Keywords are one of the first things you should learn about when working with ads. For example, Google Search Ads work by matching user search queries with keywords chosen by businesses to advertise on.

Let’s illustrate this with the case of a company selling running shoes. This company should consider showing its ads for the terms "running shoes," "athletic footwear," and "marathon training."

The company's ad may appear on top of the search engine results page (SERP) when a user searches for one of these terms.

Display advertising is another option when it comes to ads. Companies can use this form of advertising to promote their products and services by having visually appealing ad creatives, such as images or videos, shown on sites that are part of the search engine’s network.

Based on a user's demographics, interests, and online activity, these ads can be tailored to reach a specific audience.

For example, a company that sells baby clothes can show its ads to new parents (a lifestyle change event) who have also shown interest in buying clothing and other supplies for babies (an in-market audience).

One of the best features of platforms such as Google Ads is the ability to measure the effectiveness of your ad campaigns (also called the return on ad spend). Based on this information, advertisers can fine-tune their ad campaigns. Some of the metrics that can be tracked through the ad platforms are clicks, impressions, and conversion rates.

These metrics help businesses to see how effective their ads are and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Google Ads and Microsoft Ads are versatile advertising platforms because they can be used for different kinds of ads, such as text, images, and videos. This makes it possible for businesses to use a very wide inventory of ads that can meet their specific needs and goals.

If you're a business looking to get your message across to potential customers quickly and concisely, text ads are a great option. These are called Search Ads. They include a headline, description and a link to the promoted service or product. There are other types of ads that enable advertisers to use visually appealing ad creatives. Images, videos, and even interactive features can be incorporated into these advertisements.

There are two additional advantages of search engine marketing: the ability to target a specific geographical region and absolute control on the ad budget.

Location targeting is a very powerful way for local businesses to connect with their customers. For example, if a restaurant wants to promote their daily specials, they can easily serve the ads to their city only. Similarly, if a retailer is running a regional sale, they can run the ads in a specific metropolitan area, or in a geographical area that they can define very precisely.

Google Ads and Microsoft Ads also allow businesses to have full control on their ad spending. Businesses can set a daily advertising budget, and the ad platforms will automatically modify the ad schedule to keep the spending under control. This feature guarantees that companies can control their marketing budgets efficiently and avoid any overspending.

In conclusion, search engine marketing platforms offer an all-in-one solution with many ad formats, targeting options, and tools for controlling the cost of advertising.

Reaching potential customers at the right time and place is a great way to boost brand awareness and generate sales for companies of all sizes. Google Ads and Microsoft Ads help businesses reach the right people with their marketing messages in a variety of ways, including keywords, interests, demographics, and location-based targeting.

Advertisers can make the most of their marketing budgets by keeping track of their ad spend and optimize the performance of their campaigns.