Google Ads can be an extremely effective way to market your business. But how long should you run a google ads campaign? The answer isn’t as cut and dry as you might think. It depends on several factors, including your goals, budget, and industry competitiveness.
In general, though, you should plan on running your Google Ads campaign for at least 90 days. This will give you enough time to collect data, make adjustments, and see actual results.
Keep reading to learn more about how long you should run a Google Ads campaign and what you can expect in the first few weeks.
Contents
- 1 How Long Does It Take Google Ads to Work and How Does It Work?
- 2 What to Expect in the First 7 Days of Running Google Ads
- 3 What to Expect After the First Week of Running Google Ads
- 4 Understanding Your Google Ads Learning Period
- 5 What Should I do After the Google Ads Learning Period?
- 6 How to Optimize Google Ads for the First 3 Months
- 7 Final Thought
How Long Does It Take Google Ads to Work and How Does It Work?
Google Ads can be an extremely effective way to market your business online, but it can take some time to see results. The key is to be patient and to let the campaign get through the learning phase. Here’s what you need to know about how long it takes for Google Ads to work and how to optimise your campaign for the best results.
Google Ads works by auctioning off ad space on Google.com and its partner websites. Advertisers can use pay-per-click (PPC) or per-impression (CPM). When someone searches for a keyword you’ve bid on, your ad may appear in the search results. If someone clicks on your ad, you’ll pay the amount that you’ve bid.
So, how long does it take for Google Ads to work? Generally, it can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for your ads to get significant results.
Here’s a step-by-step look at what you can expect when you start running a Google Ads campaign:
Step 1: Let the Campaign Get Through the Learning Phase
The first step is to let the campaign go through the learning phase. This is when the Google Ads system determines which ads are most likely to be clicked by users.
During this phase, it’s essential not to make any significant changes to the campaign. The changes could disrupt the learning process and lead to less effective ads.
Step 2: Optimize Your Campaign
Once the learning phase is complete, optimising your campaign is time. This is when you’ll want to change things like your keywords, ad copy, and targeting options.
These changes can improve your click-through rate and get more leads or sales from your Google Ads campaign.
Step 3: Run Google Ads for at least 90 Days
To get the most out of your Google Ads campaign, you should run it for at least 90 days. This is because it takes time for your campaign to get through the learning phase and optimise itself. Your ads may not perform as well as you want them to during this time. But if you give it time, your campaign will learn and improve, ultimately leading to better results.
Of course, you can’t just set your campaign and forget about it. You’ll need to monitor it regularly, ensuring it’s running smoothly and making adjustments as needed. But as long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort, running a Google Ads campaign for at least 90 days is a necessary step for success.
After 90 days, you can re-evaluate your campaign to see if it’s still working well or if you need to make further changes.
Step 4: Grow Your Results
The fourth and final step to getting your Google Ads campaign up and running is to grow your results. This is where you’ll start to see a return on your investment and can begin scaling your campaign to reach even more customers.
To do this, you’ll need to continue optimising your campaign based on your collected data. This means changing your ad copy, keywords, bidding strategy, and more.
You should also experiment with different ad types and formats to see what works best for your business. And finally, don’t forget to track your results so you can see how your campaign is performing over time.
What to Expect in the First 7 Days of Running Google Ads
When running Google Ads, it is essential to understand what to expect in the first week. This will help you set realistic expectations and avoid any disappointment.
You should first know that it takes time for Google Ads to work. In the first week, you will likely see a few clicks and some impressions, but it will take time for the campaign to ramp up.
One of the most important things to remember in the first week is to let the campaign get through the learning phase. This is when Google collects data about your ads and determines which ones are the most effective.
During this time, avoiding making any significant changes to your campaign is essential. If you do, you will disrupt the learning process, and it will take longer for your ads to be effective.
After the first week, you should start to see your campaign ramp up. The number of clicks and impressions will increase, and you will begin to see your ads appearing in more places.
At this point, you can begin to optimise your campaign to improve your results. This includes making changes to your keywords, ad copy, and targeting.
