What is Google AdWords?
Google AdWords used to be Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platform. How it worked was advertisers had to bid on the keywords they wanted to target for a chance to get their ads to appear on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) and any other websites that display Google ads as part of the Google network.
The beauty of the system is that advertisers only had to pay whenever someone actually clicks on their ad—that and the fact that their ads would appear in front of potential customers who are already searching for what the advertisers had to sell using the targeted keywords.
If you wish to know more about this topic, check out the FAQ page below:
Question #1: Is Google AdWords now called Google Ads?
Yes. Google AdWords is now called Google Ads. The change happened back in 2018 when Google decided to simplify the process of running Google ads across more platforms than ever before.
The process of creating an ad has also been streamlined and made more beginner friendly with its campaign setup wizard, allowing even small business owners who have very little digital advertising know-how to run advertising campaigns to grow their brand.
Do not worry if you are a more advanced user, though. The new Google Ads platform will still give you access to in-depth targeting and ad customisation options if you choose to forego the wizard, so you can create your campaigns exactly the way you want.
But that is not all. The new Google Ads platform also gives you access to analytics you can use to optimise your advertising campaigns for maximum ROI.
Question #2: Will it only appear if I am the highest bidder for a keyword?
Not necessarily. Your AdWords ads may still appear even if you are not the highest bidder for a keyword if Google sees them as the most relevant ones based on the keywords the user, well, used. This not only prevents advertisers with massive budgets from abusing the system by simply outspending everyone else but also ensures that users get only the most relevant search results at all times.
Question #3: Where do my AdWords ads appear?
Back in the day, AdWords ads only appeared in Google’s SERPs and on websites that are part of the Google network. These days, though, you can see Google ads pretty much everywhere you go. Aside from SERPs and websites, you will now also find them in apps, on the Google Play store, in the Shopping tab, in Google Maps, and even on YouTube.
Yes, you read that right. The YouTube ads you see are also made using the same Google Ads platform—which we will talk about in more detail in the next section.
Question #4: Can I use it to run ads on YouTube?
Yes, you can use the rebranded Google Adwords (Google Ads) to run YouTube ads. In fact, the platform offers you a host of in-depth targeting and campaign customisation options so you can run the perfect YouTube ads for virtually any (non-questionable, non-illegal) purpose you could think of.
Just like with search and display ads, the Google Ads platform lets you choose whether you want to use the campaign wizard to create your YouTube ads or do everything from scratch.
Either way, though, you will be able to create all types of YouTube ads using the same platform. The only difference is that doing everything without using the wizard presents you with more in-depth targeting options, allowing you to reach the exact customers you want to get in front of.
Also, if you have a YouTube channel yourself and want to run ads to promote your videos (or the channel itself), you can use the exact same Google Ads platform to create ads that would either appear on other YouTube videos or on YouTube’s search results pages.