Google AdWords for Small Business – Can online advertising grow your business?

Advertising on Google(or even Bing) is a great way to reach customers at the exact moment they’re looking for a business like yours. Here’s a jump-start overview on exactly what paid search is.
Paid search (also known as search engine marketing) can be such a valuable addition to your small business marketing toolbox. It allows you to place an online ad for your business at the top of search engine results pages when a customer is looking for the product and service you offer. Learning the ins and outs of paid search can be overwhelming, though, which is why our digital team is creating a series on paid search marketing for small businesses.
For the first post, let’s just get started with a super basic overview of what paid search is and what it can do for you.
What Is Paid Search?
Paid search refers to the ads placed at the top of a search engine results page. Search engines including Google and Bing allow companies to bid for paid placement for certain search terms related to their business. For example, if you’re the owner of a barber shop, you can pay to have your ad shown when customers in your area type “barber shop” into the search bar of their smartphone or computer search engine.
What Are the Benefits of Paid Search?
Paid search can be a valuable form of advertising because it meets customers where they already are—online! Paid search responds, in real time, to a customer’s immediate needs: You can show them an ad for a barber at the exact moment they are looking for someone to cut their hair or trim their beard. Other types of advertising like hanging signs, or passing out flyers, a commercial on the radio, a newspaper advertisement – this is just putting information in front of people and hoping it will distract them away from their current task (watching TV or reading the newspaper).
Paid search is different because the ads are only shown when someone types in the relevant keywords, indicating an interest in your business’ product or services.
If you’re a small business owner, you should look into paid search as a way to reach new customers! It might be magic for your business. In our next blog about online advertising for small businesses, we will discuss what online ads look like, the different types, and the best ways to get started!