Craft businesses can easily create and launch their own advertising campaigns via the website ads.google.com. (Photo: © mavoimage/123RF.com)
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September 19, 2019
Crafts 4.0: Does your website not appear among the first results in Google searches? Then the online advertising system "Google Ads" offers craft businesses a way to land directly on the first page through advertising.
The internet allows companies to target potential customers, new employees, or trainees. However, this is only possible if their website is easily found. Therefore, there's virtually no way around the Google search engine: According to the statistics portal Statista, Google's market share for desktop searches in Germany was around 90 percent in August 2019, and almost 98 percent on mobile devices. Bing follows with market shares of six percent (desktop) and one percent (mobile search).
Getting your own website to rank highly in Google search results isn't easy. Basically, there are two options : either consistently optimizing your website for Google's search engine, or running advertisements, known as "Google Ads." Google displays these ads above or to the right of the actual search results. The placement of the ads depends on the size of your chosen advertising budget and their relevance to the specific keyword.
In recent years, Google has continuously expanded and perfected its advertising system: Craft businesses can easily create and launch their own advertising campaigns via the website ads.google.com . All details, such as text, images, and videos, can be conveniently entered and uploaded. Furthermore, businesses have the option to define their own goals, such as increasing website traffic or generating more phone inquiries.
For effective targeting, it's crucial to select the right keywords for which your ad will later appear: These should be neither too general nor too specific. For example, the keyword "photographer" can be supplemented with "wedding , " "portrait, " or "headshots." The "negative keywords " section is also important: Here, you can specify that users should not see your ad when they enter certain keywords, such as combinations of the keyword "photographer" with words like "equipment" or "salary . "
Operations management
Operations management
Operations management
Furthermore, the visibility of the ad can be specifically limited to reach certain target groups . This includes selecting countries, regions, postal code areas, target audiences, age groups, as well as days of the week or times of day. The visibility of your own ads can also be selected, for example, in Google Search, Google Maps, or on partner websites in the Google Search Network.
Google Ads billing is per click: For each campaign, you need to set a daily budget (e.g., €20) and your chosen cost per click (e.g., 10 cents). You shouldn't set the cost per click too high or too low, because with each click, you're in direct competition with other companies using the same keywords.
If competitors are willing to pay more per click than you, your ad will only appear in second place – or even lower. The price you set is only charged when a potential customer actually clicks on your ad on Google – for example, on your ad or the "click-to-call" button . Once your daily budget is used up, your ad will no longer be displayed. You can also modify or pause your campaign at any time.
To increase the efficiency of your ads, Google offers various options, which are explained in a help system. You should always critically review default settings to avoid unwanted or excessive costs. For example, it's recommended to initially set the cost per click manually (rather than automatically by Google) to determine which strategy is truly successful.
When using the "Ad Rotation" option , you should also select "Do not optimize" if you want to compare the performance of two ads. And if you want to exclude target groups currently located abroad, restricting your search to "Users who are currently or regularly in my target regions" is a good choice. If you only want your ad to appear on German-language websites, you must also deselect all other languages.
For greater success or different goals, craft businesses can also launch several campaigns simultaneously . These can be optimized for various factors, such as regional aspects, brands in their own online shop, or specific target groups, like homeowners, families with children, or people with a high willingness to buy in certain areas.
To help businesses evaluate their advertising campaigns, Google provides various reports, information, and regular tips. This allows them to gradually identify which keywords, text, or image ideas perform best. Those who don't feel confident managing their online advertising themselves can hire specialized agencies. Tradespeople should ensure that the service provider has official Google Ads certification.
Answer the fundamental questions: What do you want to achieve with Google Ads?
Define specific goals: Is the focus on acquiring new customers? Is the aim to boost online shop sales? Or is it about generally increasing your brand awareness?
Define your target audience: Who do you want to reach with your ad? New customers? Decision-makers in companies? Skilled workers or trainees?
Building your image: What is your company philosophy? How can you convey it through Google Ads?
Optimize your company website: Unprofessional websites are not a foundation for successful Google Ads. Professionalize your website and tailor it to your ads.
Stay authentic: Don't make exaggerated promises in your advertising copy, but remain credible and authentic.
You important keywords in headline and/or text.
Highlight customer benefits: In your ad copy, don't primarily sell products and services, but rather focus on customer benefits. Specific discounts, special offers, guarantees, or calls to action are also effective.
(e.g. "Call us" or "Order now").
Maximize content: Take advantage of the option to create multiple headlines and descriptions for a single ad. This will allow you to include more relevant content.
Test your ads: Create at least two different ads based on your most important keyword and test which one performs better. Over time, this will help you develop a feel for what resonates with your target audience.
Optimize keywords: Consider which keywords your target audience might use when searching. Specify a maximum of two to five thematically relevant keywords per ad. The fewer keywords, the higher the click-through rate often is.
Include voice search: More and more people are using voice search via Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant. Therefore, it can be useful to also consider complete questions when creating your own keywords.
Set options: Use the "Keyword options" that can be set for keywords. For example: "exact match", "broad match" or "phrase match".
Use extensions: Google offers a variety of "ad extensions" that can make campaigns more eye-catching. With frequently used keywords, you can use them to stand out from your competitors.
Observe laws: When engaging in online activities, always take into account all legal requirements, such as the GDPR, copyright law and the Telemedia Act.
Review success: After implementing individual measures, you should regularly analyze successes and further refine your Google Ads campaigns over time.
Using software: To manage your own campaigns, Google provides the free "Google Ads Editor" for download (https://ads.google.com/intl/de_de/home/tools/ads-editor/). This offers many practical functions, such as an offline mode.
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