As a small business owner looking to use paid search, one of the first decisions you have to make is what type of campaign to run. Google gives you two options – Smart Campaigns, and Search Campaigns. Let’s break down what each of these means for you.

Smart Campaigns

Smart Campaigns are a great option if you are pressed for time and money, which is typical if you are running your business while looking to generate leads and keep a lid on costs. They are easy to set up (takes less than thirty minutes) and easy to run. You don’t need to hire an agency or consultant since the campaign runs itself and self-optimizes once created. You also don’t need to select a bidding strategy or define keywords.

Simply write an ad that describes your business, set a budget, and your ad will start showing when customers search for businesses like yours.  If you run a local business and want to target geographically, link your campaign to your Google My Business listing so your business shows up as a pin on Google Maps for local searches. If you don’t have a listing, create one using the same email address as you are using for Smart Campaigns.

Search Campaigns

Don’t be fooled because these don’t have “smart” in the name. They use the same optimization algorithms as Smart Campaigns and give you a whole lot more control over when and where your ad shows and who sees it.

I recommend picking this option when you have outgrown Smart Campaigns and want greater control over targeting and messaging. If you choose to set it up yourself, you will need to learn the basics -done easily online in a few hours using Google’s own Academy for Ads. If you don’t have the time or choose to spend time on running your business instead, then you should set clear goals for an agency or consultant and let them set up and manage your campaigns.

I will cover how to set up a Smart Campaign, and the basics of Search Campaigns in future blog posts. For additional detail on Smart Campaigns vs. Search Campaigns, here’s some helpful information straight from Google – Compare Smart Campaigns with Search Campaigns