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Online ads are confusing. And intimidating. “Just give us your credit card and we’ll get all types of Google ads out there”
But how? And to who? And what the heck is a CPC or CPM?
There are so many places to run online ads out there and the list gets longer and longer each year. On top of that, many ad platforms, like Google, have different types of ads.
We put together this list to simplify the different types of Google ads for home service providers by focusing on the #1 online ad marketplace. Max out these 4 buckets before you start looking elsewhere to make your life a little easier.
Local Service Ads- a.k.a. Google Guaranteed
Definition:
Local Service Ads appear on top of the search results and are for vetted home services providers in a specific area. Google has made it relatively easy to set up as a contractor. They are pay per lead service, so you only pay for people who connect with you through the ad.
Google has a budget estimator tool here: https://ads.google.com/local-services-ads/cost/
Billed: Pay Per Lead
Best used for: Lead Generation
Super high intent searchers – they show up for terms that have a city name and service and are are set up to schedule an appointment or click to call.
Search Ads
Definition:
Search ads are shown on Google before the “organic” results. They are text ads that mimic what the rest of the results look like. It works on an auction system where you bid on the keyword and you pay-per-click (which is why many people refer to them as pay-per-click or PPC ads).
The amount you pay depends on the amount of competitors bidding, the quality of your ad and the site you’re sending it to and amount of people searching for your term.
Billed: Pay Per Click (PPC)
Best used for: Lead Generation
High intent searchers – these are people who are searching for the service you provide right now. For example, someone might type, “roofing contractor maple grove, mn” in
Your ad should bring them to a landing page designed to quickly build trust and easily get their contact information.
Oftentimes, us digital marketers like to confuse you and call these conversions. You probably call them leads.
Display Ads
Definition:
Display ads are image-ads that show up on websites such as news sites, blogs, etc. Google has a network (called the Google Display Network or GDN) of millions of websites it shows these ads on. The ads are triggered by your past search history or visiting a website that has a tracking code on it.
Billed: Pay Per a Thousand Impressions (CPM) or Pay Per Click (PPC)
Best used for: Branding
While some people convert, or turn into leads, directly off of display ads, most companies use these as branding support. Display ads are relatively inexpensive compared to search ads and are best used for retargeting people who have already been on your site and did not fill out a contact form.
YouTube Pre-Roll / Video Ads
Definition:
A pre-roll ad is a short video that plays before a YouTube video. They need to be engaging at the beginning so they’re not skipped. Since people are waiting to watch the video, they tend to pay attention to these ads, even if it is just watching how long until it’s over. They use the same search history and retargeting information as display ads do to get them in front of the best possible people.
Billed: Cost Per View (CPV)
Best used for: Branding
People being served these ads did not go to YouTube searching for your service. They are there to watch another video and have to sit through your ad to get to it. Because of this fact, it’s important to be as entertaining as you can and use this to create a positive brand experience, rather than hard pitching your service.
Watch this quick video to see how savvy businesses save time and hook better leads: