Should I buy Google Ads? - Ask EZ

This Week's Question: When I do a search on Google my site doesn't come up. Should I buy the paid ads?

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When I do a search on Google my site doesn't come up, should I try PPC marketing?

Let's talk about the parts of Google. At the very top of the page, you're going to see the ads, and they're noted by a little icon that says 'ads.' Underneath that, you might see the map pack or the first organic listings that Google thinks best match what you typed in. So is it worth it to buy PPC advertising to get on the top of Google?

If you want to learn more about this and the pros and cons of buying Google paid ads, keep watching!

Hi I'm Tom Malesic, founder and President, of EZMarking, a digital marketing agency in Lancaster, PA, and you're watching Ask EZ. This is where small business owners go to get real answers to their marketing questions.

the pros of PPC Marketing

Let's start by looking at the pros and cons of the PPC marketing. We'll start with the pros, because well, I'm an optimist.

1. My favorite reason to buy Google Ads is targeting. I can select the keywords that I want to be found under.
2. My next reason is it's super-fast, right? I can put up an ad and immediately I'm right at the top and on the first page of Google.
3. Next, I like the testing aspect of Google AdWords campaign. So I can run an ad for a little while, change it up a little bit, and see which ad works better.
4. Finally, I can turn those ads on and off, based on the demand of the business and my budget.

the cons of PPC Marketing

Now let's look at the cons.

1. The downside of PPC marketing is you have to pay for them. So you pay every time somebody clicks on your ad, versus organic when somebody clicks on that, it's free!
2. The next factor is trust. Only about 20% of the people who do a search will even click on a paid ad. They're much more likely to scroll down the page and click on that organic listing.
3. Another downside is when you stop paying for the ad it stops showing up on the listing.
4. The final downside of PPC advertising is it can become very expensive. So if you have a small budget, PPC marketing might not be for you.

google ads vs. organic results

So when should use the paid ads versus using the organic search engine results?

1. First, if you want traffic now, PPC marketing is perfect for you.
2. Next, if your customers are looking to purchase right now, Google Ads are perfect for you. For example, you're stuck on the side of the road and you need a tow truck, you go to Google you do a search and your intent is to buy that service right now.
   
   In comparison to, I need to look at my financial portfolio and I'm looking for a financial planner, I might not need that right now.
3. Another way is if your competition is really fierce on Google and you just can't get the rankings organically, that's a perfect use of PPC marketing.
4. Finally, PPC advertising is great if you have a product or service that has a higher profit margin in it. Think about it, you're paying for every click. So if you're selling something for sixty thousand dollars, it's better than if you're selling something for sixty cents.

when not to use ppc marketing

When should you not use PPC advertising?

1. Look if you have a really bad website, please don't waste your money on Google Ads. Fix your website design first and then when you have a nice website design, then let's invest the money in a Google AdWords campaign, so that you can really convert that visitor.
2. Also, if the cost per click is so high or it doesn't have much traffic to that keyword, it's probably not a good use of buying that ad. Years ago I had an attorney-customer who was paying $86 per click, it's really hard to make money when the cost is just too high.
3. And finally, look don't use PPC advertising if you really don't have a big enough budget. Google Ads are very expensive overall and we might be able to find some other marketing tactics that are more budget-friendly.

Look you can spend a lot of money really fast with PPC marketing. It's going to be important that you track and measure your campaign. PPC advertising is not a set it and forget it tactic, you're investing way too much money not to pay attention to the results. And as a small business owner, you don't have the money just to waste on one particular tactic.

Your homework

Okay, here's your homework: based on what we've talked about today, decide if PPC marketing is right for you and your business?

If you want more information right on this page, I have a download to our free Google AdWords campaign ebook. Please read through it, it's going to give you a lot more information to help you make that decision. If you need more help, just give our PPC agency in Lancaster, PA a call.

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