What is Google Ads?

A digital marketing campaign can take several months to play out, but one way to kick online sales into high gear is through Google Ads. This paid search platform powered by Google lets you target your ads to specific user groups. You can double your revenue by using Google Ads. In this overview, you’ll learn more about what Google Ads is, what it can do, who uses it, and how to learn it so you can determine how to add this skill to your professional toolbox.

What Can You Do with Google Ads?

Google Ads lets you generate leads and sales very quickly. This pay-per-click (PPC) platform has a low barrier to entry, and you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Unlike organic search results earned through search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, PPC with Google Ads involves much less of a time commitment. The results are algorithm-based, and you can make real-time changes to your ads.

With billions of searches daily, using Google Ads to target your audience will drive profits. Google Ads lets you define your audience precisely, and you only pay when someone clicks your ad. You can also measure your success almost immediately and change your strategy when necessary. This levels the playing field to allow even small businesses to compete.

It doesn’t cost much to get started with Google Ads. You can set your budget as low as you need and increase the cap in time as you want. You only pay when a user clicks on your ad, and you can grow at a comfortable rate.

How Do You Get Google Ads? How Much Does it Cost?

To use Google Ads, you need a Google account which you can get for free. Once you have a Google account, you can set up Google Ads, but it’s a good idea to make a plan first. As you set up your Google Ads account, you will be prompted to answer specific questions about your goals and objectives. It’s a good idea to figure that out before you start.

Next, you will enter your business name, chosen keywords, and your audience’s location and set up your billing information. Now you are ready to create your first Google Ad. The setup wizard will guide you through the process.

What Are the Benefits of Learning Google Ads?

Learning to use Google Ads can help you get a digital marketing campaign off the ground quickly. You set your goals, which could be increasing sales or brand recognition, and then decide what kind of ad you want and how much you want to spend. As your campaign grows, you can increase your budget, change the parameters of your ad, or add something like a retargeting ad designed to reach people who have already bought from you.

Another reason to learn Google Ads is that it is an integral part of a Digital Marketer’s toolbox. Knowing how to run a successful ad can put you in a good position to get a job. Google has many free tools to help you get started once you have an Ads account. Google’s Keyword Planner helps you choose the best keywords and phrases for your campaign, and the Responsive Search Feature allows you to test possible ad content to decide what will work best for you. Google Trends can tell you about market trends and popular searches, and Google Analytics makes all kinds of data available for free. Mastering these valuable tools is important if you want to switch to a career as a Digital Marketer.

Read more about why you should learn Google Ads.

Google Ads Careers

Knowing how to use Google Ads is valuable in many different digital marketing careers. Knowing how to get the most out of advertising dollars puts you in a good position as a Digital Marketer. You can choose from various specialties, such as social media, analysis, search engines, video, blogging, and email, or you can find a job that lets you use all of your talents. Here are some of the possible careers available in digital marketing.

Digital Marketer

Digital Marketers use digital channels and tools like email marketing, social media marketing, paid and unpaid search marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO) to promote products and services. Digital marketing has become one of the most critical ways to publicize a business and help it grow. 

Digital Analyst

Digital Analysts use tools like Google Ads and Google Analytics to ​​assist companies with their marketing initiatives by providing analytical support, developing strategies, working on finding the right audiences, performing competitive analyses, and optimizing channels. The primary responsibilities of Data Analysts are researching trends, collecting data, analyzing statistics, developing marketing strategies based on the data collected, and presenting the results to clients and co-workers. 

Email Marketing Specialist

Email Marketing Specialists connect with subscribers and develop deeper relationships with current and potential customers. Email marketing can increase sales quickly and reach a large number of people at once at a minimal cost. Email marketing is a fast and effective addition to any business’s digital marketing strategy.

Website Optimization/SEO Specialist

A Website Optimization/SEO Specialist works to increase a website’s visibility in search engines. In search marketing, the goal is for website or online content to show up at or near the top of search engine result pages (SERPs) when using certain keywords. Effective SEO improves a website’s quality and quantity of traffic, generating sales and improving business.

Brand Strategist

A Brand Strategist tracks how a brand performs on the internet and develops strategies to build or improve that performance. They help companies or individuals create a clear message and put that out on the internet.

How to Learn Google Ads

You can learn Google Ads by watching tutorial videos and giving it a try on your own or taking a class. Google Academy offers free tutorials on all its products, and YouTube is full of videos to get you started. Still, many prefer to sign up for a class when learning new material. Google Ads can be overwhelming until you know what you are doing, and it is helpful to have an experienced instructor to guide you.

You can take live in-person classes or choose online instruction. Some people prefer to attend brick-and-mortar sessions when learning new information, but that isn’t always available. Live online classes have a similar set-up to in-person classes with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and take control of your monitor—with permission—to answer questions and demonstrate techniques. You can sign up for part or full-time classes on weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.

Some companies offer asynchronous online classes that you can take according to your own schedule. You can watch the videos from work or home and move at your own pace. Skillshare offers a Google Ads Masterclass, and Udemy has a Google Ads class. One advantage to asynchronous video classes is that you can go back and watch the material as often as you need to if you are having trouble with a concept. If a multi-day class feels like too much right now, you can try Noble’s Google Ads in a Day and move on to a Google Ads Bootcamp later.

Read thefull guide on how to learn Google Ads.

A Brief History of Google Ads

Google launched a PPC platform in 2000 called Google Adwords. This was initially a monthly subscription service with Google managing campaigns, but they quickly added a self-service option. In 2005, Google introduced Jumpstart, a campaign management tool. 

Google continued to make changes to its ad platform. In 2026, images were added to searches, and Google introduced daily budget caps in 2017. In 2018, Google rebranded Adwords to Google Ads and still continues to make frequent changes to the platform.

Comparable Applications

The closest application to Google Ads is Google Analytics, another part of the Google Marketing Platform. Google Analytics collects and tracks user data, compiles it into useful reports, and provides valuable insights to improve your website or app’s performance. The program works by installing a tracking code onto each page of your website, allowing Google to collect information about how visitors interact with it. Integrating Google Analytics into your website or app can help you understand what’s working and what isn’t regarding digital marketing strategy, and like Google Ads, it’s free!

Learn Google Ads with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Learning Google Ads is useful for anyone who wants to sell anything on the internet, but If you want to change careers and become a Digital Marketer, you can sign up for Google Ads Bootcamp. This two-part class will cover how to set up an account, determine keyword strategies, control who sees your ads and when, bid successfully, create the best ads, and automate your campaign.

Another way to prepare for a career using Google Ads as a Digital Marketer is to take a digital marketing certificate course. Noble’s Digital Marketing Certificate includes the digital marketing, SEO, and Google Analytics bootcamps, plus Google Ads and classes on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter marketing, as well as content marketing with blogs.

Use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me to find other courses in digital marketing in your area.

Key Insights

• Google Ads is a paid search platform powered by Google.
• It can help you generate leads and increase sales more quickly than organic search.
• It doesn’t cost much to get started with Google Ads, and you can set limits to be sure you don’t spend more than you want to.
• You can learn Google Ads to increase sales for your own website or switch to a career as a Digital Marketer.
• Choose between in-person, live online, or on-demand classes to learn Google Ads.
• You can receive comprehensive Google Ads training through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.