If you keep at it, you should see continued improvement in your results over the next few weeks. After a month or two, you will be able to gauge the success of your campaign and determine if it is meeting your goals.
What to Expect After the First Week of Running Google Ads
After the first week of running Google Ads, you will better understand how the system works and how your ads are performing. Here are some things to expect:
- You will see an increase in web traffic.
- You will see an increase in the number of leads.
- You will see an increase in the number of conversions.
- You will see an increase in the ROI of your campaigns.
Understanding Your Google Ads Learning Period
When you first start running Google Ads, your campaigns will go through a learning period. This is when Google collects data about your ads and determines which ones are the most effective.
During this time, avoiding making any significant changes to your campaign is essential. If you do, you will disrupt the learning process, and it will take longer for your ads to be effective.
After the learning period, you will start to see your campaign ramp up. The number of clicks and impressions will increase, and you will begin to see your ads appearing in more places.
Generally speaking, you can expect the learning period to last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. However, it’s important to note that this is just an estimate. Your campaign may take longer to learn if you’re targeting a niche audience or have a complex product or service.
What Should I do After the Google Ads Learning Period?
After the Google Ads learning period, optimising your campaigns for the best results is essential. Here are a few things you can do:
- Follow the recommendations from Google
- Test different ad types and formats.
- Try new keywords.
- Adjust your bids and budget.
- Test different landing pages.
- Keep an eye on your Quality Score.
You can ensure that you’re getting the most out of your Google Ads spend by continuing to test and optimise your campaigns.
If you’re unsure where to start, our team of Google Ads experts can help. We can review your account, make recommendations, and help you implement changes for better results.
How to Optimize Google Ads for the First 3 Months
As mentioned earlier, the first three months of running Google Ads are crucial for optimisation. Here are a few things you need to do to make the most out of your campaign during this period:
Month 1 – Gather Data
In the first seven days of running Google Ads, you should expect to see your ads reach many people (impressions). However, it is essential to remember that not all of these people will click on your ad. Most people will not click on your ad the first time they see it.
After the first week of running Google Ads, you will begin to see a pattern emerge. You will see which ads are performing well and which are not. At this point, you can start to make adjustments to your campaign.
The first month of running Google Ads is the most critical time for gathering data. You should be monitoring your campaign closely and making adjustments as needed. By the end of the first month, you should have a good idea of which ads are working and which are not.
Month 2 – Make Adjustments
This is the time to make adjustments to your campaign so that you can start to see more success.
One of the most important things to do in month 2 is to add negative keywords. Negative keywords are words or phrases that you don’t want your ad to show up for. For example, if you sell women’s clothing, you might want to add “men” as a negative keyword. This will prevent your ad from appearing when someone searches for “men’s clothing”.
Adding negative keywords can be a bit of a guessing game, but some tools can help, like the Google Keyword Planner. This tool will show you what people are searching for and how often those searches are done. This can help you identify negative keywords you might not have thought of.
You should also take a look at your ad copy in month 2. Are people clicking on your ad but not converting? If so, you might need to tweak your ad copy to reflect your offering better.
Finally, you should start to think about your budget in month 2. You might need to increase your budget if you do not see the desired results. Remember, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to see success with Google Ads. Even a small budget can be effective if it is used correctly.
Month 3 – Grow Your Results
As you enter the third month of running Google Ads, you should see a significant uptick in results. This is the result of the hard work you put in during the first two months and the continued optimisation of your campaign.
This month, you should continue optimising your campaign based on the data you have gathered. This may include changing your keyword list, adjusting your ad schedule, or changing your bid amounts.
You should also start seeing an increase in traffic and conversions this month. This is the result of your ads being shown to more people, as well as the continued optimisation of your campaign.
Final Thought
If you want your Google Ads campaign to succeed, you should follow these steps: let the campaign get through the learning phase, optimise your campaign, run Google Ads for at least 90 days, and grow your results. Following these tips, you can expect great things from your Google Ads campaign!
