When someone searches for a service or product on Google, the first few results they see are often paid advertisements. These are Google Ads, sometimes still called AdWords. They allow businesses to appear at the top of Google when potential customers are actively looking for what they offer.
For small business owners in Hobart, Geelong and Australia-wide, this creates a powerful opportunity. Instead of waiting for customers to find you by chance, Google Ads places your business in front of people at the exact moment they are searching. Whether someone needs a plumber, a mechanic, building supplies or a specific product, Google Ads gives you the ability to show up at the right time.
What Google Ads is and why it matters
Google Ads is an online advertising platform where businesses bid to have their ads shown in Google’s search results and across other websites. When someone clicks the ad, the business pays a fee. That is why it is called PPC marketing (pay-per-click marketing).
Unlike traditional advertising such as print or radio, Google Ads allows you to reach people who are already looking for what you offer. That intent makes it extremely powerful for local businesses in Hobart and Geelong.
At GOOP Digital, we manage Google Ads campaigns that focus on real outcomes. Not just clicks, but phone calls, quote requests and sales.
An overview of the main types of Google Ads
Google Ads is not just one single advertisement format. It includes different campaign types designed for different goals.
The main types are:
- Search ads
- Display remarketing ad
- Shopping ads
- Performance Max ads
- YouTube ads
Each plays a different role in helping businesses generate enquiries and sales. When structured correctly, they work to build awareness, capture demand and bring customers back.
Search ads explained
Search ads are text ads that appear at the top of Google when someone types in a search. They look similar to regular search results but are marked as sponsored.
For example, if someone in Geelong searches “blocked drain plumber”, a plumbing business running Google Ads marketing can appear at the top of the page.
Because these ads appear when someone is actively searching, they are often the highest intent form of PPC advertising available.
How search ads actually work
While search ads look simple on the surface, there is a lot happening behind the scenes, and the setup is only the beginning.
First, we research and select keywords (the words and phrases people type into Google). Choosing the right keywords is critical. Too broad, and you pay for irrelevant clicks. Too narrow, and you miss opportunities.
Next, we structure campaigns carefully. This includes:
- Grouping similar services together
- Writing highly relevant ads for each group
- Setting geographic targeting (so you only pay for clicks within outside your service area)
- Adding negative keywords (search terms we do not want to show for)
- Tracking conversions (form submissions, phone calls, quote requests and purchases.)
Google runs a live auction every time someone searches. Your position depends on:
- Your bid (how much you are willing to pay per click)
- Your ad relevance
- The quality of your landing page
Once the campaign is live, Google starts collecting data immediately. This is where professional Google Ads management becomes especially valuable, because performance changes constantly based on competition, customer behaviour, and even seasonal demand.
Simply increasing your budget does not guarantee better results. A well-structured account with strong relevance often outperforms poorly structured campaigns that spend more.
Why professional management matters for search ads
Ongoing management includes:
- Reviewing the actual search terms people typed before clicking (to reduce wasted spend)
- Adjusting budgets and bids to focus spend on the best-performing services
- Improving ads over time so they generate more clicks from the right customers
- Testing different messages to increase enquiries without increasing cost
- Monitoring results and making changes before money is wasted
This is also where we often see small businesses lose money when campaigns are not professionally managed. Common issues include:
- Targeting the wrong keywords (so the ads attract the wrong kind of customer)
- Paying for irrelevant clicks that never turn into enquiries
- Poor location targeting
- Using broad match keywords without proper negative keyword controls (which can attract completely unrelated searches)
- No clear conversion goals defined before launching campaigns
- Campaigns left running without review, even when results are dropping
- Not testing different ad variations, meaning performance plateaus
This is why search campaigns rarely perform at their best if they are set up once and left alone. Without regular optimisation, costs can rise, leads can drop, and your budget can be eaten up by clicks that do not turn into customers.
At GOOP Digital, our PPC management focuses on making sure your ads continue to improve over time, so you get more value out of the same advertising spend.
Display remarketing ads explained
Display remarketing ads are visual banner ads shown to people who have already visited your website.
This is called remarketing (showing ads to past website visitors). It is sometimes referred to as PPC remarketing because you still pay when someone clicks.
Remarketing works because most customers do not make a decision the first time they visit a website.
