Preparation for learning and using Google Ads

Google Ads can appear quite daunting from the outside looking in. How do you even access it? Where do you access it? How do I know how much to spend?

Calm down - and get a grip on Google Ads.

These are all valid and expected questions for any business owner looking to expand their marketing and increase sales. Google Ads can become an expensive waste of time for those who jump into Google Ads without doing any manner of valuable preparation. This guide will provide you with an online toolkit that will prepare you for the world of Google Ads before you jump in.

Get to know the premise of Google Ads

Before getting chest deep into a lengthy ‘how-to’ beginners guide for Google Ads, you should look at doing your own research into the point of Google Ads.

It's a given that you need to understand how to do Google Ads, understand why is a better place to start, as it provides valuable context when learning the processes. Finding a simple answer to this question is more difficult than it should be, even Google itself only tries to sell you, but this explanation from Webopedia is the best one going around, as it doesn’t assume the reader has any prior knowledge.

Talk to someone

If you know someone who currently does their own Google Ads or has previously done Google Ads, take them out for coffee and ask them questions.

The internet has a funny way of not telling you enough, telling you too much or insulting you and occasionally managing to do all at once. A real person talking you through it and providing you with some ‘real world’ context and examples, will best prepare you for the upcoming Google Ads Exam.

Complete the Google Ads Fundamentals Exam

So going into this step, you should have at the very least gained some context and understanding into the relevance Google Ads has for you.

With this understanding, you can search “Google Ads Exam” and be directed to this page. This page will tell you about the Google Ads certification exam, directs you to sign up for Google partners (which is necessary for the exam) and explains to you that you have to complete two of the Google Ads certification exams to become certified.

Once you have read this through, you should start studying for the Google Ads fundamentals exam. You must go through the study module for this exam to give yourself the best opportunity to pass and for your own good when you start doing your own Google Ads. You have to get 80% on the exam to pass.

Explore Google Ads

As I mentioned above you have to pass two of the Google Ads Fundamentals exams to become ‘Google Ads Certified’.

You wouldn’t necessarily have to do that right away, instead, you should download Google Ads and open it up. Once you have Google Ads open, spend 15 to 20 minutes looking around at the features that are on offer and mostly ensure you are familiar with finding everything you are looking for. This point of the process is vital because it will save you so much time and money potentially in the future.

Evaluate your products and services and group them

Whilst the title of this step isn’t time efficient, sorting your products and services and listing these down somewhere will be time efficient in the future.

You would obviously already have your products and services categorised in some form, but further organising and grouping these categories will form the basis of your Google Ads campaigns, ad groups and the keywords you are bidding on.

Keyword planner tool

So by this point, you will definitely have an understanding of what a keyword is and the role it plays in Google Ads.

One of the more valuable tools for keywords is the keyword planner tool. To use keyword planner you will have had to have an Google Ads account already and it essentially allows you see what the bid price and search volume of different keyword phrases. Keyword research is a whole other process in itself, but there are plenty of guides online to get you started. Use the keyword planner tool to research keywords associated with your business.

Know your customers. Well.

This step may seem redundant or borderline insulting to business owners because your customer base is something you already understand wel.

The point of this step is to make sure you understand your customer's behaviour because you will be attempting to determine what they would search into google, how they phrase the words they search, what words would they use to describe your product, where would they be searching from and from what device? All of these queries amount to understanding your customer to the fullest before you start building a campaign and bidding real money on expensive keywords.

If you complete all of these steps, you will be placed to begin your own Google Ads account.

Get a professional?

You might have read the above and thought....

1. I can have go at that  - Do It Yourself (DIY) Google Ads, or
2. Realised you professional help to do everything for you - well we're Google Ads Managers in Brisbane, we have a bucket loads of proven results, and we are ready to help, BUT, perhaps there's another way, in between.
3. Unlike many agencies we share knowledge. We train and coach clients who want to learn this skill with our Custom Google Ads Training.

It's up to you, if you need help deciding, let's talk.