Getting your business on Google’s first page is no simple task. Search Engine Optimisation should be your first attempt at this goal, but it won’t give you overnight results, with SEO sometimes taking up to 12 months to start doing its job.
Also, theoretically, it should be much easier to get a great SEO score for a niche product or business, seeing as you’ll have much less competition. But what if you’re in an industry where there are loads of similar businesses in your city?
How do you cut through the competition while waiting for your SEO investment to start paying off? The answer is simple. You pay for your spot on Google’s first page of search results.
At Eksklusief, we have one of the best Google guys in town! Well, technically not in town, as he’s currently doing his magic either from Morocco or one of our favourite South African towns, Clarence.
Michael is truly a specialist in the field, with a realistic, straightforward approach to Google Ads. He’s honest about the fact that Google Ads isn’t for every industry and won’t make any false promises. He’s also hands-on, monitors all our accounts daily and believes in prompt communication.
The most common question we get asked about Google Ads is, “What should my Google Ads budget be?”. The answer to this question can vary wildly, being influenced by several factors, including your goal, the number of products or services, target locations and campaign types, whether text-based, image-based or using videos.
If you have no idea what any of this means, fear not. We can advise on the best way forward for your business, which is usually a combination of strategies to test and find the best approach. There are no one-size-fits-all answers, but below is an example to give you an idea of how you can set an estimated budget.
We find it best to start with the end in mind, firstly asking yourself how many leads you ideally need in a month. Secondly, we need to estimate the cost per click by using Google’s Keyword Planner for estimated volumes, which determines costs per click. The average is based on the amount of competition your keywords will have. Finally, you have to estimate the conversion rate of traffic to your website or landing page. This can range based on the industry, website’s design, value and cost of the product or service you’re advertising. Estimating the cost per click and conversion rate won’t be necessary if you already have the data from running Google Ads and for new accounts, you’ll get a rough idea within a few weeks.
Consider the following example:
- 50 leads per month
- Estimating a cost per click of R20.00
- Estimating a conversion rate of 10%.
To get 50 leads at a conversion rate of 10%, we would need 500 clicks. If the cost per click is R20.00, then the estimated budget would be R10,000.00. If we could increase the conversion rate from 10% to 20% (with a better landing page or more attractive offer, for example) then only half the budget would be needed to get 50 leads, or the same budget could get double the leads.
But with all of this in mind, consider our unlimited budget philosophy. If you found an ATM that allowed you to put R10.00 in and then get R20.00 out, would you stop putting in tens? Probably only until you get 10.00 or less back right?
Google Ads can work the same as long as these two points remain true:
- You’re getting quality leads and making a profit.
- You’re able to handle the leads, both in follow-up times and in being able to do the actual work for the leads that become sales.
If you are making a profit and able to handle more leads, why would you put a limit on the budget? That’s worth pondering!
Let’s get your business on Google’s first page!
