Online marketing has never been more essential, and you don’t want to miss out on the most important tool of them all: Google Ads.
What is Google Ads? Once called Google Adwords, it’s very simply an online advertising platform that allows you to place your ads across the web for audiences to see.
If you’re unfamiliar with the digital platform, it can seem daunting at first.
But we’ve condensed the most important information you’ll need to know to understand how it works, discover why Google Ads matters, and, most importantly, maximize conversions.
Why You Need to Use Google Ads
You may be wondering: Is using Google Ads really necessary?
The short answer is yes.
Google is basically impossible to ignore. It dominates 89.83% of the search engine market share, as of August 2026.
And if you aren’t paying attention to Google Ads, other marketers certainly are. Nearly 80% of marketers consider PPC (pay-per-click) advertising essential to their business. And if it’s essential to them, it’s likely essential to you.
So how do you get started?
How Does Google Ads Work?
The good news is that understanding Google Ads is very easy for beginners. There are only a few definitions you’ll need to know:
Basic Definitions: Where Do Google Ads Appear?
The first thing you’ll need to understand is that Google ads are separated into two key groups: search network and the display network.
How do they work? It’s actually exactly how it sounds.
Search network ads show up on Google search pages (and other Google sites, like Maps and Shopping). Think of those “sponsored” search results that come up when you enter a query.
Display network ads show up on Google sites like YouTube, Blogger, and Gmail (and all partnering websites across the internet). These are often the ads you normally see when you’re browsing online.
What is Cost-Per-Click (CPC) in Google Ads?
After you set up your ad, whether search or display, you will set a bid.
What are you bidding on? Three main things: keywords, audiences, and placements.
Your bid will compete against other ads and bidders, but you’ll ultimately pay based on the amount of users who actually click on your ad. This is called cost-per-click (CPC) bidding. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
- Create your ad and set a bid.
- Set a max CPC (the highest amount you want to pay for a click).
- Choose between manual bidding (decide your bid amounts) and automatic bidding (let Google decide your bid amounts).
Sounds simple enough, right? Now let’s explore how to make sure your Google ads rank effectively.
6 Helpful Tips for Using Google Ads
1. Decide Your Marketing Campaign Goals
Advertising solutions are not all made equal.
Your campaign goals should be determined by your specific industry, according to Google itself. Media and entertainment ads, for example, are often optimized with video ads. Or retailers may want to look into interactive product listings and shopping campaigns.
In other words, no matter your field, it’s important to tailor your ad to your industry for maximized traffic and engagement.
2. Implement Negative Keywords
Let’s say that you’re a luxury floral arrangement business aiming to grow your local clientele.
When you set up keywords in Google Ads, you may want to set keywords like “floral arrangement” and “quality.” But you don’t want your ad to be confused for searches related to gardening services or cheap labor, for example.
Setting up negative keywords will help you make that distinction. Some marketing agencies have created handy lists of universal negative keywords that you can use as a starting point, but make sure to monitor your campaign and target them to your needs.
3. Create Quality Headlines and Content
At the end of the day, your ad copy simply needs to be high-quality in order to generate conversions.
A helpful tip is to focus on quality over quantity. The right witty headline can create more clicks and engagement than generating 10 different ads.
Google prefers simplification: consolidated ad campaigns and good content, plain and simple.
4. Experiment Often
The best marketers know how to adapt and modify their work.
Keep a close eye on your ad performance, practice frequent A/B testing, and don’t be afraid to test new variations of your ads.
Always make small fine-tuned adjustments to your visual or written copy to see what works and what doesn’t. This is how true ad optimization actually works!
5. Target Your Audience
Audience targeting based on location and demographic is an essential factor into all forms of advertising, including PPC.
Google Ads allows you to make selections like location targeting and location exclusion. This is especially relevant if you are aiming to reach a specific group of people or area.
If your business is in Arizona, for example, you may want to exclude other states or keep your target audience within the US.
6. Consider Google Remarketing
What is Google Ads dynamic remarketing?
Also called dynamic display ads, this advertising strategy allows you to specifically show your ads to users who already visited your site.
Why does it work? Well, you’re reaching audiences who are already familiar with you. Marketers have found that remarketing campaigns can increase conversion rates by 50%.
At the very least, it’s not technology worth dismissing offhand. It all comes back to the same number one tip: decide what makes the most sense for your business and advertising goals.
Key Takeaways
Google Ads is a powerful tool for any business or creator, big or small.
If your focus is on reaching local clients, check out our detailed guide on Local Service Ads.
But you don’t have to get it right initially. In fact, you probably won’t! It’s important to remain adaptable, and that’s how you’ll actually generate clicks and engagement. How?
Just remember, it all comes down to this:
- Pay attention to your keyword analytics
- Monitor campaign performance frequently
- See what is actually generating conversions, and then repeat it
And most importantly, just like with all marketing success, keeping your pulse on the digital landscape is more important than ever. At Local Mighty we help businesses stay ahead with smart digital strategies that deliver real growth.