Ronn Torossian, CEO, 5WPR

Google Ads is likely one of the most misunderstood platforms for paid advertising. It is typical for business owners to advertise on social media, like Facebook, but Google Ads is more often than not an underutilized resource. 

This is for good reason: Google Ads has a complicated interface and a steep learning curve for most users. For someone who doesn’t know what they are doing, they can end up spending a lot of money without seeing any benefit. Even so, the benefits of Google Ads are numerous, and this is one tool that is worth understanding. 

Here are three basic campaign types that could be worth considering with a digital PR agency: 

1.    Generic, non-branded search

For most businesses, this is a solid Google ad campaign to employ. A generic, non-branded campaign will generate qualified intent-based traffic, and therefore possible new customers, by advertising to people who probably intend to buy the products but haven’t yet heard of the brand. 

Even so, this type of campaign shouldn’t be a digital marketing priority for a business. The cost per click can run quite high, from $1 to $20, and the overall relevance to the audience is low to medium. The goal of this campaign is to drive new visitors to a site as efficiently as possible, but the true value of a new visitor lies in whether they actually make a purchase- and if they return! 

2.    Branded search

The goal of a branded search campaign is to reel in searchers looking for your brand by name. 

If your site already appears organically at the top of search results, you might not have thought to bid on your brand name. Doing so, however, allows you to promote specific information using Google ad extensions, and protects you from competitors who might bid on your name or other branded keywords (see below!). 

Moreover, the cost per click for this type of campaign is usually low, from $0.25 to $3.00. This makes it a good option for businesses of all sizes in all industries, who will likely make sales from searchers given there is already intent for your brand. If you have the resources, this is an important campaign to prioritize . 

3.    Competitor search

The goal of running a competitor search Google Ads campaign is to acquire new customers who might not otherwise be aware of your product by getting in front of shoppers who search for your competitors. 

The relevance to your audience, ultimately, is low, given searchers are looking for a specific competitor and not your brand in particular. Moreover, keep in mind that the cost per click can be high (from $1 to $20), and the success of your campaign will depend on whether your competitors are bidding on the same branded keywords. 

Still, this type of campaign is ideal for brands already running a profitable campaign, who are looking to expand their customer base.