Best practices for using Google Ads to promote your organization

Use keywords, a well-optimized website, and a strong call-to-action to drive traffic from Google search results to your website

Building an ad campaign on Google is a great way to increase visibility for your business, and drive traffic to your website or promote a limited-time offer. To get the most from your campaign, it's important that your ad is optimized to achieve the greatest impact in Google search results:

• Ad Headlines - Your ad headline is the first thing people notice when reviewing search results. The headline appears larger than the rest of the ad, can be up to 30 characters long, and is a clickable link. You have three headline options for your ad that can be any combination of your organization’s name, a call-to-action, an address, an organizational motto, or a phrase that includes some keywords about your organization. Be sure to preview your ad to make sure that there isn’t a combination that leaves out your organization’s identifying details!
• Ad Description - Your ad description provides consumers more detailed information about your organization. You have up to 90 characters, with the option to use up to two separate descriptions, to explain what you have to offer. For best results, keep your message simple and clearly explain the benefit of choosing your organization over another. If you have a very narrow audience in mind, your messaging can be very specific. If you are casting a broader net, keep your messaging more general.
• Call-to-Action - You pay for each click your ad receives, and you need to make it count! To the likelihood that someone clicks on your ad and then also completes your intended action, it's best to keep your call-to-action related to your keywords and reflective of your headline and description.
• Website -  If too many consumers leave your site without taking additional actions, Google is likely to think it has a poor user experience, and you'll end up paying more for the clicks you get because Google will show your ad less. Here are a few simple tips that can make the difference between a sale and someone leaving your site without converting:

• Your landing page should have relevant content that reflects the messaging from your ad to reinforce that the consumer has been taken to the correct site.
• Your site should be easy to navigate and easy to understand. Don’t make new visitors guess where to find information about your products, services, prices, and policies.
• Your website should be secure, especially if it includes a point-of-sale. Consumers want to know that if they purchase from you or donate to you, they're protected.
• Watch your website's load time. If your site takes too long to load content, you are more likely to lose a potential sale.

• Keywords - Increasing the number of keywords you choose, increases your chances of being seen in Google's search results. Google uses a complicated keyword bidding system for every single search that's performed, which determines whether your ad is displayed and in which order it is displayed in. While that may sound daunting, we’ve streamlined that bidding process behind-the-scenes, ensuring that you're always getting the right bids, at the right times, for the keywords that drive the most traffic to your website.
   

  Example of a Google Ad at the top of Google search results

To better target your ideal customer segments, you can create multiple ads that are focused on smaller audiences. This allows you to use messaging and keywords that are more meaningful and more likely to convert. For example, a yoga studio could run one generic ad promoting yoga classes, or they can break their ads into three more targeted groups and promote three types of yoga classes: Bikram yoga as their newest offering, prenatal yoga for expectant mothers, and chair yoga for seniors with mobility issues. It's all yoga, but the audience and keywords are very different!

Be a better marketer: Outsmart your competition with our Google Ads primer for small businesses!

For more information on creating your ad and targeting an audience, please see Google's best practices for ads.

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