Although they have changed profoundly over the years, ads for the search network of Google Ads remain an essential tool for promoting one’s business online. In fact, the search engine continues to refine itself to enable users to always find what they are looking for.
In this sense, bringing an effective, high-performing ad to life will cause Google to show you as the answer to a potential customer ‘s need and for that customer to take the action you want on your site. For example, buying your product or service.
Read on to learn more about what exactly search network ads are and why they are still essential today. Also, if you wish, Isola di Comunicazione can help you create high-performing ones to achieve your goals!
Google search network ads: the definition
Search network ads are paid advertising space that any business can take advantage of to appear on the first page of results for selected keywords.
When a user performs a search on Google, the search engine returns to him or her a SERP. This acronym-which in full stands for Search Engine Results Page-is nothing more than the list of sites that have been deemed relevant to theinformation requested. In other words, these are web pages where Google believes the answers the user is looking for are contained.
The SERP is divided into two macro areas:
- Organic results, which are all those sites that are shown for free because, thanks to SEO, they are considered useful and authoritative
- Ads, that is, links placed between the first four and last four positions on the page for a certain amount of money.
However, search network ads can be shown on other Google portals such as Maps and Shopping. Still, users can also be intercepted on partner sites including YouTube, the second most used search engine in the world.
The difference between search network and display network ads
The main difference between the search network and the display network is the time at which the ads will be shown. In fact, search network ads are shown at the exact moment when the user performs a search. In contrast, if we choose to create a display network ad for our business, it will be shown when the user is browsing a page other than Google. Thus, not when he is engaged in the actual search for the keyword we are interested in, but at another time and based on his interests.
The display network consists of Google Finance, Google Maps, Youtube, Orkut and Blogspot, among others. In addition, the tens of thousands of sites that use AdSense and AdMob also belong to this network. In short, everyone who owns a web page can decide to rent space to those who want to advertise.
It will then be Google that will select which ads are most relevant – and therefore most likely to lead to a conversion with respect to the characteristics of the user who is browsing them and based on the targeting that will be set by the advertisers.
To clarify, conversions are valuable actions for entrepreneurs that users can perform. For example, the submission of a contact form, a phone call or even the conclusion of a purchase on an online shop.
Google’s new search network ads
Being a business, Google also changes and adapts to make its business more profitable. In particular, the service offered by the search engine to the user is precisely to provide answers to needs and concerns. With this in mind, ads for the search network have also been improved over the years to make conversion more likely.
So, put more simply,Google’s goal is to show content as relevant as possible to the search made by the user, so that the person who is browsing will click on a paid ad and take the action you want.
The U.S.-based giant had started with ads that, when being created, included only a single title and description. Over the years, Google has since enhanced the possibilities of the ads by working on two aspects:
- Added the ability to insert more and more titles and descriptions to give more useful information to users
- It allowed the machine to test all combinations to find the winning one
In fact, these are the principles of machine learning: Google tries to understand what message to pop up based on the specific user typing a given search term.
Today, the best performing search network ads are those defined as adaptive and present:
- 15 titles
- 4 Descriptions
As mentioned, once both are set up it will then be up to Google to decide how to combine them based on certain parameters. The main ones are:
- The search term typed in by the user, so what information they are looking for
- His age, sex, and the place from which he is connected
- Previous research
- The most visited sites by the user
- The lifestyle evinced by his browsing habits
Ultimately, thealgorithm gets smarter and smarter every year and tries to intercept people’s interests with increasing accuracy.
Ad extensions for the search network.
Extensions are additional information that accompanies and optimizes the ad. They range from the phone number to be clicked from mobile, to thephysical address of the company. They can also be the plusses of the sponsored proposal, or promotions presented with a percentage discount.
Clearly, this is crucial data for the success of an ad. If chosen strategically, they increase user response and help increase the quality score Google considers in the cost and SERP position of the ads themselves.
Extensions are diverse and changeable. In fact, they are subject to constant new entries and corrections based on the data Google collects. Just on the subject of new entries, Google recently introduced theimage extension for the search network. Since it is still in Beta, we do not know exactly how it will change the world ofonline advertising, but it is in any case a breakthrough that is sure to have an impact and to amaze advertisers and users. In fact, until now ads could only be text-based. This possibility, however, is not precluded in Yandex, the leading Russian search engine.
With all these constant innovations, it goes without saying that creating a good ad today does not mean that it will continue to be effective forever. As we have said, Google updates, but so do people over time, and users change their searches and what strikes them as times of the year change as well. Advertising must be continually optimized, improved, and adapted to a context that is changing and, because of that, very challenging!
The importance of copy in Google Ads for the search network
Despite the novelty ofimage extension, in ads for the search network it will continue to be the copywriting the key part. In fact, in a limited number of characters it is necessary to be able to:
- Explain what can be found within the site
- entice people to click on it despite the fact that it is advertising
- Make profitable the investment of money you make
Suffice it to say that ads compete with each other for creative. After all, Google charges based on clicks received and is therefore never willing to take up its space for unstudied or low-quality text.
In fact, the all-important CTR (Click Through Rate) variable measures the percentage of clicks achieved relative to impressions recorded. The higher the clicks, the more Google rewards the advertiser with lower cost per click and better positions. So, devoting yourself to effective copywriting, testing and experimenting, and adjusting your pitch are anything but time wasted.
Like everything to do with digital, managing Google Ads requires cross-functional skills and-most importantly-theintervention of professionals.
One has to be adept at setting budgets, organizing advertising campaigns, and choosing the best bidding strategies, because everything works like a real auction in which strategic thinking is key. In addition, the creation of ad hoc landing pages, the creation of the website or the development of the e-commerce on which the user will be directed must also comply with certain characteristics of intuitiveness, adaptability and user experience.
Isola di Comunicazione is anonline advertising and web marketingagency Google Partner. We have been launching online businesses for over 10 years throughconstant updating and a team of digital specialists.
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