How Long Do Google Ads Take to Work?

How long do Google ads take to work? This is perhaps one of the most common questions advertisers and business owners ask when setting up a Google Ads campaign for the first time, and for good reason. After all, people are less likely to invest their time, money, and effort in a marketing strategy that doesn’t deliver positive results.

Whether you’re a lawyer exploring Google Ads for the first time or want to change PPC (pay-per-click) managers because you do not see the results you like, the question mentioned above is certainly something you want to know. However, the answer might be more complicated than you think. 

When Can You Expect Results from Google Ads?

Timelines may vary from one industry/business to another. However, based on our experience at Kinetic Traffic, a well-developed Google Ads campaign will likely take at least three months to mature. From that point on, it would only get better and stronger. Simply put, you’ll need at least three months to see substantial results from your campaign.

Why wait that long? PPC campaigns usually need much time to produce notable results because they don’t have a performance history or relevant data. This is particularly true for campaigns with a small audience. Google will need more time to collect and process the necessary data, which will come from your campaign, to ensure that the right people will see your ads.

When you start advertising on Google, the search giant will measure the quality of your ads. Your ad quality will determine how your ads will perform in the ad auction, which then dictates how often Google will serve your ads to their intended audience.

As your campaign generates more data in the form of impressions and clicks, Google will be able to calculate a more accurate score and show your ads to a bigger and more relevant audience. You can also use the data to improve your ads’ targeting, content, keywords, and bids to boost their performance further.

Indeed, it takes a considerable time to receive substantial results from Google Ads. However, as someone who has seen the advertising platform in action, we can assure you that the wait is worth it. It can provide your law firm with a competitive advantage, allowing you to drive relevant traffic to your site and attract high-quality leads. 

What to Expect in Your First Week

So, what can you expect one week after you or your Google Ads team activated your account? When you start advertising on Google, the search giant usually takes around 24 to 48 hours to review and approve your account. After approving your account, it will take another seven days for Google to:

• Obtain essential data about your law firm
• Learn about your topic
• Study your target audience

Google will start serving your ads while collecting data about them. However, it is unrealistic to expect leads to start coming in at this point. In most cases, it would take about two to four weeks for your ads to gain momentum. 

How to Improve Your Ads’ Performance for Bigger ROI

When advertising on Google, it isn’t enough that you know the answer to “How long do Google Ads take to work?” You must also know what to do to ensure you get the expected results. Here are a few pointers to help you make the most of Google Ads. 

1. Understand your law firm and target audience

You’ll need to perform thorough research about your law firm and your audience to create a highly-targeted Google Ads campaign. The key areas you should look into include:

• Your business goals
• Your direct competitors
• Your ideal clients
• The current status of your marketing campaign
• The platform your target audience is using to search for legal services (mobile or desktop)

2. Develop a solid PPC strategy

Start your campaign with in-depth keyword research to determine the search terms you should bid on and incorporate into your ads. If you have an existing Google Ads campaign, it also helps to perform an audit to determine its status and how you can improve it. 

At this point, you’ll certainly appreciate the assistance of a Google Ads expert, such as our team at Kinetic Traffic. Besides keyword research and auditing, they can perform the following tasks on your behalf:

• Develop a custom strategy that matches your goals
• Ensure all essential ad elements (keywords, ad content, structured snippets, landing pages, etc.) are in place
• Identify key performance indicators to monitor
• Track your campaign’s performance and implement changes when needed

3. Optimise your ads

Rather than a sprint, managing a Google Ads campaign is akin to running a marathon. It is a work in progress and requires continuous optimisation to ensure better results. Below are some optimisation tips to help improve your ads’ performance:

• Ensure that your headlines aren’t spammy or misleading.
• Create ad descriptions that would compel your target audience to click.
• Tell your prospect precisely what to do by adding a call to action to your ad content.
• Incorporate relevant keywords into your ads.
• Ensure that your landing pages match your ads.
• Conduct A/B tests to determine the ads that work best for your audience.

Note that you mustn’t modify your ads right after submitting them to Google. You can only optimise them when you have obtained enough data about your campaign to make informed decisions. 

Let Us Help You Start a Google Ads Campaign Today

Attracting new clients is essential to a law firm’s growth and success. Good thing Google Ads can equip you with the marketing tool you need to generate quality leads for your legal practice. It usually takes considerable time to produce quality results with the PPC platform. However, the wait is certainly worth it, particularly if you have a well-developed and implemented Google Ads campaign.

If you need help developing a robust Google Ads campaign for your legal practice, we at Kinetic Traffic are happy to assist you. We specialise in SEO and Google Ads for law firms to help lawyers and solicitors take advantage of the opportunities the search giant can offer. Please speak to our team today!