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 come to you because they are looking 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 one phrase that sums it all up: The best place to hide something you don't want anyone to find is the second page of Google.Nobody gets that far. If your business doesn't appear on the first page, it practically doesn't exist on the internet.
There are two ways to get there:
Organic form (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 instantly at the top of search 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 peso, you need to know what people are looking for. That's what this is for. Google Trends, 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 y what words to use in your ad.
How to create your first ad on Google Ads
Step 1: Define your goal
Upon entering ads.google.comThe 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, mention 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 startStart with the 3 to 5 areas where what you offer is most searched for (Google Trends will tell you), measure the results and then expand.
Step 5: Define your budget
You can start with just one thousand Chilean pesos daily (approximately $1). 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 to 31 pesos per month.
That's not an expense. It's an investment.
Do you need a website to advertise on Google?
Having a complete website is not mandatory, but it is necessary to have a URL to take people toThe most accessible alternative is a landing page (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 daily (less than $1), 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 their 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.
Each ad should answer one simple question: How can I help someone who is looking for this? If you achieve that, the click will come on its own.
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.
