For many companies, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is the most successful marketing channel. This is because it has a relatively lower cost per acquisition and often brings in more valuable leads. However, Google Ads is not to be taken lightly by beginners, as it requires constant learning and refining. You cannot think of it as a “set-it-and-forget-it” campaign, as much as you would like to.Â
If you are using a Google Ads marketing strategy you will need to understand how Google itself learns about your Google Ads account. It can be difficult to manoeuvre in Google Ads if you are not aware of how it works. For a time, Google will be “learning” your account and seeing what works best for your account. If you are a beginner at Google Ads, keep reading below for some helpful information.Â
The Google Algorithm
One important aspect of using Google Ads is the Google Algorithm, which has changed significantly over the years. It looks at search intent, which means that Google looks at more than just the words that people use to search for something. It also considers the intent of the search, taking into account the location of the user as well as their previous search history.Â
Google varies their search results in order to improve their service, which means that no two search results will be the same. It is because of this that it is nearly impossible t have the same two search results for different devices, time-zones, or even geographical locations even if people are searching for the same keywords. This algorithm will have an effect on your organic search results but will not usually affect your Google Ads, as you have paid for these spots.Â
Google Is Learning Your Account
One reason why you might find that your business is not appearing for every keyword you search for is that Google is “learning” your account. What this means is that Google is looking at what is the best strategy for your particular account. This might mean that you are appearing for some keywords and not others during particular searches.Â
Your search results will stabilise after a while, once Google has discovered the best plan of action for your account. While it is true that you have control over your account, Google is constantly learning and experimenting, which means that there might be some differences in search results from time to time. Understanding what works for your account is one of the functions of Google Ads and one of its major benefits.Â
Why Do Google Ads Appear?
If you have been performing any form of digital marketing strategy, you will know how important keywords are for any search results. The reason why your ads will appear in the search results is that you will have bid on keywords that are relevant to your business. Your bids will be based on how much you are willing to pay for a user to click on your ad.Â
This bid will be combined with a Quality Score that is assigned by Google after calculating the quality of your proposed advertisement. Google will then decide on which advertisement will appear on their search results pages. Your Quality score is based on several factors, including how relevant your ad is to the search query, the relevance of your keyword to the Google ad keyword group, whether your ad and landing page correspond, as well as your account performance history. This is part of Google “learning” your account.Â
What Is The Learning Period?
Once you have made changes to your bidding strategy based on collecting and analysing data, it will take some time for Google Ads to gather information in order to optimise your ads. This will usually happen if you are using an automated smart bidding strategy but be prepared to deal with an algorithmic learning period during the start of your Google Ads campaign.Â
The bidding strategies that will usually incur a learning period include the target CPAs (cost-per-acquisition), maximise conversions options, and the enhanced CPC (cost-per-click) setting. This learning period will usually last for about one week after the last significant change to your Google Ads account. This might seem like an inefficient method of improving campaigns but it is highly effective.Â
Why Does The Learning Period Happen?
The auction system on Google Ads is built using machine learning systems. This means that, while it needs the Quality Score and bid in order to determine where and when your ad will appear in the search results, it also needs to understand what delivers results that you are looking for.Â
The algorithm needs time to work with this signal in order to understand what is driving results. In a sense, it is digesting this new information and learning how this can be used to gain results. If you would like to start or improve on your Google Ads efforts, contact NetMechanic to find out what packages we can offer you.Â
