The Pros & Cons Of Google Ads

Tempted to start running Google ads to support your business growth plans? 

Without a question, Google Adwords or Ads is a powerful platform for pay-per-click (PPC) advertising if used correctly. You can quickly place your business in front of people actively searching for your products or services.

But is it all smooth sailing?

The average small-to-mid size business spends anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000 per month on their Google paid search campaigns. That’s $12,000 to $120,000 per year.

So are you ready to learn the pros and cons of Google Ads? Read on to find you if Google Ads campaigns are right for you and your small business.

What is Google Ads?

Google Ads (formerly AdWords) is Google’s digital advertising platform that charges you every time someone clicks your ad (pay per click). You can establish your own budget and choose where and when your ads will appear.

There is no minimum spend requirement, and your campaigns can be paused or terminated at any moment.

Advertisements may show in Google search results and on partner websites. To boost return visits and sales, remarketing and retargeting techniques can be used. Google advertisements charge users when visitors click on advertisements using cost-per-click (CPC) bidding.

When someone enters a search query into Google, advertisements show. The company’s advertising will bid on keywords linked to their specific industry. Google enters thousands of keywords and ads into a “auction” in a fraction of a second to determine which ones are most pertinent to the search question. “Winning ads” are then displayed at the head of the results.

Check out this example from one of our PPC package clients:

Benefits of Google Ads

1. Time-efficient

Google Ads can be extremely beneficial if you need to drive traffic to your website fast. SEO services are effective, but can take weeks or even months to produce results, whereas Google Ads produces results almost immediately. (most of the time)

You can be up and going with Google Ads in a matter of minutes. While there is much more to Google Ads than campaigns, ad groups, keywords, and ads, these are the fundamental building blocks that can be set up fast. 

Do some keyword research, establish your budget, create a campaign and a few ad groups, and then write some killer ad text. Your advertisements will show as soon as they are approved, which could be instantaneous.

Google has some automation that can help you set these up, you may not want to keep those campaigns live though. 

2. Get your ad campaigns in front of your target audience

The higher you rank in the search results, the more exposure you’ll get in front of people who are actively looking for the products you offer, increasing the likelihood that people will choose to purchase from you rather than your competitors.

The advertisements have also become more engaging, with the ability to include site links and structured snippet extensions. Because of these features, your ads can typically appear better and more engaging to internet users worldwide than organic listings.

3. Find out more about your customers

You can use Google Ads to test which keywords to drive traffic to, which landing pages to use, and learn a lot about your customers and what they look for on their search engine.

You’ll be collecting a massive quantity of data in a very short period of time. This is the best way to discover what happens when you drive a large number of visitors to your site.

This can then help inform any SEO work that you are doing, as you can use conversion data from PPC to see if there are better short term keywords you can work towards. You’ll also get a better idea of actual search volume as you can see impression data within Google Ads.

4. Your Google advertising budget can be any size

Google Ads do not have to be costly, but it is largely influenced by your cost per click. This can depend on a lot of different factors and can vary drastically depending on your industry. For example, in finance and insurance, you might be looking at a cost per click of around £50-£60. Whereas if you’re a local chiropractor you might be looking at CPC of around £0.40p.

You can specify how much you’re prepared to spend and your maximum cost per click for your keywords, and you’ll only be charged for clicks. This enables you to keep control of your spending, but your CPC will limit how far that budget can stretch. 

Disadvantages of Google advertising campaigns

1. You have to pay per click

That is, you pay whenever someone hits on your ad, regardless of whether or not the click is converted. As a result, you may receive clicks from visitors who have no plan of ever purchasing your product or service, but you will never see a return on your investment. 

This could be the case if you haven’t added enough negative keywords to your campaigns – your ads will be visible to the wrong people, resulting in fewer conversions. So be very careful with the keywords you choose to bid on. 

2. Competitive industries have a higher CPC

If your competitors are already using Google Ads, it might be a good idea to start your own campaign, but a high level of rivalry usually means a higher cost per click. 

Simply put, if there are a lot of people bidding for the same thing (in this instance, keywords), the price will continue to rise – just like at an auction. Your Google ads results may be relegated to page two or three of the search results if your keyword bid is too low.

As we mentioned earlier, if you are in an industry where one customer could be worth £1000’s, your CPCs are likely going to be higher. 

3. Always limited by budget, always paying for clicks

Google Ads has a very limited shelf life; once your budget is depleted, your ads are turned off. After all you will always be limited by what you can spend, and factors outside of your control can impact how far that will stretch. 

Efficiency gains can be made but you’ll need to have in-depth knowledge of Google Ads and the strategies to implement.

 It may appear tempting to achieve immediate results, but it is prudent to weigh your choices. SEO (search engine optimisation) will improve your site’s ranking naturally, and while results may take a year or so to appear, they will last much longer than your budget.

4. Your landing page needs to be seamless

Google considers the quality of your landing sites as well, so your website must be relevant to the search query. 

Finally, you can’t just expect Google Ads to get traffic and convert; your landing pages must be of high quality and relevant to your ads. By improving your website’s landing page and user experience, you can raise your Quality Score and decrease your cost per click.

If your website or landing page isn’t right and doesn’t convince users you’re the right choice you’re going to be wasting your money.

Looking for affordable PPC management services?

Evidently, a Google Ads platform has many advantages and disadvantages, so it is vital to ensure that it is appropriate for you and your company.

If your primary goal is to increase your online presence and generate conversions, Google Ads is often the best method to do so because you can target the right audience for your products or services.

Are you thinking about using a PPC agency? Explore our Google Ad management services today!

At Dandy, our digital marketing experts have years of combined experience aiding businesses in achieving their desired results through PPC advertising. We can find a PPC price that is affordable for you and your small company.

We provide a variety of digital marketing packages to help your business develop, and PPC is an excellent avenue to include in your overall digital marketing strategy.

Grab a free PPC audit or chat with us today if you want to learn how PPC and Google Ads can help you grow your company.

Pros and cons of Google Ads FAQs