When we talk with businesses about paid marketing campaigns, they often think first about Google Ads. These get a lot of attention (we wrote a whole post about them!), and the name Google Ads sometimes becomes synonymous with any paid search. However, Google Ad search campaigns aren’t right for every business at every time. 

Here are seven signs that your business will get the most out of search campaigns right now:

1. You want leads for a service, not a product.

Google Ads search campaigns are particularly effective for lead generation. Products are often featured in Google Shopping campaigns. (See below to read more about that)

2. You want these leads quickly, like in the next two weeks.

Google Ads search campaigns have a faster turnaround than an SEO-based strategy. They’ll get you those leads faster than SEO, which is often a “slow burn” kind of approach that takes time to pick up steam.

3. The service you provide is profitable enough to offset Google Ads acquisition costs.

Any paid advertising has to pay off. In marketing we talk about ROAS – return on ad spend – which is the amount of revenue you make for every dollar you spend on ads. If you’re spending $1000/month on ads, generate ten leads, but only charge $30 for the service you provide, you’re now $700 in the hole.

4. An increase in your target type of leads will result in a significantly better position for your business.

Sometimes it’s not just about pure profits. When a business shifts to new markets or new clients, it can be worth using ads to jumpstart your work and start getting seen for the right results.

5. You have an attentive sales team that will respond to leads rapidly.

As you know, the sooner you respond to leads, the greater the chances you have of closing a sale. If your Google Ads search campaign generates leads and you’re not available to respond quickly, you’ll be leaving money on the table, which cuts into your returns and makes the campaign less profitable. Read more about the research behind lead response times here.

6. Your company has differentiators and advantages over the competition for this service.

Your Google Ads search campaign will show your ad to customers searching for keywords relevant to your business. The next step is to make sure you’re appealing to those customers. You can’t appeal to them without key differentiators and advantages to speak to.

7. You understand that performance of the campaign will improve over time as it is tweaked and optimized.

Unfortunately, Google Ads search campaigns will rarely create results overnight. A good digital marketing team will watch those ads for signs that they’re working or signs that they need to be tweaked. If you’re not comfortable with a flexible, dynamic marketing campaign, these aren’t the ones for you.

If all of the qualifications above apply to your business, Google Ads search campaigns are a great fit for you!! But what if this doesn’t apply to you? Let’s look at a few use cases.

If I’m not sure whether Google Ads search campaigns are right, how can I tell if something else will work better?

Let’s say you only want leads from individuals that have a job title of “VP of Sales” from organizations with over 500 employees. In this case, Google Ads wouldn’t be the best platform for your campaign. With Google Ads, you only focus on users who search within the keywords you’re targeting; you don’t have control of anything else like job title. In this case, a LinkedIn Campaign targeting individuals with those job credentials makes much more sense.

Let’s say you have a product that you want to promote, and you have an e-commerce website that can manage your online sales. It may make sense to explore a Google Shopping Campaign first, then determine if Google Search would be a worthwhile addition to your marketing strategy. A Google Shopping Campaign places pictures of your product above Search campaigns on the search results page. They do a great job of highlighting your product’s image and price. These would be a better place to start with your advertising dollars than Google Search.

If you already have a Google Search Campaign for your service, but (a) you want to strengthen incoming leads even further, (b) your leads have a long sales cycle (over 2 months), or (c) your prospects may get distracted and forget about your company, then a Google Retargeting campaign would be a great addition to your marketing strategy. This focuses on users who have already visited your website and may need a little push to remind them that your service is available for them. 

Do you want to run a campaign driving traffic to your local storefront? Google Ads is always adapting and adding new features, like Performance Max Campaigns – which allow advertisers to create a flexible ad that may be used across various Google Ad campaign types (Search, Shopping, etc.). They allow you to use several mediums to drive traffic to your location!

Still wondering if Google Ads or Search Campaigns are a good fit for your business?

It is our job, and goal, to create a marketing strategy that meets the needs of your business. We will sit down with yours to learn more about your business, your industry and your needs to create strategic campaigns that are tailored to your situation. 

If the information above sparks curiosity or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to talk to you more about your thoughts and see if we can help!

About the Author

Josh Stess

Josh Stess

Josh Stess is our Paid Search Specialist. He specializes in all major paid search channels, including Google Ads, Bing Ads, and LinkedIn Ads. He has successfully managed campaigns worth tens of thousands of dollars with incredible results.