What is search ads?

What is it? 

Search ads are displayed specifically on search engine results pages. Advertisements include text header, URL and short description. Also it can include ad extensions with additional information about advertisers. Users would see ads when they conduct specific searches.  

How does it work?

Let’s imagine that a user searches for “best delivery service in London”. While search results are loading, a system analyzes the user’s  inquiry, the user behavior, his interest and preferences, according to the target audience of advertisers (a delivery service) and chooses the relevant ad message for the user. Then a real-time auction is conducted, and winner ads would be displayed for the user in search results.  

As we speak about programmatic search ads, programmatic will show advertisements to the high-intent users with a high likelihood of conversion and with optimal bids (price) for an advertiser.

What goals can it help achieve?

Search ads allow brands to interact with users who have already been on the last part of their purchase journeys — purchase or repurchase. So these ads are one of the best choices for the down-sales funnel advertising to get conversions and leads. 

Targeting options 

It allows advertisers to target their audience by interest, behavior, devices and so on. One peculiarity — target by keywords. 

Payment model

CPC is one of the common payment models for search advertising. 

Benefits

• More visibility. Ads get your brand on the top of search engine results immediately. So it’s key to quickly getting in front of high-intent search users.
• More traffic. Search ads grab more users attention that leads to clicks on the link and website visitors. 
• Higher conversion rate. Since paid search ads target specific search queries, users who see it are already looking for a solution. They aren’t just surfing the web; rather, they are likely interested in evaluating brands’ products or services, either now or in the near future. Thus, they are more likely to convert and increase profit for brands.