The Google Ads ecosystem has three main components: the customer-facing ad, the ad campaign you build behind the scenes, and the keywords that allow it to find the right audience. This lesson explains each component so that you have some context on the tools we will be providing you.

The Ad Itself

Less than 5% of people searching on Google continue to page 2 of the results. Ads help you get your foot in the door so you can compete.

Google Ads show up above the normal results when someone searches for a topic related to your business / website. They help solve a unique catch-22 for your business: Google places sites with a lot of traffic higher up. The higher up in the search results, the more traffic the site gets. It is not a process that favors the underdog and can be even more difficult if you have savvy competitors who know how to optimize their sites.

Because Ads help you cut to the front of the line, they can be crucial to getting found when customers are searching in your area.

It is important to note that you are only charged for Google Ads when someone clicks them.

The Ad Builder

The Google Ad Builder is where those ads get created.

To access the Ad Builder you'll need to create a Google Ads account (a quick process that we'll cover in the next lecture). Once you're in, you'll be able to specify things like geographic locations where you want your ad to show up, how much you want to spend, and your ad keywords (the most important part of a successful ads campaign). You can use the builder to manually create ads or upload them en mass via a CSV file.

The Keywords

Ad Keywords determine which searches your ad will show up for. They are the single most important part of a successful, cost-effective ad campaign.

In order to understand the importance of keywords, you need to know how ads get priced. Google Ads work a bit differently than traditional advertising where you would buy a space for a fixed price.

Instead, whenever someone searches for one of your keywords an "auction" gets held between all the businesses that want to show up. This auction is over in fractions of a second, using information you've given Google about how much you want to spend. If another business sets their maximum "bid" for a search above yours, they'll get the spot and pay a premium for it if the customer clicks their ad. Just like real life auctions, if you're the only one bidding you can expect to get a bargain.

Great keywords give you the best bang for your buck by targeting searches that have high volume but low ad competition.

In the next lesson you'll find tools that dramatically simplify each element of this ecosystem, letting you quickly start deploying effective ad campaigns for Universal Companies brands.