Businesses spend thousands of dollars on text ads to appear at the top of Google. They’re are a proven form of marketing which has stood the test of time for businesses large and small.

And rightly so. Currently, there is no form of advertising which is as efficient at understanding what a customer actually wants than the customer telling you, right there and then, in their own words, exactly what they want.

No guesswork. No wondering. No reading between the lines. Customers are literally telling you, right there and then, what they want. And businesses can offer, right there and then, a solution.

It’s a match made in heaven. And it works a dream for many businesses.

But Can Google Ads Work For My Business?

A much better question, but once again, a very simple answer. All you need for Google Ads to work are 4 essential elements – earth, air, fire, and water.

Keep each element in balance, and Google Ads can be incredibly effective. But take one away, and prepare for Google Ads failure 🙁

Do you have all 4 elements? Do you have everything you need for Google Ads to work? Is your weak link Google Ads? Or is your broken website and your lack of measurement more to blame?

1. Earth

The natural demand for your product or service. The number of people who actually want your product or service. Demand with all marketing removed. The value you add as a business, your genuine point of difference. The reason customers choose you and not your competitor.

Take away earth… and there is no demand. Perhaps and outdated product or service which is no longer relevant in 2019. A change in consumer values, a change in government grants. A new competitor on the block, a lowering of prices. A disruption which redefines your industry. A change of tastes, habits, fashions. Fewer people desiring the product you offer. Lower macro demand, your industry taking a downturn. Even the most stunning website (fire), highly-targeted Google Ads strategy (air), and excellent data collection (water) will struggle to fix a business in a declining industry.

Does your business have Earth?

2. Fire

Your website, branding, design and content. The spark which ignites, engages, turns visitor into sales. Your logo, intuitive layout, and responsive scaling of text and images. Videos which excite, articles which inspire, artwork which motivates. The shiny reception at your office, the sales display at your store, the stylish real estate broker at your agency. The hair and make-up, your best foot forward. The great first impression, the showcase of strength. The desire to portray the best your business has to offer.

Take away fire… and the result is apathy. Lethargy and indifference. Boredom and lack of focus. There is strong demand for your product or service (earth), and people are arriving at your website (air). But your website fails to impress. Pages take an eternity to load, fonts are inconsistent, images are poor quality, and website text uninspiring. Potential customers are right there, on your website, right now, but they don’t bother getting in touch. They’re put off with your website, get distracted, and go elsewhere to your competitor. All that hard work with Google Ads, all that keyword research, all those tailored ad messages. Wasted. Because of your poor website experience. Such a shame after investing so much in Google Ads 🙁

Does your business have Fire?

3. Air

The arrival of people to your website. From Google Ads and other sources. The movement of visitors from one page to the next. The reading of your content, product, services, and about page. Visitors sharing, returning, engaging with your website. The movement of people across your website as they consider and interact with your business.

Take away air… and no-one comes to the party. Your shiny new website (fire) receives no traffic. People out there want your product or service (earth), but they just can’t find you. They’re searching Google and you don’t come up. Customers have a need and you can’t fill it. Your new shop just sits there, waiting for that elusive customer to arrive. You have the systems to measure (water), but there’s nothing to measure. There’s no foot traffic, no movement no people, no consideration your business. Your business just sits there, waiting… bit of a shame really after all that hard work 🙁

Does your business have Air?

4. Water

The flowing of data. The words and numbers captured as visitors engage with your business. The Google Analytics data, the search queries from Google Ads, the database of customer emails. The goals and targets, the key performance indicators, the measures of success. The linking of one dataset to another. The measurement, testing, analysis, and optimisation. The mining of spreadsheets. The machine learning of insights. The science behind the art.

Take away water… and there’s no focus. Your website (fire) and Google Ads campaigns (air) are probably performing OK, but since you’re not measuring, there’s no way of knowing. You’re making some sales, so people must want what you’re offering (earth), but it’s anyone’s guess where these sales are coming from. Strategy? What strategy? Admit it, you’re winging it. You overreact, make decisions on impulse, become scatter-brained. Revenue is coming in, and you’re scraping by. But what about next month? Next year? Anxiety follows, and the worries just continue.

Does your business have Water?

You’re Only As Strong As Your Weakest Link

For Google Ads to work (Air), you need natural demand (Earth), an engaging website (Fire), and a process to measure and refine (Water).

Success with Google Ads requires a delicate balance – a symbiotic relationship where each element supports each other. Keep each in balance, and reap the benefits. But take one away, and prepare for Google Ads failure.

No Google Ads strategy can fix a broken website. Nor can any website fix a declining indusry. And neither is possible without a sense of direction.

Can Google Ads Work For Your Business?

Of course. Google Ads can be incredibly effective, and transform your business. But only with an engaging website, natural demand, and a desire to measure and refine.

Which element is your business lacking? What’s your weakest link? Is it Google Ads, or is it something else?

If you believe Google Ads is the problem, get in touch today for a free 2-day analysis. You’ll be amazed with what’s possible with Google Ads.