If you have a business, you have certainly realized the importance of being found by your customers in search engine results, Google first and foremost (in Italy it holds 90% of the market).
Reading here and there you have discovered a powerful tool from Google, namely Google Ads : the possibility of appearing immediately at the top of the search results in the ads section, which is nothing more than a small "Ad" next to your result (see example below):
Usually after finding this pay per click tool, you get an irresistible urge to use it on the fly to intercept people who are looking for products and services just like yours... in short, practically already customers...!
The budget that evaporates in no time
The reality is different, however, and it happens (often) that Google Ads eats up your budget in the blink of an eye and you don't receive calls, you don't sell, and nobody asks you for a quote .
In our experience we have seen this situation in many cases, and to prevent you from falling into the same mistake I have summarized below the 10 cases in which Google Ads will definitely not make you sell.
Top 10 Google Ads Cases That Never Work
If you sell branded products online (present in many other e-commerce sites) and you do not have a lower price than your competitors , or a cost structure that can absorb investments in Google Ads (e.g. efficient logistics).
If you sell niche products online that are different from mass-produced products, but without a "brand" (in other words nobody knows you) and you expect an immediate sale with impulse purchase .
If your product or service is difficult to sell offline : the web is not the panacea for selling a product or service that is of no interest.
If you don't have the ability to easily make (or have made) changes to your website . In fact, very often, to improve the efficiency of pay per click campaigns, changes to the content and structure of the landing page are necessary.
If the purchasing process for your products or services is complex and you have not planned a path to the purchase after clicking on your site (e.g. educational emails, sharing reviews about your business, etc.)
If your customers don't Google their information to start their purchasing journey (in other words there is no conscious demand )
If you don't have a precise positioning that focuses on real benefits for the customer
If you are not specialized in the client's sector (e.g. a Google Ads campaign carried out by a generic Marketing Agency vs. an Agency specialized in Hotels: it is logical that the latter will have a higher conversion rate)
If you don't know these concepts: CTR, CR, CRO and you are not familiar with Google Analytics)
If you work in hyper-competitive sectors and want to use Google Ads to escape the slavery of offer aggregators (e.g. using Google Ads to escape from Booking in the hospitality sector) without a precise multi-channel strategy .
The correct approach
To understand if this tool is suitable for your case, for your company, you must start by studying these elements: the purchasing process of your ideal customer , your contribution margin , the competition , the spending capacity of the competition and above all structure a relational plan with the customer after you have spent your Euros for the first click .
Of the pig...
As a Google consultant once told me on the phone: " Online advertising is like a pig, nothing is thrown away! ", referring to the activities that must be associated with a Google Ads campaign, namely:
Collecting customer contacts, also called lead generation
Remarketing and retargeting activities to chase users
Segmented communication activities (dedicated contents transmitted with the most suitable channel for the customer, even offline.
What about you? Have you had any negative or positive experiences with Google Ads? Share them with me below in the comments!