In this article, we've compiled the most common questions that clients come to SHARK with. We'll give you key insights, optimisation tips, best practices and a clear strategy. You won't get anywhere without it.

Your business could use a boost to quickly reach
new customers or enter a new market. That's where Google Ads can definitely help.

Google Ads uses an auction system in which advertisers bid on keywords relevant to their business.

To be successfully displayed, adverts must precisely match the needs and expectations of potential customers. For example, if a company is selling property in the UAE, its keywords must be clear and precise. Between the message “luxury apartments for sale Dubai” and “real estate listings Dubai”, you should choose #1 as it directly addresses potential buyers actively searching for high-end properties.

When someone searches for a specific term on Google, the advertising platform uses various factors to decide whether to show the advert, including the bid, the relevance of the advert and the quality of the landing page. This multi-step approach ensures that users are shown the most relevant ads based on their search intent, geolocation, and interests.

What does this look like from the inside?

With Google Ads, there are various campaign types designed to meet different business goals. However, not every campaign type is suitable for every goal. The most effective option is to choose multiple formats and combine them to achieve 2 objectives (e.g. increased reach + direct sales). Which one to choose?

Discovery Campaigns

Ads shown across Google feeds, helping to reach potential customers through visually engaging content.

Smart Campaigns

Simplified ads for small businesses, focusing on automation and easy setup.

Local Campaigns

Designed to attract passers-by to physical locations — ideal for coffee shops, 'close to home' supermarkets, cinemas and other types of retail outlets.

App Campaigns

Promoting app downloads or in-app actions.

Performance Max Campaigns

Automated campaigns across all Google channels, optimising performance for specific goals.

Video Campaigns

Ads shown on YouTube, effective for reaching users with engaging video content.

Best for e-commerce businesses, showcasing product ads
with images, prices, and store info.

Shopping Campaigns

Display Campaigns

Show ads on the Google Display Network, perfect for brand awareness and reaching new audiences.

Target users actively searching for specific products or services. Ideal for driving immediate conversions.

Search Campaigns

It's important to include negative keywords as well. These weed out irrelevant traffic that can waste your budget. For example, if you sell premium clothing, add the word ‘cheap’ or ‘discounts’ as a negative keyword so that your adverts are not shown to users who are constantly searching for discounted items.

Google Ads and keyword research— this is where the main link in marketing comes in. It's important for you to understand exactly how users are searching for your product or service. If you are a dermatologist, users may search for you not only for the specific query ‘dermatologist in Dubai’ but also as “dry skin what to do”, “botox in Dubai” and others. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush or Ahrefs to find high-converting keywords related to your business. Look for keywords with high search volume and low competition, as they can provide lower cost-per-click.

Everyone knows about keywords and CTAs, but what other tricks can help you create a copy that delivers quantifiable results?

Provide discounts or free offers to incentivise action right away if you're focusing on sales rather than building awareness.

6. Create offer incentives

Add testimonials from major Influencers or statistics to demonstrate the value of your product and build trust.

4. Show social proof

Make sure your ad emphasises both what you offer and how it solves customer pain points.

2. Balance features and benefits

Use phrases like ‘limited edition’, ‘proven’ and ‘noticeable after first use’ to make your copy appealing.

5. Use strong words

Apply techniques such as scarcity, moral values, FOMO to increase CTR. But keep in mind that this should be 20-30% of your entire message. You should not play on emotions, but should maintain interest.

3. Use psychology

Create attention-grabbing headlines with emotional appeal to connect with your audience.

1. Use emotion

Regularly review your campaign's performance and adjust your bids. If certain keywords drive high conversions, increase your bids to ensure they continue to appear in competitive spots.

Automated or manual bidding depends on the level of control you want. Manual bidding is flexible but automated strategies like Target CPA (cost per acquisition) or Maximise Conversions are ideal for businesses that want to save time by letting Google optimise bids based on performance data.

Google Ads bidding options include manual CPC (where you set your bid for each click) and Enhanced CPC (where Google adjusts your bid based on the likelihood of conversion). Another option, Target ROAS (return on ad spend), helps you maximise revenue while aiming for a specific return.

Adding UTM parameters to links so you can trace every click back to its source.

Setting up tracking to monitor targeted events on your site (such as through Google Tag Manager or by adding a tag directly to your site’s HTML).

Choosing the right campaign objective (traffic, sales,
awareness — each one optimises differently).

With this data, you're not guessing. You're tweaking your copy, targeting, and spend based on what actually performs.

Set up conversion tracking to understand what your ads are really doing. A simple snippet of code lets you track macro conversions (like purchases) and micro ones (like newsletter signups or clicks on key pages).

Before a single penny goes into your ad budget, make sure your tracking is in place. That means:

The key components that influence the quality score are click-through rate (CTR), ad relevance and landing page quality.

In short: your Quality Score will be boosted by a fast, mobile-friendly landing page that matches the ad's intent. Don't forget to make sure that your landing page fulfils the promises made in the ad (promised “discounts up to 50%” — the page should have products with this parameter, promised “villa rentals in Dubai” — the user should be able to consider several relevant options).

As we wrote this, we thought all the steps were simple and obvious. But we know that this feeling only comes with practice. If you would like to get expert help, set up your first campaigns and see the results, fill in the form below. Our experts will analyse the specific requirements of your business and develop a personalised offer.

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