Google Ads, previously known as Google AdWords, is an online advertising/marketing platform developed by Google, where businesses can display and deliver promotional marketing adverts, product listings, among others to potential consumers. Google ads are a vital and direct mode of creating awareness to consumers about your brand since, when people visit Google, they search for things by typing keywords that may match with those of your products. However, in the Pay Per Click (PPC) world, many clicks are fraudulent as most users often do not intend to purchase the products.
Google Ads have become a channel for small businesses to utilise Smart campaign which brings in instant results. For any channel that small business owners can use to advertise their products, there is a need to weigh the good and the bad in order to create informed decisions. Below are the pros and cons of Google Ads:
Google Ads: Pros
Focusing on Definite Consumers
When conducting online marketing, it is important for small businesses to communicate directly to consumers. Google Ads enable business owners to use match keywords that are specific to your site to make sure that the exact consumer is able to access your products. Also, having information about the practices and mannerisms of potential consumer base will help a business owner to use specific phrases that reach out to these consumers.
Quick Set Up
For small business owners, time is an important resource. When creating an advertisement post, it should take less time with a quick set up. Creating a Google Ad involves a very short process with easy-to-follow steps; this gives business owners time to concentrate on creating a worthwhile advertisement campaign. Aden Andrus explains that starting an AdWords account is very simple as all you do is visit the site, click on “Start now”, give a verifiable email account, preferably that of Google’s email account (Gmail), and the URL for the new website.
The ads are also approved instantaneously, which means you start to reap potential revenue right then.
Manageable Budget
For most small business owners, there are many costs to be met every day including daily maintenance costs and impromptu fees. This means that additional marketing costs are uncalled for as the budget is tight. Financial overload has been alleviated by the use of AdWords as it’s quite easy for small business owners to set up small, tightly optimised campaigns and reap maximum benefits. Advertisement objectives aids in mapping out where the funds are to be allocated, ensuring flexibility in your business.
Creating Various Ad Types
Small business owners are always targeting people of different profiles and characteristics such as the young and the old depending on the products they deal in. This makes it necessary for business owners to engage each potential customer in a manner they can relate to. Courtney Danyel, a writer specialising in business and digital marketing, explains that with AdWords, businesses have the option to select any of the many ad types available. Businesses should select only the types that add value to the brand and intended consumers. AdWords has a selection of multiple ad formatting choices such as search, video, apps, display etc.
Other advantages of using Google ads include:
• Results are mostly instant and faster than SEO.
• Increased brand awareness.
• You have an opportunity to outrank competitor ads.
• Offers remarketing of deals to the audience.
Google AdWords: Cons
Although Google AdWords have their many advantages, they also have their fair share of disadvantages. They include:
Expertised Administration
Although setting up an AdWords advert is simple and takes less time, knowledge of the basic steps is not enough to produce a competitive ad. This will necessitate the use of experts and professionals. This results in added marketing expenses for people who own small-size businesses, as they need to hire an expert for consultations with their advertisement team.
Highly Competitive Segments
Today in the world, the market is highly competitive. All companies, large-scale and small-scale, compete for the same market share of consumers. This competition eventually gets to AdWords when businesses select the same segments. Using the same keywords for your site as other business owners means that you will have to pay for Google to place your advertisement to that particular audience. Small business owners are torn between paying for these segments and using secondary keywords which cost less but may not be in line with their advertisement goals.
Stringent Policies
Every advertisement channel has its own rules and regulations that users are obligated to adhere to. These policies and conditions, however much a user does not agree to them, are a necessity as they protect the ad platforms. Google Ads are no exception as they have their own policies concerning the content that can and should be advertised on their platform. Illegal goods, harmful products or content that may offend people are not to be uploaded to the platform. Business owners who violate these rules are likely to face charges or other courses of action against them. AdWords will only approve significant and appropriate content for your campaign.
Other unlisted cons include:
• People tend to trust natural results and references over ads.
• It is not a replacement for the traditional inbound marketing techniques.
Among the challenges that small business owners face, advertisement is a major issue. With the introduction of Google Ads, 18 years ago, small business owners were given a chance to advertise their products and brands on a relatively cheaper platform, unlike the more expensive billboards. Google Ads may be one of the best options for small business owners to market their products to potential consumers and remarket to existing customer base. However, before engaging on any advertisement platform they should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the platform in order to make better-informed decisions. The above pros and cons on Google Ads are some of the bases that they can use to make the right choice to include AdWords as a means to reach the target audience.
