Using Google Ads to Strengthen Google My Business: A Complete Guide

In today’s increasingly digital business world, having a strong online presence is crucial. Google My Business (GMB) and Google Ads are two powerful tools that help boost a business’s visibility on the world’s largest search engine. But is it possible to combine both platforms to achieve maximum results? Absolutely! This article will discuss how to use Google Ads to strengthen Google My Business and optimize digital marketing strategies.

What is Google My Business?

Before delving deeper into the relationship between Google Ads and Google My Business, let’s first understand what Google My Business is. Google My Business is a free tool provided by Google to help businesses manage and promote their profiles in Google search results and Google Maps. With GMB, businesses can display important information such as their name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and customer reviews.

Google My Business helps businesses become more discoverable by customers searching for similar products or services, especially in local areas. For example, if someone searches for a restaurant in a specific city or region, the search results will show businesses that have confirmed and optimized their GMB profiles.

If you’re still unfamiliar with how to set up a Google Ads campaign for your business, consider reading A Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up a New Google Ads Campaign for a deeper dive into creating your first Google Ads campaign.

What is Google Ads?

Google Ads, on the other hand, is a paid advertising platform that allows businesses to display ads in Google search results, YouTube, and various websites within the Google network. With Google Ads, businesses can target audiences based on the keywords they search for, location, device used, and more.

Google Ads is a highly effective tool to reach customers actively searching for the products or services a business offers, especially if the business wants to increase its visibility quickly and efficiently. By setting an ad budget, businesses can gain greater exposure without having to wait too long.

If you’re interested in learning more about managing multiple Google Ads accounts effectively, check out Managing Multiple Ad Accounts with Google Ads Manager: Tips and Tricks for helpful tips.

How to Link Google Ads with Google My Business

Now, let’s discuss how to link Google Ads with Google My Business to enhance your business marketing results. Using both tools together provides many advantages, especially for businesses aiming to stand out in local search.

1. Optimize Google My Business

The first step before using Google Ads to strengthen GMB is to ensure that the information on your GMB profile is complete and accurate. Make sure the address, phone number, hours of operation, and business category are filled in correctly. Additionally, don’t forget to request reviews from satisfied customers, as positive reviews can help improve your business’s credibility.

If you’re unsure how to set up and optimize your Google Ads account for better performance, you might find Complete Guide on How to Create a New Google Ads Account for Beginners useful.

2. Set Up an Ad Campaign in Google Ads

After optimizing your GMB profile, the next step is to create an ad campaign in Google Ads. Here’s a guide for setting up a campaign:

• Step 1: Log in to your Google Ads account and click on “+ New Campaign”.
• Step 2: Choose your campaign goal. To improve local visibility, select “Leads” or “Website Traffic”.
• Step 3: Choose the campaign type. Select “Search Campaign” to have your ads appear in Google search results.
• Step 4: Choose your target location. For example, if it’s a local restaurant, select the geographical area where the business operates.
• Step 5: Set your daily budget and cost-per-click (CPC) bid that fits your budget.
• Step 6: Create your ads with engaging text, including key information like promotions or unique business features.

For those looking for advanced tips on analyzing ad data and optimizing performance, How to Download Google Ads Reports Easily: A Complete Guide to Analyzing Ad Data is a great resource.

3. Use “Location Extensions” in Google Ads

Location Extensions is a feature in Google Ads that allows you to display information from Google My Business, such as your address and phone number, in your ads. This feature is especially useful for local businesses. Here’s how to enable it:

• Step 1: After logging into your Google Ads account, select the campaign you’ve created.
• Step 2: In the left-hand menu, click on “Ads & Extensions” and select “Extensions”.
• Step 3: Click the plus (+) icon and choose “Location Extension”.
• Step 4: Select the Google My Business account you want to link to the ad. Ensure that your GMB profile is verified and up to date.
• Step 5: Save the settings, and your ads will now show your business’s address in the search results.

By enabling Location Extensions, your ads will make it easier for potential customers to find your business location directly.

4. Target Audiences Based on Location

Google Ads allows advertisers to target audiences based on geographic location. Targeting people near your business will increase the relevance of your ads and attract more customers in that area. Here are the steps:

• Step 1: On the campaign creation page in Google Ads, select “Locations” under “Settings”.
• Step 2: Choose the geographical area you want to target. This could be a country, city, or a specific radius around your business address.
• Step 3: Set the desired reach. For a local business like a café or store, selecting a 10-15 km radius around your business location might be ideal.
• Step 4: Click “Save” and move on to the next settings.

By targeting location, your ads will only show to people within a relevant geographical area.

5. Using Google My Business Reviews in Ads

Leveraging reviews from Google My Business in your ads can boost credibility and trust among your audience. This is a great way to take advantage of existing customer testimonials. Here’s how to do it:

• Step 1: Ensure your business has plenty of positive reviews on Google My Business.
• Step 2: In your Google Ads campaign settings, add a section to display testimonials or reviews in your ads.
• Step 3: Choose the most relevant and positive 5-star reviews. Reviews mentioning your product or service’s strengths can have a greater impact.
• Step 4: Feature these reviews as part of your ad copy or use them in image or video ads.

By showing reviews, your ads can grab the attention of more customers looking for recommendations or positive feedback before making a decision.

6. Measure and Optimize Performance

Once the campaign is running, it’s important to monitor and analyze the performance of your ads to optimize the results. Here are some steps for measuring performance and optimizing your ads:

• Step 1: Use Google Ads to view metrics like click-through rate (CTR), cost-per-click (CPC), and conversions resulting from the ads.
• Step 2: Analyze ads that are performing poorly and make adjustments to the ad copy, targeting, or budget to improve performance.
• Step 3: If ads are getting a lot of clicks but few conversions, try changing the landing page or optimizing the offer.
• Step 4: Use the “A/B Testing” feature to test different ad variations and choose the best-performing one.

By consistently measuring performance and optimizing campaigns based on the data, businesses can improve ad effectiveness and achieve better results.

For more on how to improve the efficiency of your ad campaigns and understand your data, How to Use Google Ads Offer Codes for Discounts and Free Credits: A Simple Guide for Beginners can be a valuable read.

Benefits of Combining Google Ads and Google My Business

Using Google Ads to support Google My Business offers many advantages. Here are a few:

• Improved Local Visibility: Linking these two platforms helps businesses stand out in local search results and attract customers looking for similar products or services in a specific area.
• Increased Conversions: By displaying relevant information like address, phone number, and reviews directly in your ads, businesses can increase conversion rates because potential customers can easily find and contact them.
• Budget Control: Google Ads allows businesses to set daily budgets, so you don’t have to worry about overspending. This provides flexibility to run cost-effective ad campaigns.
• Reaching the Right Audience: Google Ads enables businesses to target audiences based on location, devices, and keywords, making ads more relevant and increasing the likelihood of clicks.

Conclusion

Using Google Ads to support Google My Business is a smart step to increase visibility and attract more customers, especially for businesses operating in local areas. By utilizing features like Location Extensions and targeting local audiences, businesses can improve their chances of being discovered by customers searching for their products or services.

Moreover, the integration of Google Ads and Google My Business allows businesses to leverage customer reviews, display important information directly in ads, and measure campaign performance to ensure optimal results. So, if you want to expand your business’s online reach, combining both tools is a highly recommended strategy.

For businesses looking for more advanced tips, check out Why You Need a Google PPC Agency for Your Online Business to learn about the benefits of working with a professional agency for managing your paid search campaigns.