Running Google Ads for your small business is a great way to increase the local exposure of your company. You don't have to be a huge corporation with a giant budget to take advantage of this form of advertising. There are many small businesses that make healthy profits through the use of Google Ads.
Google Ads are particularly great for local tradespeople. They offer a great return on investment if they are implemented properly, and they help local tradespeople reach new customers in their area that might not have found them otherwise.
So why aren't more local businesses using Google Ads? Some common misconceptions are that running ads is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. However, it doesn't have to be difficult.
Let's take a look at how you can get the most from Google Ads for your local business:
Setting up your Google Ads Account:
The first thing you’ll need is a Google Ads Account, which is really straightforward to set up:
1. Click "Start Now" from the Google Ads homepage.
2. Enter your location. This is crucial for local tradespeople, as you’ll want to concentrate your campaigns around your local area.
3. Enter your contact information.
4. Enter your payment details.
5. Select your language.
6. Click "Get Started" and follow the steps to finish setting up your account.
Google Ads - Smart Mode vs Expert Mode
Google Ads has two modes-Smart Mode and Expert Mode.
Smart Mode is designed to be simple to use, and you can choose what your goals are and where you want your ads to appear – and then let Google’s machine learning do the rest. The benefits of Smart Mode are that it is quick and relatively easy to set up a campaign.
However, you don’t have a lot of control over your ads in Smart Mode. Google will show you what keywords they chose for you but you cannot change them. You can choose where to show your ads and things like when it will show up but not much else.
Expert Mode is designed for those who are ready to take their Google Ads experience up a notch. These advertisers can set their own rules and have more control over how they would like their ads to run. You can access all the features and campaign types available – and it’s much more flexible. However, it also requires more advanced management – which may not be feasible for many small business owners.
How do I switch on Smart Mode or Expert Mode?
When you sign up for a Google Ads Account, most businesses will automatically be on Smart Mode. You don’t have to do anything other than provide Google with some basic information, and the campaigns will be automatically created.
If you’re ready to really harness the true power of Google Ads, you can then switch on Expert Mode. Just be aware that once you switch to Expert Mode, you can’t go back to Smart Mode.
It’s easy to switch Expert Mode on:
Sign into your Google Ads account,
click the Tools icon in the top right-hand corner.
Select Switch to Expert Mode.
Now, you can access the full Google Ads experience and create all Google Ads campaign types.
Bringing in the Google Ads experts
Most local business owners don't have the time to gain the knowledge or expertise about local search and local advertising spend in order to optimize the Expert Mode of Google Ads. So for many tradespeople it makes sense that they should hire an agency or consultant who does!
At Leadspruce, we work with local Philadelphia businesses to deliver high-performing Google Ads campaigns. Even better, we have transparent and easy-to-understand pricing with a management fee of 20% of your monthly spend — it really is that easy.
Why not contact us today to find out how we can help your local business leverage the power of Google Ads?