Navigating Google’s Ad Options

As a Certified Google Partner, we want to provide info that better frames all the digital marketing options available to business owners.  While Meta, Instagram, Tik Tok, Reddit, and more are all viable options, this post will focus on the key differences and utility of two Google ad channels:

1. Google Display Ads
2. Google Search Ads

If you have ever wondered why exactly a Google Display campaign better fits your needs (or vice-versa) read below!  Knowing how to leverage each Google ad channel can be a key factor to help increase sales on Shopify.

Google Search Ads: Pulling in the Local Crowd

Google Search ads only appear to online users who have searched your business’s keywords, or have executed a search looking for a local solution to their “need.”  For businesses that run local services like food, home improvement, retail, auto, or more, Google search ads could be a key promotional tool.

For example, if I type in, “Auto repair near me,” and your auto body shop recently deployed a Google search ads campaign, guess who I’m going to when the results come up! 😊

If users already have a clear intent for their need, and already know they have an issue that needs a solution, Google search ads can boost your click-through-rate (CTR) and lead to increased sales on your Shopify store. 

To maximize your conversions on Google search ads, do your research on the best keywords that match your business!  Bidding higher on these keywords will automatically push you up the Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

Concluding, “pulling” in your local audience, or researching and bidding on the best keywords to match your customers’ desires, are the two best rationales for starting a Google Search Ads campaign.

Google Display Ads: Reach the Wider Web

If you aren’t sure about what keywords to bid on, and your business is not primarily driven by local traffic, Google Display Ads offer a strong alternative to Google Search ads.

Google display ads are those sidebar images and banners that pop up across the web when you are browsing, whether it be directly for a product or not!  Google display ads gain access to more than 2 million websites, videos, and apps that over 90% of web users surf across every day.

For brand awareness and visibility, Google Display ads are far superior to Google Search ads.  However, remember these folks are not expressing a direct intent to buy something!  As such, the average conversion rates on Display ads are lower, even if the audience reached is wider.  Still, leveraged properly, Google Display can be a key component to increasing sales on Shopify.

Display ads are best when you utilize an eye-catching image with bold headlines or text.  Additionally, they help, in a sense, introduce the wider web to your products!  Remember that the average customer needs between 3-7 “views” of your product because they begin feeling compelled to buy.

To optimize Google display ads, it’s best to focus on specific sites you know your niche audience frequently visits.  Even better, you set them to appear only to your target demographic, so you don’t end up wasting money on an overly broad ad campaign.  Imagine you sell men’s grooming products, and your Google Display ads are being shown to women in the 60s… no good.  They’ll be weirded out, and your money will be wasted!

Conclusion: Ad360 Can Help You Reach Beyond Google’s Display Network!

As a certified Google partner Ad360 can help any business run either a Google Search or Display ad campaign – even both!  Even better, we can layer in ad retargeting to every ad campaign you run, and our Menadex network gives you access to the entire worldwide web even beyond the Google Display Network.  Leveraging ad retargeting on top of wider access are crucial advantages in the digital marketing landscape.

If you would like to receive a free consultation on how to optimize your e-commerce site or want advice on which Google ad channel to run, try out our free demo by Ad360 today!  We’re proud to bring you our flagship feature: One Click ad campaign setup with Quick Ads.  Advertising online has never been this simple.  Sign up today to get help increasing your sales on Shopify!