What is Google Ads?

Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords and Google AdWords Express) is an online advertising solution that businesses use to promote their products and services on Google Search, YouTube, and other sites across the web. Google Ads also allows advertisers to choose specific goals for their ads, like driving phone calls or website visits.

How does Google Ads work?

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Google Ads works by displaying your ad when people search online for the products and services you offer. By leveraging smart technology, Google Ads helps get your ads in front of potential customers at just the moment they’re ready to take action.

  1. Start by selecting your goal, like getting more visitors to your website or more phone calls to your business.
  2. Next, select the geographic area where your ad should be shown. It can be a small radius around your business or much broader, like cities, states, or entire countries.
  3. Finally, craft your ad and set your monthly budget cap.

Once your ad is approved, it can appear whenever users in your target area search for a product or service like yours.

Can I expect my campaign to be successful overnight?

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Probably not — it takes time to see which ads work best. To help, Google's Smart campaigns use technology to monitor and improve your ads automatically as you go. With Smart campaigns, businesses usually hit their stride in the first month, so we recommend you budget at least that amount of time for the best results. Your exact ramp-up time may be shorter or longer than that depending on various factors, like your ad copy and the amount of competition in your local area.

What other campaign types are available in Google Ads?

The three most common Google Ads campaign types are:

  • Search campaigns - usually in text form, these ads can show on Google Search results pages when someone searches for a product or service that’s similar to yours
  • Display campaigns - usually in image form, these ads appear on websites or apps that your customers visit
  • Video campaigns - usually 6 or 15-second videos, these ads show right before or during YouTube content

What is CPC (Cost Per Click) or PPC (Pay Per Click) Advertising?

CPC (Cost Per Click) or PPC (Pay Per Click) means you only pay for an ad if someone clicks on it.

Other advertising models include:

  • Cost Per Impression, where you pay based on how many times your ad was shown (not clicked)
  • Cost Per Engagement, where you pay when a user completes a predefined engagement (like watching your video ad)