How to Use Google Ads to Drive Prospects to Your Solar Website

Striking a balance between paid and non-paid techniques of increasing traffic to your website and obtaining awareness for your company is common in digital solar marketing. For many solar contractors, this entails employing successful techniques for reaching out to their ideal customers and properly managing their funds.

We've looked at a variety of efficient marketing methods that contractors can employ to get the best results in this Aurora Solar series. We've talked about how important digital solar marketing is, as well as how to build an effective website, choose keywords, and Google-optimize your site. In addition, the series has looked at how to use social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram into your solar marketing approach. In this post, we'll show you how solar contractors can successfully use Google Ads, a paid digital marketing platform.

Google Ads is a bidding mechanism for marketers that want their ads to show in Google's search results and on websites. Google Ads is used by businesses as part of their digital marketing strategy since it allows them to meet people where they shop. “When consumers go to Google...they're actively hunting for something to buy,” says online marketing guru Neil Patel. By typing out terms surrounding your items and services, customers are basically telling you what they want to buy.”

With 246 million unique visitors and 3.5 billion daily interactions, Google's platform allows you to access a huge audience. Paid Google advertisements receive 65 percent of clicks, while Display Ads, which show on webpages, generate 180 million impressions every month. On average, a business makes $8 in profit for every $1 it spends on Google Ads. Furthermore, a number of solar companies use them to promote their services, which means that even if your contracting company ranks organically for a Google search phrase, those results will be pushed down the page, below your paying competitors.

This article discusses Google Ads methods that are both effective and high-performing. There are a few basic practices to remember in order to make your Google Ads campaigns a successful element of your overall digital marketing plan. We look at methods and procedures that can help solar contractors improve their paid advertising and get more solar leads.

What is Google Ads and how does it work?

Google Ads, formerly known as Google Adwords, is a paid advertising platform that employs pay-per-click (PPC) as a marketing channel. It differs from organic, or unpaid, search results that lead to website visits. Google Adverts shows your ads to potential prospects in search results or on websites. You and other advertisers make bids on specific search terms, and if you win, your ad appears on specific websites or at the top of the search results page for the ad type you selected.

You can choose to pay a price each time your ad is clicked (pay-per-click or PPC) or pay a price after your ad has been displayed 1,000 times (cost per 1,000 impressions or CPM). In the end, you want to develop the most effective ad campaign possible in order to get the most hits for your money and enhance your chances of getting new solar leads.

Before you create your Google Ads, there are a few things you should do.

Prior to developing actual ad content, there are a few measures you can do to improve your chances of bringing traffic to your website and converting those visitors.

Check to see if your website is up to date

Over time, Google Ads can be costly. Depending on the type of ad you employ, each visitor that clicks through from one of your advertisements could cost you anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars. At the time this article was written, the cost per click for the nationwide search "solar installers near me" ranged from $5 to $27. Make sure your company website is set up in a way that efficiently guides visitors through the sales process after they arrive at one of your web pages via an ad to make the investment worthwhile.

When a prospect clicks on an ad, they should be taken to a specific page, or landing page, on your website that clearly directs them to take a specific action. That should be in line with the message of the advertisement. If your ad mentions commercial solar panels, for example, refer the user to that page on your site rather than the homepage. Make sure you have a clear call-to-action for them, such as requesting that they input their contact information in order to download a related resource, such as a case study. Your marketing or sales staff can then follow up with them.

Determine who you want to reach

You must first identify your prospective purchasers in order to produce relevant adverts that engage your prospects. Use information about their interests, concerns, buying behaviors, and demographics to create numerous buyer personas, or sample buyer profiles, to target. Owners of mid-sized auto dealers in San Diego, for example, or 30-45 year old married women with children in a certain set of zip areas with a family income of at least $120,000 per year, are examples. Defining your buyer personas allows you to select ad text that is most relevant to their demands and search habits.

Select the most effective ad formats

Depending on your budget and objectives, you can choose from a variety of ad kinds. Search Advertising are text ads that appear among the results on a Google search results page and can be effective because most people start their search there. In Search Ads, you select the keyword search results that your ad will appear next to, such as "request a solar panel quote."

You can also design a responsive search ad by entering numerous headlines and ad copy, and Google will show you the top performers. Because they target people who are actively looking for solar panels, search ads have a high conversion rate, which is beneficial if you have a limited budget.

Display Ads are typically image-based and appear on websites in the Google Display Network, which is a collection of websites that enable Google Ads to be displayed on their pages. Because you may target sites based on demographic data, websites, online interests, or display terms, it can be a terrific way to get your material in front of your buyer personas.

Display Ads can provide your brand greater visibility, resulting in higher search volume for your company. YouTube video ads, which can be programmed to target like Display Ads, can be any duration, though videos less than three minutes in duration are recommended.