How remarketing actually works
Remarketing relies on audience lists created through website tracking. These lists can be segmented based on behaviour.
For example:
- Visitors who viewed a specific service page
- Visitors who added a product to cart but did not purchase
- Visitors who spent more than a certain amount of time on the site
This segmentation is where professional PPC management becomes critical.
Instead of showing the same ad to everyone, we tailor messaging to different audiences. Someone who abandoned a cart should see a different message than someone who simply browsed.
We also control frequency, budget allocation and audience exclusions to avoid overexposure or wasted spend.
Why professional management matters for remarketing
Without careful setup, remarketing ads can become repetitive and ineffective.
Common mistakes include:
- Showing the same generic ad to all visitors
- Not excluding customers who have already converted
- Running ads too frequently and creating ad fatigue
- Failing to measure assisted conversions (customers who return later)
We also commonly see remarketing underperform when traffic is being sent to the wrong pages in the first place. For example:
- Sending traffic to poorly designed landing pages, where people quickly leave
- No clear conversion goals defined, so the campaign is optimised for clicks instead of actions
When structured properly, remarketing ads significantly improve overall campaign performance by increasing conversion rates and lowering cost per acquisition.
For small businesses in Hobart, Geelong and Australia-wide, this can mean turning previously lost website visitors into paying customers without increasing your overall advertising budget.
Shopping ads explained
Shopping ads are visual ads that show a product image, price and business name directly in Google’s search results.
They are especially powerful for e-commerce businesses because customers can see exactly what is being sold before clicking.
How shopping ads actually work
Shopping ads do not rely on keywords in the same way search ads do. Instead, they depend on a detailed product feed uploaded to Google through Google Merchant Center.
This feed includes:
- Product titles
- Descriptions
- Pricing
- Images
- Categories
The quality of this feed heavily influences performance. Professional Google Ads management ensures that:
- Product data is optimised for visibility
- High-margin products receive appropriate budget focus
- Campaigns are structured strategically
- Performance is monitored and refined
Why professional management matters for shopping ads
Shopping campaigns can look automated, but without proper oversight, they often underperform.
Through structured PPC marketing and continuous optimisation, we ensure shopping ads align with profitability, not just traffic.
For retailers in Geelong, Hobart and across Australia, that means better cost control and stronger return on investment.
Performance Max (PMax) ads explained
Performance Max ads (often shortened to PMax) are a newer type of Google Ads campaign that allows your ads to show across multiple Google platforms at once.
This can include:
- Google Search
- Google Shopping
- YouTube
- Google Display Network (websites that show Google ads)
- Gmail
- Google Discover (the news-style feed on mobile)
Instead of setting up separate campaigns for each platform, Performance Max combines them into one campaign and uses Google’s automation to decide where your ads should appear.
How Performance Max actually works
Performance Max campaigns rely heavily on Google’s automated systems. Rather than choosing every keyword manually, you provide Google with the building blocks, such as:
- Your business goals (leads, calls, online sales)
- Your budget
- Your products (if you sell online)
- Your advertising assets (headlines, descriptions, images and sometimes video)
- Audience signals (the type of people you want to reach)
Google then tests different combinations of ads and placements and works out where it can get the best results.
While this sounds simple, the quality of the inputs makes a major difference. If the campaign is fed poor information, unclear tracking, or weak creative, the results can be inconsistent and expensive.
Why professional management matters for Performance Max
Performance Max is often marketed as “easy” because it is automated. But in reality, it can waste budget quickly if it is not set up and managed properly.
Common issues can include:
- Google spending too much budget on low-quality traffic
- Poor tracking causing Google to optimise for the wrong outcomes
- Ads showing for irrelevant searches
- Weak images or messaging reducing performance
- Budget being directed to the wrong products or services
We also often see Performance Max struggle when:
- Tracking is not set up properly, so Google’s automation learns the wrong thing
- Campaigns overlap and compete against each other, which can drive up costs
- There are no clear conversion goals defined before launching, so results are inconsistent
- Campaigns are left running without review, which is when waste tends to build up
Ongoing management is also essential because Performance Max still needs regular improvements, including:
- Reviewing what is driving results and what is not
- Improving ad assets over time
- Refining audience signals
- Adjusting the strategy based on seasonality and performance trends
At GOOP Digital, we use Performance Max carefully and strategically. When it is set up properly, it can be an excellent way to scale results, especially for ecommerce businesses using Google Shopping ads.
