Oh what a question… where do I begin? If you’ve gone through digital marketing forum, you might have read many posts talking about how expensive Google Ads have become.
Let me tell you something…. I have literally tried all types of paid ads since I became an entrepreneur in 2003. Yes I am that old.
I have tried giving out magnets and pens, I have wrapped my car several times, and I have paid for subscriptions to websites so I can advertise there.
I also tried all the typical paid ads options: FaceBook ads, newspaper ads, magazine ads, tv ads, radio ads… it was exhausting!
Did any of them help?
Of course! But where they expensive? Of course!
Did most of them flop? Yup.
For my game rental business called Jack of all Spades, Google Ads has been king. This has brought in so much sales for me over the years, and my advertising dollars spent with them is worth every penny.
I do not have a lot of competition with keywords, and my ad spend in only about $200 each month. It is worth every dime. That $200 a month might turn into $2000 in sales. So yes – great option!
I tried Google Ads for my next business, assuming I would have similar results. But it turns out… it flopped! And do you know the reason? Too much competition!
I was competing with so many keywords that had a different meaning. So this means I would get people clicking, but they were not interested as they were looking for something entirely different.
For example, for my Pack ‘n Stack Moving Bin Rentals business, I rent moving bins for people moving homes.
The word “bins” could be referring to a large dumpster bin people get during a renovation on their driveway, it could refer to a small garbage bin for your kitchen, it could refer to a waste paper basket for your office, etc.
Do you have any idea how many retailers sell those 3 items? I had so much competition, it was insane!
So with everyone competing, the cost per click was super high, and most times they were not even real leads.
And when you are paying $2 per click, that hurt!
So my opinion is that paid ads work for some businesses, and not others.
And how will you know if it will work for you? Unfortunately, you will just have to test it out.
A cheaper method is to type in the keywords that you think people will use to find you. Was there a lot of competition? Are there double meanings to the words you chose? Are there lots of sponsored ads that just popped up?
This is a good indication of what your user experience will be like.
But I recommend you go try!
Here are a few Google Ads strategies that work in 2024:
1. Niche targeting
Instead of casting a wide net, focus on niche keywords relevant to your business. Let’s take my business, Jack of all Spades game rental, instead of generic terms like “game rental”, I will target specific game titles or genres or occasions.
2. Use negative keywords
Negative keywords help you filter out irrelevant traffic and reduce wasted ad spend. In the case of Pack ‘n Stack Moving Bin Rentals, I will exclude terms like “dumpster bin,” “kitchen bin,” and “waste paper basket” to refine my targeting and only rank for keywords like “reusable boxes for moving” and “plastic bins for moving fragile items”.
3. Ad extensions
If your business has high competition in Google Ads, add some useful extensions, so web users can scan through before deciding if they want to click or not. There are different kinds of ad extensions – site link (to direct people to different landing pages on your website), call out (highlight your business’s USPs), and testimonials.