Display and video advertising are both great for employing a tracking pixel to show adverts to those who have already visited your website. Retargeting with Display Ads is a good method to keep solar — and your unique firm — top-of-mind, especially given the sometimes lengthy sales process for solar.

Choose the appropriate keywords

Make careful to use specific and tested words for your Search Ads before you start writing the actual ad content. Bid on keywords, search words, and phrases that are similar to the search terms used by your target purchasers in a query.

Google matches your ad with search queries depending on keywords you select, and if your keywords are too broad, Google will not show your ad to the appropriate consumers. Google Keyword Planner, MOZ Keyword Explorer, and SEMRush are some of the tools that can help you find the best keywords.

Your keywords should be tested and adjusted. Examine which keywords are generating clicks and experiment with adding, removing, and modifying phrases until you achieve the best click rate. In a campaign, each ad group should target one to five keywords. When it comes to keyword selection, having four match types to pick from is a successful method because it allows you to choose how closely the search query should match your keywords. You can start with a broad match and narrow it down as you learn more about what produces the greatest outcomes. “Best solar in Davis, CA,” for example, may match broadly for “solar Davis,” “solar,” or “best solar,” or it may match those phrases specifically in that sequence.

Create a tracking system

Using Google's reporting tools, it helps to have the right tracking and analytics in place to ensure that your ad campaign is providing results. To track, evaluate, and report on ad performance, connect Google Analytics to your Google Ads campaigns. Conversion Tracking gathers data about the number of customers acquired from ad campaigns, removing the guesswork when evaluating campaign effectiveness. Urchin Tracking Module codes tell you which ads lead to conversions, and Conversion Tracking gathers data about the number of customers acquired from ad campaigns, removing the guesswork when evaluating campaign effectiveness. You may then utilize all of this information to evaluate ad effectiveness and make adjustments based on the results.

Creating Google Ads that are engaging

Your advertisements should speak to your target audience by complementing their search intent. It is beneficial to concentrate ad wording on what sets your company apart from competition. This could be due to your punctuality and professionalism, the fact that you are the only LG solar panel dealer in the area, or the fact that you are on the Solar Power World Top Solar Contractors list. Your headline and ad language should match the keywords you're bidding on and should provide solutions to your prospects' problems, such as high summer electric bills or pressure to cut operating costs.

Keep your ad copy short and sweet so you can get your message through quickly and effectively. If you're targeting commercial building managers who are struggling with high operating costs, the ad headline could be something like "Lower Your Overhead with Solar Power" or "Solar Panels for Your Business," with a description that starts with "Go solar to offset your building's high electricity bill." 100% of your electricity is covered...” If you're targeting retirees in the suburbs, you may employ wording that emphasizes saving money and helping the environment.

Ad extensions, which are free extra information you may add to your ads, can be utilized to boost interaction. Include a link to a specific page with a description such as "Commercial Solar" or "Financing Information" on the site. Under the headline, include your sales phone number, a location listing for your showroom so the consumer can map it, or a special promotional offer.

When writing your commercials, researching the competition's advertising will help you figure out what works and how to set your firm apart. It's what Neil Patel refers to as competition intelligence: looking at your competitors' historical data to discover what ads they've run in the past.

Consider the Ad Rank and Quality Score

When it comes to designing your overall Google Ads strategy, Ad Rank and Quality Score are crucial. The way Google evaluates your ad position and whether or not your advertising are eligible to be seen is referred to as Ad Rank. It's partly determined by the highest offer you're ready to spend for a click on your ad. As a result, you can consider giving the utmost amount that matches your budget and objectives. You have the option of using automated bidding, in which Google adjusts your bids for you, or manual bidding, in which you select the bid amount yourself.

Google's analysis of the performance of your ads is called Quality Score, and it helps establish your Ad Rank. It is calculated using an ad's click through rate, which is the number of clicks received as a percentage of the number of views received. The relevancy of your keywords and ad language, the call-to-action in relation to the searcher, and the quality of the page the ad takes them to are other factors. A landing page that leads to the intended action is referred to as "quality."

“If done correctly, Google Ads has a positive reinforcement effect,” says Patel, “but your landing page must convert.” While a better Ad Rank can be obtained by spending more money, a high Quality Score is a solid indication of how well your advertising are performing.

These tactics aid solar companies in creating a Google Ads campaign that generates clicks and converts solar leads. When you initially start out, it's a good idea to stick to a minimal budget and only run a few simple ads to acquire a feel for the platform. With patience, persistence, and a well-thought-out strategy, you may find that incorporating Google Ads into your solar marketing efforts generates a significant amount of high-quality traffic — and hence more business.