If you own a business and want to attract real customers who are already searching for what you offer, Google Ads is one of the most powerful and accessible tools available. You don't need an agency or a large budget to get started. In this article, we'll explain step-by-step how Google Ads works, how to create your first ad, and why it's worth investing in this channel.
Why Google and not just social media?
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are useful, but they differ fundamentally from Google: on social media, you appear to people even if they aren't searching for you. On Google, however, people find you because they are actively searching for exactly what you offer.
When someone types "fast food nearby" or "apartment rentals in Concepción," they're expressing a specific need at that moment. That's where you need to be.
Furthermore, Google and YouTube are the two largest search engines in the world and belong to the same platform. When you advertise on Google Ads, you can appear on both simultaneously, multiplying your reach.
The most important principle: be on the first page
There's a phrase that sums it all up: the best place to hide something you don't want anyone to find is on the second page of Google . Nobody goes that far. If your business doesn't appear on the first page, it practically doesn't exist online.
There are two ways to get there:
Organic method (SEO): Generate quality content, optimize your page, and improve your ranking over time. It's free but slow.
Paid method (Google Ads): Pay to appear immediately at the top of the results when someone searches for keywords related to your business. It's faster and completely controllable.
Before creating your ad: use Google Trends
Before investing a single penny, you need to know what people are searching for. That's where Google Trends comes in —a free tool that shows you in real time what terms are being searched, in which regions, and how often.
For example, if you have a fast food business in Chile, you can go to Google Trends, search for "fast food" and discover that the Coquimbo region is the one that searches for that term the most, and that phrases like "fast food nearby" and "fast food delivery" are among the most searched in the country.
That tells you two key things: where to focus your advertising and what words to use in your ad.
How to create your first ad on Google Ads
Step 1: Define your goal
When you go to ads.google.com , the first thing it will ask you to do is choose what you want to achieve with your ad: more visits to your website, more phone calls, or more visits to your physical location. For most entrepreneurs who are just starting out, the most recommended option is website traffic.
Step 2: Set up your ad
A Google ad has three main parts:
- Three titles: They should directly answer what the person is searching for. If someone searches for "website design," your title should say exactly that. An important point: in Google Ads, it's recommended to write each word with an initial capital letter (Website Design for Businesses), as this creates visual breaks that improve reading and attention.
- Description: Here you can clarify your location, what your service includes, or what sets you apart. If you sell products and offer shipping, include it here: "We ship nationwide" could be the argument that convinces someone to click.
- Destination URL: Where will you take the people who click? It could be your website, a landing page, or any place where they can complete the action you want.
Step 3: Choose your keywords
Google Ads offers a smart feature where you define general topics (like "marketing agency" or "employment lawyers") and Google automatically groups all related searches. It's recommended to start with 8 to 10 keyword groups.
Step 4: Segment your location
Here you define the city, region, or country where you want your ad to appear. If you have a restaurant in Los Ángeles, Biobío, it doesn't make sense to appear in Santiago. Geographic targeting is one of Google's biggest advantages over other advertising media.
A strategic recommendation: don't open your advertising to all of Chile from the start . Begin with the 3 to 5 areas where what you offer is most frequently searched for (Google Trends will tell you), measure the results, and then expand.
Step 5: Define your budget
You can start with as little as 1,000 Chilean pesos per day (approximately $1 USD). With that amount, Google estimates between 140 and 200 clicks per month. If only 10% of those people become customers, you're talking about 14 to 20 new sales with an investment of 30,000 to 31,000 pesos per month.
That's not an expense. It's an investment.
Do you need a website to advertise on Google?
Having a full website isn't mandatory, but having a URL to direct people to is essential . The most accessible option is a landing page : a simple page with information about your product or service and a contact form.
There are free tools you can use to create one in just a few hours. The important thing is that when someone clicks on your ad, they land on a clear, organized page that's consistent with what the ad promised. If the ad says "fast food delivery" and the page is about something else, you're losing money on every click.
A real example: results with less than a thousand pesos a day
In a real Google Ads campaign targeted for Santiago, with an average budget of 900 pesos per day (less than 1 dollar), these results were obtained in one month:
- 9.180 prints (number of times the ad was viewed)
- 166 clicks
- Total investment: $27.400 pesos
That's less than 30 pesos for 166 people to arrive directly at a business's page looking for exactly its services.
In another case, a company invested 100 pesos monthly in Google Ads and received 7.000 visits per month to its website, generating dozens of potential customers.
What matters most: that the ad solves the problem
A common mistake is creating ads that talk about the business but don't speak to the person searching. If someone searches for "house for sale in Concepción" and your ad says "building," you've already lost that click.
Every ad should answer one simple question: How do I help someone who's looking for this? If you can do that, the clicks will come naturally.
Next steps
If you want to start advertising on Google for your business and don't know where to begin, at Hispanos Emprendedores we offer personalized digital marketing consulting where we apply all of this directly to your business.
