Overview

Class Central Tips

Consumers search for virtually everything. This includes the things that small businesses do, from restaurants to bespoke products. When consumers search they get organic results along with paid results. Paid search ads are systematically designed to be relevant. As a result, they’re often useful at getting consumers where they want to go. Consumers don’t tune out paid search like other types of digital ads. Search ads can be a small business opportunity. While larger advertisers pay massive amounts to place their ads via search, we highlight smart ways small businesses can create their own tailored search campaigns on small budgets. This course shows small businesses how to create and execute search campaigns on Google Ads Search (formally AdWords). Through an introductory overview, students are guided through the official Google Ads Search training materials where they will ultimately earn an official Google Ads Search Certification. Beyond Google materials, practical campaign creation and optimization best practices and exercises are provided by real experts.

Syllabus

Readings: Search

This series of lectures provides an overview of search advertising, its history, and its role in the digital marketing landscape. The lectures discuss the evolution of search engines and the emergence of Google as the dominant player in the market. They also explain the process of search advertising, including bidding, audience targeting, and search engine optimization (SEO). The advantages and disadvantages of search advertising are explored, highlighting its relevance to consumers, effectiveness in generating leads, and potential challenges such as high competition and limited creative options. Finally, the lectures touch on the future of search advertising, with a focus on the increasing role of artificial intelligence and voice search.

Lecture Videos: Search Advertising

In this lecture series, we delve into Google's dominance in the search and advertising market, exploring the debate surrounding its monopoly status and the implications of the Department of Justice's investigation. We examine the value of search intent in advertising, the basics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), and the importance of landing page experience. Furthermore, we discuss the concept of impression share, the ongoing tension between Google's push for automation in PPC advertising, and the potential for automating campaign optimization using Python.

Project: Search Advertising

In this project, students will complete the Google Ads Search Study Guide, focusing on increasing efficiency with automated bidding, reaching valued customers with search audiences, boosting performance with optimization score, and increasing conversions with performance planner. Upon completion, students will take the Google Ads Search Assessment to earn their certification. They will then create a PDF of their certificate to submit for credit in the peer-review assignment.

Readings: Banner and Video Advertising

This series of readings provides an overview of video advertising, banner advertising, and rich media in the digital marketing landscape. The lectures discuss the differences between these formats, their advantages and disadvantages, and their impact on consumer behavior. They also explore the future of video and rich media advertising, highlighting the increasing role of programmatic advertising, artificial intelligence, and emerging formats such as live broadcasting and virtual reality. Additionally, the lectures touch on the challenges faced by these advertising formats, such as ad blockers and complex ad placements.

Lecture Videos: Display and Video Advertising

This lecture series covers the evolution and various aspects of display advertising, from banner ads to video ads, and their effectiveness in achieving advertising objectives. Students will learn about the importance of ad design, quality, and attribution models, as well as the significance of selecting appropriate key performance indicators (KPIs) for each campaign. The lectures also delve into the limitations and challenges of video advertising, including measurement issues and viewability scores. By analyzing real-world video campaign data, students will develop critical thinking skills in assessing the value of various metrics and their impact on advertising campaign performance.