Is Google Ads Effective? Absolutely! (And Here’s How It Works)

You might assume I’m biased working for the nexus-security blog, but my passion for PPC brought me here. I firmly believe Google Ads can benefit virtually any business, regardless of size.

During my time at WordSteam, I’ve heard every excuse imaginable about why Google Ads fails, like “My leads aren’t tech-savvy” (seriously, dude!?). My 95-year-old great aunt uses Google, so that excuse doesn’t fly. I can only imagine what our sales reps encounter daily. I recall a client who, during our second call, essentially wanted me to re-pitch paid search marketing to her. Since I’m not a salesperson, that would’ve been a disaster.

Instead, I’ll address common arguments against Google Ads and counter them to demonstrate its effectiveness. Google’s profitability speaks for itself—Google Ads generates revenue because it works! Top spenders invest $40 to $50 million annually on Google Ads. They wouldn’t do that without a significant ROI.

Still unsure about Google Ads? Let’s debunk those myths…

Argument #1: Google Ads is too Expensive!

“It’s a money pit!” “The ROI is unattainable with those costs.” “You’re advertising on Google? Kiss your budget goodbye!” “Google Ads is a waste for small businesses.”

Hold on! Yes, Google Ads costs money, and initial misallocation of marketing funds can lead to skepticism. Remember, all marketing has a cost. The crucial question is the return on investment. Before dismissing Google Ads, pinpoint why it’s expensive.

Often, new clients have neglected their accounts or hired unqualified managers, leading to wasted funds.

Here’s how to make Google Ads cost-effective:

• Master the platform: The primary reason for wasted money is a lack of understanding. Google Ads isn’t intuitive. It requires time, study, and experience to grasp. Invest in reading, webinars, comprehending account structure, match types, negative keywords, bidding strategies, and consider getting certified.

• Utilize restrictive match types: Relying solely on broad match types inflates costs. Broad matches expand reach but attract irrelevant audiences, leading to wasted clicks. While not eliminating them, incorporate phrase and exact match keywords with higher bids, utilize negative keywords, and regularly analyze your Search Query report for actual search terms.
• Set a realistic budget and bidding strategy: Budget and bid management can be complex, but avoid overcomplication. Determine a sustainable campaign budget and set daily limits accordingly. For budget-conscious advertisers, manual bidding provides maximum control.
• Separate Search and Display campaigns: While combining search and display can maximize visibility, it can quickly deplete budgets. Display ads appear across the web, unlike search ads. Browsing and searching have different intents, so separate campaigns with tailored strategies and budgets are recommended.

• Monitor your spending: Numerous factors can cause spending to spiral out of control – irrelevant keywords, automated bidding, or algorithm updates. Daily monitoring of KPIs and spend, even for 10 minutes, ensures you’re not wasting money.

Argument #2: Our SEO is Excellent; We Don’t Need Paid Clicks.

Oh, really? I genuinely laugh out loud when I hear this (clients are always muted during those moments). This argument is baseless for several reasons, mainly because research consistently shows that paid search complements and enhances SEO, increasing overall profitability.

At HeroConf in Portland, Bing Evangelist John Gagnon presented a case study demonstrating a 32% increase in brand clicks for a company that bid on their own keywords versus relying solely on SEO.

Yes, bidding on your brand terms is essential because competitors likely are, and those clicks are generally inexpensive.

Additionally, targeting new organic keywords through SEO takes time, with no guaranteed results. PPC, however, allows immediate targeting, providing quick insights into keyword profitability.

Furthermore, different keyword types and search intents influence behavior. SEO excels with informational searches, while commercial intent searches yield SERPs dominated by ads. For such high-intent keywords, ads often capture the majority of clicks, burying organic results at the bottom.

Lastly, SEO isn’t foolproof. Even with best practices, top rankings aren’t assured. Algorithm updates like Penguin and Panda have drastically impacted organic traffic. With PPC, you retain control. The winning formula combines optimized SEO with an effective paid search strategy.

If you’re already doing both but have doubts, consult the paid and organic report in analytics. This will reveal the benefits of combining both approaches and help you achieve better results. “As a paid search marketer, you’ll be able to identify all the long-tailed queries for which organic is earning great performance and enhance your bid strategies accordingly,” says Thomas Stern, SVP of Clients Services at ZOG Digital. “To date, we haven’t found an account that doesn’t at least contain some top ranking keywords that we’ve proven should also be bid on with PPC.”

Argument #3: Google Ads Traffic Doesn’t Convert

There’s a reason (or several) for that! It’s a valid concern, but with effective management, paid search can become a conversion powerhouse (unless your product or service is inherently flawed).

In 2013, eBay publicly declared Google Ads ineffective, facing significant criticism from marketers who found the claim naive. The truth is, eBay struggled with paid search. Sorry eBay, but their approach illustrates why some businesses fail to convert with paid search.

• Poor account structure: Often, accounts are disorganized. They target irrelevant or broad keywords with low-quality scores, neglect negative keywords, and stuff ad groups with unrelated terms. Proper account structure is crucial for paid search success, so follow best practices when setting yours up.
• Overusing dynamic keyword insertion: eBay’s mistake was overusing DKI, bidding on irrelevant terms and dynamically inserting them into ads. While effective when used strategically, DKI can backfire, as Larry Kim pointed out, showing an example where eBay’s ad appeared for a search on perpetual motion machines.

Seriously? Use DKI cautiously, especially as a beginner, to avoid embarrassing mismatches.

• Irrelevant ads: Relevancy is paramount in Google Ads. Keywords, ads, and landing pages must align. Imagine searching for sneakers and landing on a hat page—you’d likely bounce back, losing trust in the brand. It sounds obvious, but many group unrelated keywords with irrelevant ads leading to generic homepages, hindering conversions.
• Ineffective landing pages: Accept the possibility that your landing pages need improvement. Clicks without conversions might indicate a landing page issue. Review best practices, revamp your pages, and A/B test variations to see what resonates.
• Neglecting remarketing: Particularly for B2B businesses with longer sales cycles, relying solely on search conversions is insufficient. Remarketing is crucial. Use cookies to track site visitors and re-engage them with targeted offers. Reinforce your brand and their need for your product or service to combat browsing fatigue.

Argument #4: Managing Google Ads is Too Time-Consuming.

Another common objection. Yes, paid search demands time, and neglecting evaluation, tracking, and optimization leads to poor results. The solution? Utilize tools and systems designed to streamline paid search management.

At nexus-security, our 20-minute work week tool analyzes your account, identifying areas for improvement such as underperforming ads or irrelevant keywords. Implement time-saving solutions to simplify your workload. There are numerous ways to optimize your time in Google Ads.

Stop making excuses! Google Ads does work when you invest the effort. We all tend towards laziness, so acknowledge it and adapt your approach to unlock business growth through paid search.

So… Does Google Ads Work?

Yes, it does. Google Ads is a cost-effective advertising platform that targets qualified prospects. When managed correctly, it delivers strong ROI, boosting leads and sales. Research shows that even with excellent SEO, incorporating Google Ads significantly increases search clicks.