Hey there, Benjamin from Loves Data here!
Welcome back!
Today, we're talking about becoming a Google Ads Specialist.
Becoming a Google Ads Specialist can open the door to freelance work, a role in a digital
marketing agency, or a career as an in-house Google Ads expert at a company.
And while I'm going to focus on becoming a specialist, this is also a super useful video
to watch if you're looking to hire someone to help you with your Google Ads campaigns.
We're going to cover five things in this video.
This includes what a Google Ads Specialist is, where they can find work, how much they're
paid, what they do, and how to become a specialist.
Before we get started, I want to give a shout-out about my Google Ads courses.
When you're ready to take the next step, my Google Ads Fundamentals Course and my Google
Ads Advanced Course will take your Google Ads skills to the next level.
They're concise and practical.
Okay, so a Google Ads Specialist is someone that plans, sets up and manages campaigns
in Google Ads.
They might be dedicated to helping people advertise their business on Google, or they
might be an all-rounder who helps with ads, but they also help people with their website,
landing pages, email campaigns and more.
We will talk more about what specialists do in a moment, but let's start with finding
work.
Where can Google Ads Specialists find work?
You will find Google Ads Specialists working in marketing and digital agencies.
In most cases, specialists report to (or work closely with) an account manager, who is in
charge of managing the relationship with the client and overseeing the overarching advertising
strategy.
Working in an agency is great for people that want to work with multiple clients and on
different types of accounts.
You're also more likely to find regular full-time or part-time work (compared to freelancing).
And working at an agency is also suited to people who like a more intensive work environment.
If you're already comfortable working on accounts and want more flexibility in the hours you
work, then becoming a freelance specialist could be a great option.
A freelancer generally works directly with the client on their account, so you will need
to factor in extra time to meet with people to discuss their campaigns.
One of the biggest challenges of being a freelancer is finding work, but once you start to improve
campaigns for clients, they're likely to come back to you with more work.
As a freelancer, you might also decide to specialize in a particular industry or work
with a particular type of client.
For example, you might only work with local businesses in your area, or specialize in
managing campaigns for restaurants.
And you could also be an in-house Google Ads Specialist for a larger organization.
In most cases, specialists will work in the marketing team.
The benefit of being an in-house specialist is that you get to be more focuses.
You will develop a deep understanding of the company, campaign objectives, and work with
the marketing team to develop and manage campaigns.
This is also the downside of working in-house.
Compared to working in an agency, you won't be working on the same variety of accounts.
How much are Google Ads Specialists paid?
According to Glassdoor, the average base salary for a Google Ads Specialist is $71,000 in
the United States.
And they report a range of $40,000 to $126,000.
So depending on your level of experience, you can expect a good salary.
For freelancers, Upwork says that the typical rate for a freelancer is between $15 and $40
per hour, but an established freelancer can easily charge $80 or more depending on their
experience and the work they're going to complete.
And if you're a business looking to work with an agency, then fees can vary depending on
what the agency is expected to manage.
This includes the number of campaigns, advertising budget and how many people would be looking
after your account.
Most agencies charge a monthly fee, an hourly rate or a percentage of ad spend.
However, they might use a combination of these and some charge a fee based on results they
achieve.
Depending on the work they will be doing, you can expect to pay upward of $1,000 per
month for an agency that is experienced at managing and optimizing campaigns.
What do Google Ads Specialists do?
In terms of managing a Google Ads Account, a specialist performs a range of tasks.
This can include...
Checking the current performance of Google Ads.
A specialist needs to evaluate how the ads are performing to determine what is working
and what is not working.
They do this by checking a number of metrics including impressions, clicks, conversions,
conversion rate, cost, and click-through rate.
Reviewing the targeting of ads.
Targeting is essential because it helps focus the delivery of ads to the ideal customer
or prospect.
Some of the targeting options a specialist will review include location and device targeting
for campaigns, along with demographics, in-market, and remarketing audiences.
Launching new campaigns.
A Google Ads Specialist will review existing keywords and research new keywords.
When new keywords align with advertising objectives, they will create and launch new ad groups
(or campaigns).
And apart from search campaigns, they might also create display, video, shopping, and
other types of campaigns.
Optimizing campaigns.
Specialists are in charge of managing campaigns and optimizing them to achieve the best possible
results.
For example, one way to improve the performance of a search campaign is to regularly review
the search queries.
These are the actual keywords people are searching for on Google.
Google Ads shows us keywords that are already included in the campaign and ad groups.
Any that aren't included will need to be reviewed to see if they're appropriate or not.
Optimizing campaigns can include adding negative keywords, adjusting targeting, modifying bids,
and more.
Providing recommendations.
Apart from managing ads and campaigns, a specialist can also provide recommendations to improve
landing pages and website performance.
This is especially important for campaigns that are designed to drive conversions, since
the majority of conversions happen on a company's website.
Reporting.
A Google Ads Specialist will monitor a campaign and share appropriate performance reports.
This might be weekly or monthly depending on the campaign and account being managed.
This let's a client compare campaign performance against set KPIs and objectives.
How can you become a Google Ads Specialist?
The first step to becoming a Google Ads Specialist is to understand how Google Ads works.
If you're just getting started, then I recommend learning about search campaigns.
Being able to manage search campaigns will give you important skills that you can then
apply to the other types of campaigns available in Google Ads.
Once you've mastered search campaigns, you can move on to display campaigns... shopping
campaigns... video campaigns... and the other types of campaigns in Google Ads.
To learn how to create and manage campaigns.
You can find a link to my Google Ads course in the card on the right, and I've included
links to my tutorials in the description below this video.
And if you don't have access to a Google Ads account for a client yet, then I recommend
creating your own Google Ads account.
Having a real account you can learn with is important.
For example, you might create a demo account like I have that uses a budget of $1 a day.
Think of it as an investment in your future.
The next step is to get certified in Google Ads.
Google has exams you can take that cover the different types of campaigns you can manage.
Once you've passed an exam you can say you're certified in that area of Google Ads.
Certifications cover: search, display, video, shopping ads, apps, and measurement.
To learn more about Google Ads certification, watch my dedicated video.
Now it's time to put your knowledge to use.
You need to apply your skills by managing live campaigns.
Options include getting an entry-level job, freelancing or by volunteering some of your
time for a community organization.
Once you've made a start and can demonstrate your skills, you will quickly become a valuable
asset for the people you're helping.
As you work on accounts, it's important to collect testimonials and reviews from your
clients.
It also helps if you're able to include top-level results in testimonials.
Like the percent you've increased conversions.
Not all clients will want you to share these details, so remember to get their ‘okay'
first.
Overall, a Google Ads Specialist has an in-depth understanding of Google Ads, and know how
to set up, manage and improve the performance of campaigns.
The three things that make the best Google Ads experts, are a desire to experiment, an
interest in digital marketing and analytics, and some practical experience (even if it's
with a small campaign).
So wether you want to become a specialist or you're trying to find one, look for these
three things.
Are you going to become a Google Ads Specialist?
I would love to know!
Let me know in the comments below.
To learn more about Google Ads, please take a moment to watch my other videos and check
out my courses.
And if you found this video helpful, then please like it so I know to make more videos
like this one.