A Step-by-Step Guide to Google Ads for Party Rental Businesses

Businesses make an average of $2 for every $1 spent on Google Ads.
Google’s Economic Impact Report

Did you know that whenever you click on a “sponsored” ad on Google, you’re spending someone else’s money?

These are Google Ads, and they are essentially businesses paying a premium to cut in line, ensuring they appear right where you’ll see them—above the organic search results. For small businesses, this is a game-changer. It’s a chance to level the playing field, allowing you to appear alongside or even above the big players in your industry.

In this blog, we’ll go over a simple step-by-step on getting started with Google ads for small businesses. Buckle up, ’cause we’ve got a ton of knowledge to share!

1. What are Google Ads?
2. Types of Google Ads
3. Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a Google Ads Campaign
4. Common Mistakes to Avoid with Google Ads

What Are Google Ads? 

Google ads are online pay-per-click ads where you, as the advertiser, pay a fee each time one of your ads is clicked. Think of it as buying site visits rather than organically earning them through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You create ads, set a budget, and only pay when someone clicks on your ad.

Google places sponsored ads above or alongside organic search results on the search engine results page (SERP). These ads are part of Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) advertising system, where advertisers bid on specific keywords to have their ads displayed prominently.

The placement of ads is determined by factors like the advertiser’s bid amount, ad relevance, and Quality Score—a metric that measures the ad’s relevance, expected click-through rate, and landing page experience. Ads with higher scores and bids are more likely to appear at the top, giving them greater visibility.

Benefits of Google Ads for Party Rental Businesses

• Targeted Reach: Show ads to users searching for party rental services in your area.
• Budget-Friendly: Control costs by setting daily or monthly spending limits.
• Immediate Results: Unlike SEO, PPC drives traffic as soon as your campaign goes live.
• Customizable Campaigns: Adapt your strategy to fit your business goals and customer base.

Types of Google Ads

As you dive into the world of pay-per-click advertising, you’ll encounter a few types of pay-per-click ads:

• Search Ads: These ads appear on search engine results pages when specific keywords are searched. They are ideal for targeting customers actively looking for rental services.
• Display Ads: Visual ads that appear on websites within a network, targeting users based on their browsing habits and interests.
• Remarketing Ads: Designed to target people who have previously visited your website, these ads help reconnect them and encourage them to complete a booking or inquiry.

Small businesses tend to favor Search Ads the most. This preference is due to their effectiveness in targeting potential customers who are actively searching for specific services or products. These ads target people who are already interested and ready to take action, making it the most effective way to grab potential customers at the moment they’re deciding where to spend their money.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Your Google Ad Campaign

Step 1: Create a Google Ads Account:

1. Go to Google Ads and sign up.
2. Choose a campaign type:
   • Search – Text-based ads that appear on Google search results pages when users search for specific keywords.  This is the easiest place to get started and where we will focus this article.
   • Display – Visual banner ads that appear on websites, apps, and YouTube across the Google Display Network
   • Shopping – Ads featuring product images, prices, and descriptions that appear in Google Shopping and Search results.
   • Video – Video ads that run on YouTube and other Google partner sites.
   • App – Ads promoting mobile apps across Google Search, YouTube, Play Store, and Display Network.
   • Performance Max – A goal-based campaign type that runs ads across all of Google’s networks (Search, Display, YouTube, Shopping, Discover, etc.).
   • Local – Ads designed to drive traffic to physical locations, such as stores or restaurants.
3. Enter basic details like your website URL.

Step 2: Set a Budget

Google Ads handles budgeting by allowing you to set a daily budget for each campaign you run. 

This budget is the maximum amount you’re willing to spend daily on a particular campaign. Google Ads will then evenly spread your ad spend over the month so you don’t exceed your monthly budget. This setup gives you control over your spending and helps prevent any unexpected charges.

To determine your starting budget, determine how much you’d be willing to pay for each rental reservation.  If your average order value (AOV) is $1000, you may be willing to spend $100, or 10%, for that order.  

Now, you need to figure out your website’s conversion rate. If you already have an active website, you may know this number. For example, you may know that for every 100 people who visit your site, 3 people make a reservation with you, which is a 3% conversion rate.  

Max CPC = the Amount you are willing to pay x the conversion rate. In this example, it would be $100 x 3% = $3. 

You would be willing to spend up to $3 to get someone to visit your site from the ad. 

Start with a small budget while you learn and determine which ads connect with your audience and convert to paid orders.  

How to maximize ROI on Google Ads:

• Set a Daily Cap: Avoid overspending by limiting daily ad spend.
• Focus on High-Intent Keywords: Use terms like “rent” and “near me” to attract ready-to-buy customers.
• Adjust Seasonally: Increase budgets during peak rental seasons like weddings or holidays.

Bidding strategies for Google Ads:

• Manual CPC (cost-per-click) gives you control over the maximum amount you’re willing to pay per click. To start, choose Manual CPC so Google doesn’t raise or lower your budget without you knowing about it.  
• Automated strategies like Maximize Conversions and Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) use Google’s AI to optimize bids in real time based on campaign performance. 
• Enhanced CPC adjusts manual bids slightly to prioritize clicks that are more likely to convert. 
• Target Impression Share ensures your ad appears prominently in search results, such as at the top of the page. 
• Maximize Clicks focuses on getting as many visitors as possible within your budget. 

Make sure to choose Geographic targeting. Focus on specific locations to reach local customers more likely to rent from you—for example, target ads for “tent rentals” within a 30-mile radius of your business.

Step 3: Find The Keywords You Want to Target

A keyword is a term or phrase that someone types into a search engine, which then triggers your ad to appear. Your ad will be displayed based on the specific keywords you choose to target.

Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to find high-intent keywords that match your services. Start by typing in what you think your customer would search.  For example:

• “party tent rentals near me”
• “wedding chair rentals”

Next, click “Get ideas” to gather related ideas. This will show you a listing of keywords, their search volume, and the average cost per click for each keyword. You are looking for keywords with high search volume and low costs.    

Want to learn more about Keyword Research? Check out our blog on Search Engine Optimization!

Pro Tip for choosing keywords for Google Ads: 

Try to use long-tail keywords.  A long-tail keyword is a specific, multi-word phrase that targets a niche audience or highly specific search intent, such as “affordable outdoor wedding tent rentals in Austin.” 

While long-tail keywords typically have lower search volumes, they are often less competitive and have higher conversion rates because they align closely with what users seek. For example, someone searching for a long-tail keyword is usually further along in their buying journey and ready to take action. 

Using long-tail keywords in your Google Ads campaigns can help you attract highly relevant traffic at a lower cost-per-click (CPC), improve your Quality Score, and increase your return on ad spend (ROAS). They’re especially useful for businesses targeting specific products, services, or local audiences.

Choosing Match Types for Keywords:

Once you pick your keywords, you need to choose the match type. There are 3 types of keyword match types you can choose from: 

1. Exact match allows your ad to show only when search queries closely match your keyword, giving you highly targeted traffic, but it can limit reach if your keywords are too specific. Put most of your budget here towards keywords you are confident will convert. 
2. Phrase match offers more flexibility. It displays ads for searches that include your keyword in the same order, making it great for capturing intent while still maintaining control, though it may miss some variations. 
3. Broad match casts the widest net, showing ads for searches related to your keyword in any order, even including synonyms. This maximizes reach but can result in irrelevant clicks if not paired with negative keywords. