your customers are most likely to need you. That’s when your ads should be running, and don’t overthink it.
- If you’re a B2B software company, you might run ads only during business hours.
- A pizza delivery service might focus on evenings and weekends.
- An emergency plumber would want ads running 24/7.
Remember, you can adjust bids for different times and days. So if you notice you get more valuable leads on Tuesday afternoons, you can bid higher during that time.
Start Smart, Then Refine
Setting up your first Google Ads campaign might feel overwhelming. But remember, perfection isn’t the goal here — getting started is. You can always refine your approach as you gather data.
Ok, now let’s dive a little deeper into selecting the right keywords for your campaigns.
Keyword Research and Management
Effective keyword research and management are crucial for the success of your Google Ads campaigns. As a service provider, this is where we really flex our muscle for our clients. Essentially, the idea is to identify the terms your potential clients are using to find services like yours and strategically bid on them. Let’s break this down into manageable steps.
Start with a Focused Set of Keywords
When you’re just starting out, it’s tempting to cast a wide net with your keywords. However, it’s often more effective to begin with a tightly focused set:
- Start with 2-3 ad groups, each containing 5-7 keywords
- Focus on highly relevant, specific keywords that directly relate to your services
For example, if you’re a family law attorney in Seattle, you might have ad groups like:
This focused approach allows you to create highly relevant ads and landing pages, improving your Quality Score and potentially lowering your cost per click.
📌 What is Quality Score?
Quality Score is Google’s rating of the quality and relevance of your keywords, ads, and landing pages. It’s measured on a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the best. A high Quality Score can lead to lower costs and better ad positions. It’s based on:
- Expected clickthrough rate
- Ad relevance
- Landing page experience
Improving these factors can boost your Quality Score, potentially lowering your cost per click and improving your ad rank. It’s a key metric for optimizing your Google Ads performance and getting more value from your budget.
A Quick Note about SEO and Google Ads Keywords…
While there’s often overlap between SEO keywords and Google Ads keywords,
there are important distinctions worth pointing out:
SEO Keywords: These are typically longer, more conversational phrases that
people might type into a search engine. They often include question words
like “how”, “what”, or “why”.
Google Ads Keywords: These tend to be more action-oriented and commercial
in nature. They often include words like “buy”, “services”, or “near me”.
For instance, an SEO keyword might be “how to choose a divorce lawyer”,
while a Google Ads keyword could be “divorce lawyer Seattle”.
The overlap comes in terms like “best divorce lawyer Seattle”, which could
be valuable for both SEO and Google Ads. When you find these overlapping
terms, they can be goldmines for your marketing efforts.
If you are interested in learning more about choosing the right SEO keywords
for your business, I filmed a 16-minute breakdown about it.
Monitor Keyword Performance and Adjust Accordingly
Once your campaign is up and running, it’s not a “set it and forget it” situation like mentioned earlier. This is one of the things we really emphasize to our clients. Regular review and adjustment of your keyword performance is a matter of survival in the Ads arena. This ongoing process helps you optimize your budget and improve your campaign’s effectiveness over time.
Here’s what to look for specifically for your keywords:
Underperforming keywords: After about 2-4 weeks, identify keywords that aren’t generating clicks or conversions. These are candidates for pausing. They’re using up your budget without providing returns.
Winning keywords: Look for keywords driving conversions at a good cost. These are your stars. Consider increasing bids on these or even creating dedicated ad groups to really capitalize on their success.
Let’s walk through a real-world example to illustrate this process.
Imagine you’re running an IT firm in Chicago. After a month of running your campaign, you review your keyword performance and find some interesting patterns:
“Managed IT services Chicago” and “IT support Chicago” are performing well, with good conversion rates and reasonable costs per acquisition.
“Computer repair Chicago” is getting clicks but not leading to quality leads or conversions.
“Cybersecurity Chicago” and “network security services” are knocking it out of the park with high conversion rates.
Based on these findings, here’s how you might adjust your strategy:
- Pause “computer repair Chicago”. It’s not attracting your ideal clients and is using up budget without providing returns.
- Create two new, focused ad groups:
- Managed IT Services: Including keywords like “managed IT services Chicago”, “IT support Chicago”, “IT outsourcing Chicago”
- Cybersecurity Services: With keywords like “cybersecurity Chicago”, “network security services”, “data protection Chicago”
- Increase bids on these high-performing keywords to gain more visibility.
- Create new ads specifically tailored to managed IT services and cybersecurity, highlighting your expertise in these areas.
- Develop specific landing pages for these services, ensuring a tight match between the ad, keyword, and landing page content.
- Add callout extensions highlighting “24/7 Support” and “Free Security Assessment” to make your ads more compelling.
- Use audience targeting to focus on businesses of a certain size or in industries that typically need ongoing IT support and robust cybersecurity.
- Allocate more of your budget to these new, high-performing ad groups.
- Set up automated rules to increase bids by 10% for keywords that maintain a conversion rate above 5% and cost per acquisition below $200.
- Set a recurring task to review performance weekly, ready to make further adjustments as needed.
By making these adjustments, you’ve refined your Google Ads strategy to focus on the services and keywords that are most likely to attract your ideal clients and generate quality leads. This approach allows you to make more efficient use of your advertising budget and improve your overall return on investment.
Leverage Google’s AI for Optimized Bidding
Ok, imagine you’re in a busy auction house, bidding on various items. You have a budget and specific items you want to acquire. Now, picture having an expert assistant who knows the market inside out, can analyze patterns in real-time, and can make split-second bidding decisions on your behalf. That’s essentially what Google’s AI-driven bidding strategies offer for your ad campaigns.
Here’s how it works:
Data Collection: Google’s AI constantly gathers and analyzes vast amounts of data, including user behavior, search patterns, device types, locations, and more.
Pattern Recognition: The AI identifies patterns and trends that humans might miss, such as times of day when your ads perform better or user characteristics that lead to more conversions.
Real-Time Adjustments: Based on these insights, the AI adjusts your bids in real-time, aiming to get you the best results within your set parameters.
For example, let’s say you’re a financial advisor. The AI might notice that your ads perform exceptionally well on weekday evenings when shown to users on mobile devices in high-income neighborhoods. It could then automatically increase your bids for these specific conditions to capture more of these valuable clicks.
Starting Simple
Begin with strategies like Maximize Clicks or Manual CPC. These are good starting points because:
- Maximize Clicks: Helps you get as many clicks as possible within your budget, ideal for building traffic and gathering initial data.
- Manual CPC: Gives you full control over how much you’re willing to pay for each click, allowing for precise budget management.
Graduating to Advanced Strategies
Once you’ve gathered enough data (about 20-30 conversions), you can switch to more sophisticated strategies like Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) or Maximize Conversions. These are beneficial because:
- Target CPA: Automatically sets bids to get as many conversions as possible at your target cost per acquisition, helping to maintain profitability.
- Maximize Conversions: Aims to get the most conversions within your budget, ideal when you want to drive as many leads or sales as possible without a specific cost per acquisition in mind.
These advanced strategies use Google’s AI to optimize your bids based on historical performance data, potentially improving your campaign’s efficiency and results.
Why This Matters
Efficiency: The AI can make thousands of micro-adjustments daily, far more than any human could manage.
Adaptability: It quickly adapts to market changes, seasonal trends, and competitor actions.
Precision: It can optimize for very specific goals, like targeting a certain cost per lead or maximizing conversions within a set budget.
Remember, while AI is powerful, it’s not infallible. It’s crucial to monitor your campaigns, set clear goals, and provide the AI with the right parameters. Think of it as a highly capable assistant rather than a replacement for human strategy and oversight.
By embracing Google’s AI bidding strategies, you’re essentially putting a team of data scientists to work on your campaign 24/7. At Pronto, we are super excited about this tool because it can level the playing field, allowing small businesses to compete more effectively with larger competitors who have bigger budgets.
Recommended Campaign Types for Small Businesses
As a small business owner, you’re likely juggling numerous responsibilities. When it comes to Google Ads, you want something effective yet manageable. Let’s break down two campaign types that could work well for you: Call campaigns and Search campaigns.
Google Ads Call Campaign: The Direct Line to Your Business
What it is:
A call campaign focuses solely on generating phone calls to your business. When someone searches for your services on their mobile device, they can call you directly from the ad with just a tap.
Why it might work for you:
- Simplicity: It’s straightforward to set up and manage. No need for complex landing pages or conversion tracking on your website.
- Immediacy: Perfect if you value direct, voice-to-voice communication with potential clients.
- Local focus: Ideal for businesses serving a specific geographic area.
Real-world example:
Let’s say you’re a plumber in Boston. When someone searches “emergency plumber near me” on their smartphone, your ad could appear with a prominent “Call” button. One tap, and they’re speaking directly to you or your receptionist.
Google Ads Search Campaign: Casting a Wider Net
What it is:
Search campaigns show your text ads to people actively searching for your services on Google.
Why it might work for you:
- Versatility: You can advertise multiple services or products within one campaign.
- Testing ground: Provides more opportunities for A/B testing different ad copy and landing pages.
- Detailed insights: Offers more in-depth data on how people interact with your ads and website.
Real-world example:
As a local tax preparation service, you could run ads for various offerings like “small business tax prep,” “individual tax returns,” and “tax planning services.” Each ad could link to a specific page on your website, allowing you to tailor your message for different needs.
Choosing Between Call and Search Campaigns
The Bottom Line:
- If your business thrives on phone conversations and you want a simple setup, start with a call campaign.
- If you have a robust website and want to capture a variety of potential customers, a search campaign might be your best bet.
Remember, you’re not locked into one type forever. Many businesses start with call campaigns to get immediate results, then graduate to search campaigns as they become more comfortable with Google Ads.
❌ Avoid Using the Display Network for Search Campaigns
While the Display Network can be effective for brand awareness, it’s generally not recommended for search campaigns, especially for small businesses with limited budgets. Search campaigns target users actively looking for your services, which typically leads to higher conversion rates.The Art of Ongoing Optimization: Keeping Your Google Ads Sharp
At Pronto, we like to think of Google Ads accounts like gardens. You can’t just plant the seeds and walk away. It needs regular tending to truly flourish. Continuous optimization allows you to adapt to market changes, stay ahead of competitors, improve your ROI, and even discover new opportunities.
Optimization can be a complicated task, but I want to break it down simply with this checklist. Pocket and use this as you start your Google Ads journey 👇
Tracking Month-Over-Month Improvement
To truly understand if your optimization efforts are paying off, you need to track your progress over time. Here’s how we do it for Ad clients on Pronto.
- Choose Your Key Metrics: Focus on 3-5 key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your business goals. These might include:
- Conversion rate
- Cost per conversion
- Click-through rate
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Create a simple spreadsheet: Each month, record your KPIs. This gives you a clear view of your progress over time.
- Look for Trends: Are your numbers improving month-over-month? If not, dig deeper into what might be causing the stagnation or decline.
- Celebrate Wins and Learn from Losses: When you see improvement, take note of what changes led to that success. If you see a decline, don’t get discouraged. Use it as an opportunity to learn and adjust your strategy.
A Real-World Example: Local Dentist Practice
Let’s say you run a family dental practice in a suburban area. You’ve been running Google Ads for three months, focusing on attracting new patients for routine check-ups and cleanings. Here’s how your tracking might look:
In this hypothetical example, we can see clear improvements across all metrics:
Conversion Rate: The percentage of ad clicks that resulted in a lead (like a form submission or phone call) has steadily increased. This suggests that your ads and landing pages are becoming more effective at persuading potential patients to reach out.
Cost per Lead: The amount you’re paying for each new lead has decreased, indicating that your ad spend is becoming more efficient. This could be due to better keyword targeting, improved quality scores, or more compelling ad copy.
New Patient Appointments: This is the ultimate goal — actual new patients coming into your practice. The steady increase shows that not only are you getting more leads, but those leads are also of higher quality, resulting in more booked appointments.
These improvements could be the result of various optimization efforts:
- Refining your keywords to focus on terms like “family dentist near me” or “gentle dental cleaning”
- Improving your ad copy to highlight unique selling points like “same-day appointments” or “pain-free dentistry”
- Optimizing your landing page to make it easier for potential patients to book an appointment
- Adjusting your bid strategy to show ads more prominently during times when people are likely to search for dental services
By tracking these metrics month-over-month, you can see that your optimization efforts are paying off. Your Google Ads campaign is not only becoming more cost-effective but is also driving real business results in the form of new patient appointments.
The Bottom Line
Ongoing optimization isn’t just about tweaking the numbers. It’s about continuously learning about your customers, your market, and your business. Each adjustment you make is an opportunity to get closer to your ideal customer and grow your business.
Remember, there’s no “set it and forget it” in Google Ads. But with consistent attention and this checklist in hand, you can turn your Google Ads account into a well-oiled machine that consistently drives results for your business.
Conclusion: Your Roadmap to Google Ads Success
We’ve covered a lot of ground in this guide, and by now, you should have a solid foundation for running effective Google Ads campaigns for your small business. Let’s recap the key points that can help you maximize your ROI, even on a limited budget:
Set Clear Goals: Define what success looks like for your business, whether it’s phone calls, form submissions, or specific conversion actions.
Set Up Your Campaign with a Strong Foundation: Create a negative keywords list, craft compelling ads using all available assets, and schedule your ads strategically
Start Small and Focused: Begin with a tight set of highly relevant keywords. It’s better to excel in a narrow field than to spread yourself too thin.
Continuously Monitor and Optimize: Regularly review your campaign performance. Pause underperforming elements and double down on what’s working.
Leverage Google’s AI: Take advantage of Google’s smart bidding strategies once you have enough data. It’s like having a team of data scientists working for you 24/7.
Choose the Right Campaign Type: Whether it’s a call campaign for direct phone inquiries or a search campaign for broader reach, select the type that aligns with your business goals.
Use the Optimization Checklist: Stick to a regular schedule of weekly, monthly, and quarterly optimization tasks to keep your campaigns in top shape.
Track Your Progress: Keep an eye on key metrics over time. Celebrating small wins can keep you motivated, while analyzing setbacks can provide valuable lessons.
Your next step? Take action! Start implementing these strategies today. Begin with setting clear goals and creating a focused keyword list. Then, set up your first campaign, whether it’s a call campaign or a search campaign. Use our optimization checklist to stay on track, and don’t forget to regularly review and adjust your approach based on the data you gather.
Your next step? Take action! Start implementing these strategies today. Begin with setting clear goals and creating a focused keyword list. Then, set up your first campaign, whether it’s a call campaign or a search campaign. Use our optimization checklist to stay on track, and don’t forget to regularly review and adjust your approach based on the data you gather.
And remember, our team is here to help. We’ve helped dozens of small businesses find success in Google Ads. So, whether you need a hand setting up your first campaign or want expert guidance on optimizing your existing ads, we’re just a click away.
