Learn how to become a Google Ads Specialist in 6 simple steps. As a Google Ads Specialist, there are plenty of opportunities to earn a great income, work remotely, and work on projects that help brands and companies grow. Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how you can become a Google Ads Specialist in the shortest amount of time.
1. Learn the basics of Google Ads
Google Ads can be a bit overwhelming if you are just starting out, but no need to worry. With just a little studying you can understand the core fundamentals of the advertising platform.
After you have some basic understanding, I recommend you pick a particular component of google ads to master. So becoming a subject matter expert in one area of the ad platform, like paid search, display, youtube, local service ads, or shopping.
Then, slowly continue to learn and become a subject matter expert in all areas. Most companies don’t utilize all the advertising features of Google Ads, so don’t worry about trying to learn every single thing at once. It’s better to have more advanced skills in one area than basic skills across everything.
Here are the best things to learn with Google Ads when you first start:
1. Why Google Ads is an important marketing channel.
Companies and entities varying in all sizes pay to show ads on Google and a variety of other platforms (like Facebook, LinkedIn, Bing, and more) to increase their brand’s awareness and generate revenue.
Google dominates the global search markets share with over 91% of the share. The advantage Google Ads has over other marketing platforms is that they own the majority share of search, and two, you can show users very specific ads. With Google Search Ads you can target based on the users’ search intent. Compare that to Facebook where you can only target based on remarketing lists and user interests and attributes.
As an example, If I visit Google and search “best camping flashlight”, I get the below results. As you can see, these companies were able to target my search term so their ads only show for the searches they specified. This is one of the great advantages of paid search advertising.
Another popular digital marketing strategy is remarketing, which shows ads to users who have already interacted with your website or content. For example, say you were searching espresso machines and visited a few different websites. Those companies can then use remarketing to show ads to you when you are visiting other websites.
Here’s an example of remarketing. I was on the Mountain Hardware website the other day looking at winter gloves, and a few days later, I got ads for those gloves when I was on a food blog looking at recipes.
Those are just a couple of marketing basics on why Google Ads is critical. As you begin to learn more about Google Ads and marketing strategies, you’ll be able to quickly apply your skillset to other digital marketing channels like paid social media.
Here are some other common digital marketing channels that you can learn and add to your skillset after you master Google Ads:
1. Microsoft Ads
2. Facebook/Instagram Ads
3. LinkedIn Ads
4. Amazon Ads
2. Types of Google Ad Campaigns
Depending on your objectives, you can show your ads in many different formats and on many different sites. Most of us are familiar with seeing search ads when searching for something on google.com, but you can have ads show in many ways.
1. Search Campaigns
Target keywords and show text-based ads on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)
2. Shopping Campaigns
Ecommerce websites upload product feeds (a list of available products and their attributes), and Google uses those product feeds to serve ads. The ads typically show at the top of the SERPs or on the side panel.
3. Display Campaigns
Static images or gif images show on Google’s display network. Websites can sign up for Google Adsense to be a part of the Google display network and earn revenue for allowing ads on their website.
5. Discovery Campaigns
Image-based ads that can show across Google’s feed. These ads can show in Gmail’s promotions tab, YouTube feeds, and more.
6. Local Service Ads
Google Service Ads are verified ads that promote service businesses in local areas. Local Service Ads are managed outside Google Ads, but you can use the same Google account to access them.
7. Call Campaigns
Advertise call ads to drive more phone calls to businesses. The ads mainly show on mobile devices.
8. App Campaigns
Promote app installs, engagement, and pre-registration.
9. Smart Campaigns
Automated campaigns that use machine learning to target and bid for users that are more likely to take action on your ads.
3. Google Ads Targeting Options
The most popular form of targeting on Google Ads is to use keywords to target searches made by users on Google. There are other audience and content targeting options available:
Here are some of the most common Google Ads targeting options.
1. Keywords
2. Customer match (targeting emails via email list uploads)
3. Placements (targeting specific websites to show your display ads)
4. Affinity audiences (targeting a group of users with specific interests and behaviors)
5. Custom intent audiences (targeting users’ interests and behavior by providing a set of keywords that represent the audience).
