🖥️ Google Ads: The Groomer's Guide

This topic may seem hairy 🐶.
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But trust me - you’re going to want to read on.
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Have you ever wished you showed up #1 on Google?
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Well Google Ads is an easy way to guarantee that you can do that.
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And I know what you’re saying… “Alex, ads are not free. Plus I don’t need anymore customers”. And to that I ask you 1 thing….
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How do you think most pet owners find groomers for their fur friends?
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They go to google in search “dog groomers in <city name>”.
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Now imagine if you were the first result they saw?
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Google has a stranglehold on over 88% of global search engine traffic.
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Imagine, out of every 100 people worldwide, a staggering 88 turn to Google daily to find their answers 🤯.
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And Google Ads in a nutshell - precision targeting that put your business right in front of those people searching.
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Today, I'll guide you through the world of Google Ads and show you how to tame this beast that drives new grooming customers for your salon or van!


Let’s get into it 👇

“Grooming Near Me”

Now I know what you’re thinking… “Back in my day, if we needed a barber we’d just ask the neighbor. We didn’t need no google telling us what to do!”

And I hear ya. I remember growing up reading the church bulletin to find out the “local restaurant” of the week!

But now, it seems like everything has changed.

With hundreds of “competitors” in your state - and many of them right down the street - being the top search for “grooming near me” has become really important!

And Google Ads is one sure way to get there.

You may not have recognized it, but you've encountered Google Ads countless times - appearing practically every time you use Google to search for something.

So how does it work?

Well, I’ve spent thousands on Google Ad campaigns and reached out to other business owners who have done the same to get the EXACT steps you need to follow if you want to rank on Google.

The typical cycle works like this:

1. A business decides to create an advertising campaign.
2. They pick the keywords that will set their ad in motion.
3. Audiences are pinpointed by location, demographics, and other criteria.
4. Payments are CPC-based (cost-per-click), so the business only pays if the ad is clicked.

The more clicks it gets, the ad earns a prime spot among top results based on the chosen keywords.

What should you expect to budget for Google Ads?

Much like grooming supplies, Google Ads come with a price tag, calculated per click.

However, two factors influence the cost per click:

The Bid Landscape: Keywords are akin to breeds; some are rarer, making them more valuable. For instance, generic terms may have fierce competition, but focusing on specialized keywords can give you a competitive edge.

Your Ad's Quality Score: Google rates each ad on relevance to the search term and the ad's content itself, much like your grooming skills are judged by how well you tend to a specific breed.

From the owner’s I talked to, it seemed like the sweet spot was $500-$1,000 per month. That’s only around 5-10 dogs!

If that seems like a little much out of the gate, just start small until you’re confident that they work. Maybe throw $100 to a campaign and see what happens.

So how do you set one of these puppies up?

Just as you wouldn't groom every dog the same way, your ads shouldn't target every search.

Do you want your ad to pop up when someone nationwide searches for "best dog groomer"? Probably not. It's too broad. You'd fare better with "dog grooming salon in Dallas".

Here’s a quick checklist to follow while building your basic Google Ads Search Campaign:

1. Access your Google Ads account.
2. Navigate to "Campaigns" on the menu.
3. Click the "+" button, then "New campaign."
4. Define campaign goals.
5. Choose the campaign type.
6. Adjust campaign settings.
7. Save your campaign.

I didn’t have the chance to create a video for this yet, but there is one online that I really like. Check it out whenever you’re looking to get started 👇

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Yeah, that was a lot to chew on!

But just like the world of grooming, nothing stands still in digital marketing. By understanding the basics of Google Ads, you're a step head of the competition in your area for when you are ready for your grooming salon up to be the first result! 💪