This course is designed to help small business owners and marketers understand the commercial decisions behind Google Ads — from deciding whether paid search is right for the business through to building, measuring, optimising and scaling campaigns.

Google Ads is sometimes presented as a universal customer acquisition tool. Put money into the platform, send visitors to your website and generate sales.

In reality, some businesses are naturally much better suited to paid search than others.

Understanding that before you start can save thousands of pounds.

Your advertising budget should come after the economics — not before them.

First understand what a customer is worth. Then determine what you could afford to pay to acquire one. Only then does it make sense to think seriously about campaign budgets.

Google Ads can send highly relevant visitors to your website, but it cannot force them to become customers.

If your website is confusing, slow, unconvincing or difficult to use, paying for more traffic may simply mean paying for more people to leave.

Before increasing advertising spend, make sure the page visitors land on gives them a clear reason to take the next step.

A lead is not the same as a customer.

It is easy to look at a Google Ads account and celebrate a low cost per lead.

But if those leads are not followed up, are poor quality or rarely turn into paying customers, the campaign may still be unprofitable.

This is why the measurement chain needs to continue beyond the initial conversion.

Google Ads readiness is a combination of demand, economics, conversion and operations. A strong campaign cannot compensate indefinitely for a weak business foundation.

Identify the gaps first, then use paid search to amplify a system that is capable of converting demand profitably.

Google Ads readiness is a combination of demand, economics, conversion and operations. A strong campaign cannot compensate indefinitely for a weak business foundation.

Identify the gaps first, then use paid search to amplify a system that is capable of converting demand profitably.