YouTube (Video) ads explained
YouTube ads are video advertisements that appear on YouTube before, during, or alongside videos people are watching.
Most people have seen these ads even if they do not realise they are part of Google Ads.
Unlike search ads, YouTube ads are not triggered by someone actively searching for a service. Instead, they are shown based on the type of person watching, their interests, and the kind of content they are engaging with.
How YouTube ads actually work
YouTube ads are targeted using audiences (groups of people based on behaviour or interests).
For example, you can show your ads to people who:
- Are in your target area (Hobart or Geelong)
- Have visited your website before (remarketing)
- Are searching for services similar to yours
- Are interested in your business’ category
- Have watched similar videos recently
There are also different YouTube ad formats, such as:
- Skippable video ads (viewers can skip after a few seconds)
- Short bumper ads (very short ads, usually around 6 seconds)
- In-feed video ads (ads shown in search results or video recommendations)
The best YouTube campaigns are not just about running a video. They require the right targeting, the right message, and the right follow-up strategy to turn views into real customers.
Why professional management matters for YouTube ads
YouTube ads can be very effective, but they are also one of the easiest ad types to waste money on if the strategy is unclear.
Without expert PPC management, businesses often run YouTube ads and get:
- Lots of views but no leads
- Traffic that does not convert
- Poor targeting that reaches the wrong audience
- Weak video structure that people skip immediately
Professional setup ensures:
- The targeting matches your ideal customer
- Your ads stay within your service area
- Remarketing is included so people who watched can be brought back later
- Performance is measured properly (not just views, but enquiries and actions)
YouTube ads are especially valuable for businesses with a longer decision-making process, where customers often need to see and trust you before they call.
Why many small businesses struggle with Google Ads
Google Ads may look simple from the outside, but effective PPC management requires ongoing attention and expertise.
Common issues we see include:
- Targeting the wrong keywords
- Paying for irrelevant clicks
- Poor tracking setup
- No ongoing optimisation
- Campaigns left running without review
- Poor location targeting and geographic settings
- No clear conversion goals defined before launching campaigns
- Sending traffic to poorly designed landing pages
- Using broad match keywords without negative keyword controls
- Overlapping campaigns competing against each other
- Not testing different ad variations, so performance stalls
Without proper structure and management, advertising budgets can disappear quickly without delivering strong returns.
Why professional Google Ads management delivers better value
As a dedicated Ads agency and PPC agency serving Hobart, Geelong and the rest of Australia, we understand how to structure campaigns for performance.
Professional Google Ads management delivers value because:
- We reduce wasted spend
We carefully select and refine keywords so your ads reach the right audience. This minimises irrelevant clicks and improves return on investment. - We optimise continuously
PPC advertising is not a set and forget strategy. We monitor performance, adjust bidding strategies and refine targeting regularly to improve results over time. - We improve conversion rates
Through strategic remarketing and strong landing page alignment, we help turn more clicks into actual customers. - We provide clarity
Clear reporting allows you to see exactly how your campaigns are performing. You know what you are spending and what you are receiving in return.
Why choosing GOOP Digital is a smart business decision
At GOOP Digital, we provide specialised Ads management and PPC marketing for small businesses that want measurable growth.
We have an in-house Google Ads specialist with deep experience across search, shopping and remarketing campaigns. That level of expertise is not common among general marketing providers.
As a certified Google Partner, we meet Google’s standards for skill, performance and ongoing education. This ensures our strategies stay current as the platform evolves.
From a monetary perspective, professional PPC management protects your advertising budget. Instead of learning through costly mistakes, you invest in structured campaigns designed to generate enquiries and sales.
For small business owners in Hobart, Geelong and Australia-wide, that means:
- More qualified leads
- Better cost control
- Improved return on advertising spend
- Transparent reporting
- Flexibility without long term lock-in contracts
When managed correctly, Google Ads becomes an investment rather than an expense.
As a trusted PPC agency and Ads agency serving Hobart and Geelong, we focus on turning clicks into customers and advertising spend into measurable growth.
If you are ready to generate more business from Google, contact us. Our team at GOOP Digital is here to help.