6. YouTube channels
7. Dynamic search ads (Google uses your website to target relevant users and create ads automatically based on your website).
4. Bidding and Payment Options
Google continues to roll out more automated bid strategies that use machine learning to bid on clicks that they think will return the most value to your campaigns based on the goals and settings you set.
The most common way an advertiser pays google is on a click-by-click basis known as CPC (cost-per-click). You pay for the clicks that users make on your ads, and you adjust the amount you are willing to pay. For example, some keywords are more expensive, so you have to bid and pay more if you want your ad to show.
The most common way for an advertiser to pay for ads on Google is via a credit card that will get charged once you hit a threshold amount. Larger accounts can apply for invoiced billing.
Here are the most common Google Ads Bidding options.
1. Cost per click
2. Enhanced cost per click (similar to cost per click, but will automatically bid up or down by ~15% if Google thinks the click will be more likely to convert)
3. Target CPA (target cost per acquisition)
4. Target ROAS (target return on ad spend)
5. Maximum conversions
6. Cost per view
Here is the list from Google showing all their different bidding options.
5. Conversion Tracking
A conversion is an action that a user completes on your website. Typically this is a purchase or some type of form submission. You can measure these actions by setting up conversion tracking. Conversion tracking can be simple but complicated, depending on how a website is set up.
2. Get Google Ads Certified
Google Ads certifications are a great way to show your knowledge of the ad platform. You can see and take all the Google Ad certifications for free on Google’s certification site: skillshop.exceedlms.com.
I recommend first learning about search and getting the search certification.
Here are the best Google Ads Certifications to get:
1. Search Certification
2. Display Certification
3. Shopping Certification
4. Video Certification
5. App Certification
6. Measurement Certification
(Source: skillshop.exceedlms.com)
3. Begin to learn how to analyze data
One of the most important aspects of being a Google Ads Specialist and a digital marketer is analyzing data to make decisions.
Organizations and clients highly value this skill set. As you learn about Google Ads, I recommend learning more about analyzing data.
Google’s Measurement Certification is a great place to start.
4. Prep your resume with your new basic skills
Once you have some basic skills and have completed one of the google ads certifications, it’s time to update your resume to reflect your new skillset!
Here’s a digital marketing resume template that you can use.
5. Apply your learnings: Find a paid position as a Google Ads Specialist
Where do Google Ads Specialists work?
Google Ads specialists typically work for advertising agencies, companies, or as freelancers.
You can use your updated resume and apply for paid internships, entry-level positions, or find freelance work through sites like craigslist and Upwork.
I recommend finding a paid internship that will allow you to continue to hone and build new skills while getting paid.
6. Continue to master Google Ads
The Google Ads platform is constantly changing and providing new features. To stay on top of everything, I recommend setting a Google alert to get a weekly recap email of any news articles related to Google Ads.
If you have followed the steps so far, you are probably certified in one component of Google Ads like Search. Next, continue to add to your skill set, learn other parts of Google Ads, and add to your certifications.
I currently work as a senior account manager for an advertising agency and I am certified in search, display, and shopping. Once you know these components in-depth, it’s much easier to pick up new skills related to anything in Google Ads.
FAQs:
How much do Google Ads Specialists make?
Google Ads specialists generally make anywhere from $35K – $85K per year. Entry-level and paid internship positions will pay toward the lower part of that range, and more skilled jobs will pay closer to the higher range.
What does a Google Ad specialist do?
They manage google ad campaigns to drive results based on a client’s or companies goals. In addition, they will set up campaigns and monitor performance to ensure they get the best return on investment.
Is being a google ads specialist worth it?
Yes, there is a lot of freedom being a Google Ads Specialist. You typically can work remotely and get to work with fun and exciting projects. In addition, any skills you learn can be applied to your own business or projects if you decide to take on an entrepreneurial endeavor.
Is Google Ads certification free?
Yes, it is completely free to take Google Ad certifications.
