If you are looking to increase your business’ exposure through online ads, you’ve probably heard of Google advertising services known as Adwords Express and Google Ads. If you are new to using Google Search ads, you may be confused as to what the difference between the two are. Sometimes it is hard to see which one would be most beneficial for your goals. This article will give you clear insight into both of the platforms so you can make an informed decision as to which one is best for you. We will explain the different ad formats and the difference between AdWords and AdWords Express.
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What is Google Ads?
Before we talk about the difference between the two advertising platforms, we need to make sure we understand what they are individually. Google Ads is the name of the advertising program offered by Google through its search engine and accompanying apps. The Google Ad program is meant to help businesses and marketing professionals connect with their target markets online. The goal is to make it easy and hassle free! Each business can then create and deliver valuable ads to both existing and potential customers. Google Ads also allows geofencing, which targets users based on their physical location and geographic area.
Google Ads history began 18 years ago when it was formally called Google AdWords. In those 18 years, technology has drastically changed and so have digital marketing and the people who use it. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you have an AdWords account. Mobile services have created an even bigger demand for products as consumers can find virtually anything with just a few taps of a button. In addition, people are constantly switching from one online activity to the next, from online shopping to streaming tv shows and movies or to playing online games.
It is safe to say that attention spans have shrunk dramatically. Due to the changes in online behavior, it was necessary for Google to launch Google Ads as a replacement. Google Ads has successfully evolved with the times by helping businesses reach customers beyond just organic traffic. This is done not only through the Google Search Engine, but through text and visual displays.
What is Adwords Express?
Now that we’ve covered Google Ads, let’s discuss Adwords Express. Adwords Express is a platform Google has created to make the advertising process simplified for small businesses and business owners with smaller budgets. It helps customers find your business through ads on Google Search and Google Maps.
Instead of spending hours of researching things like keywords and drafting up a strategy for your advertising campaigns, all that is needed in Adwords Express is for you to tell Google some basic information about your business and it takes care of the rest.
The purpose of Adwords Express is to make things a lot more simple for businesses. It is always hard when you’re just starting out with a marketing campaign. Adwords Express helps give a little bit more guidance.
What is The Difference Between AdWords Express and Google Ads?
Now, let’s compare Google Ads and Adwords Express to each other. What really are the differences? Well, you have to first take into account the fact that both Google Ads and Adwords Express allow you to show PPC ads in the Google Search Results page, Google Maps, and any other Google related sites and applications. So, the way the ads display are exactly the same between the two services.
In addition, both are paid traffic, meaning you only pay when a user clicks on your ad. They also both use geofencing marketing, which means they both use location data. This means your ads only appear in specific locations or to a particular target audience. The difference is the way the ads are created.
Simplicity and Time
Adwords express simplifies the ad making process, making it a lot less hands-on but less complicated to create. With that in mind, Adwords Express is ideal for businesses that want to start quickly. It is also great for those who are new to ad-making or less skilled at keyword research. These skills are required of people using Google Adwords.
Quick Setup
If you are short on time, your business would greatly benefit from Adwords Express’ quick set up time. Adwords Express also requires little management and upkeep. If you do choose to go the Adwords Express route, all you would need to do is set up a budget and create a text ad. Google will then create a list of keywords based on the ad you created. They also offer you a list of potential sites that are related to your ad that are potentially a great place to display them.
Control
Google AdWords is more of a time commitment, taking about 5-15 hours per week. This of course depends on the amount of ad campaigns you run, and how often you choose to tweak and manage them. The reason it takes so long is because the building and managing of the ads on Google AdWords is completely manual.
Google AdWords gives you a lot more control in that you can choose the keywords yourself, set bids, write text ads, create display ads, and manage scheduling. What’s more, Google AdWords provides a much more detailed report on the status of your campaigns, which keeps you in the loop and well informed.
Format
The format in which you would like to create your ads is also very important to consider. With Adwords Express, you would only be able to create text-only ads. Some businesses find this to be very limiting. Google AdWords, on the other hand, allows you to create video ads and mobile extensions that can help add more flavor, versatility, creativity, and allure. However, you can still make an ad enticing and appealing even if it is only in text format!
Placement
You might choose Adwords or Express based on location of where you want your ads displayed. Adwords Express allows your ads to show in Google Search results and Google Maps. The same is true with Google AdWords; however, Google AdWords can display video ads and ads in mobile extension formats.
This provides ample opportunity for your ads to display in a range of different places that text ads can’t. Google AdWords also allows your ads to display on Google’s Display Network partner sites, which allow greater visibility. Adwords Express has the feature “swell,” but only for those who are US-based.
Websites and Adwords Express
Whether or not you have a website can also determine what mode you choose. If your website is not up and running yet, Adwords Express would be your only option. You would simply create a local page with Google My Business and use that as the landing page for your ads. Even so, it is vital that you finish your website. Your website gives your business a home and allows your customers and you to interact.
Existing Websites
If you do already have a website, Google AdWords allows you to link to different pages on your site from different ads. This can be a tremendous advantage, especially if the ad puts a spotlight on specific products or services that your site offers. It can be great when you have a sale or a big promotion going on as well. In any case, it makes it a lot easier for the potential customer to find exactly what they’re looking for instead of redirecting to the homepage of your site.
AdWords Express vs. Google Ads: Which is Best For Me?
Are you wondering which option fits best with your business? It comes down to a number of factors: time, budget, experience, resources, and goals. If you’re a newer business with a smaller budget that is just trying to test the waters and determine what sort of marketing campaign would be the most advantageous , you may consider Adwords Express. It has no startup fee and allows you to give some of your ads a trial run before making the next move.
If you’re simply short on time, regardless of how new or old your business is, Adwords Express is also a great option because it takes care of the heavy lifting for you, providing you with keywords and sites that feature related topics. If you’re inexperienced in ad campaigns or digital marketing in general, Adwords Express can also be a great tool since it gives you the basic framework of a successful campaign. And if you do not have the resources or money to hire a professional, Adwords Express can feel like a virtual personal assistant to help you reach your basic goals.
Take Your Business to the Next Level
Now, if you’re trying to take your business to the next level, Google AdWords may work best for you. Even though it is a lot more time and effort, you are able to create a much more thorough breakdown of keywords, tweak more campaign settings, create ads of different types such as video ads and ads that appear on mobile extensions, and get much more exposure through Google’s Display Network.
Google AdWords works with your website, allowing people to easily find the pages your ads are referring through by providing easy links. In addition, Google AdWords provides detailed reporting on how your campaign is doing so you can adjust your strategy, location targeting and ad creation as needed.
It offers a lot more control, which helps you tune your campaign more closely with your business goals. And if you are able to hire an agency to take care of keyword research or perhaps you have done extensive research yourself, you are able to put it to good use through the features of Google AdWords. At the end of the day, if you are looking to create ads that can more easily control, manage, update and reach a wider variety of people, Google AdWords is the best option for you.
FAQs
- What is Adwords Express?
- Why should I use Adwords Express?
- Should I use Adwords Express for my business?
- Can I use Adwords Express on my website?
- What is Google Ads?
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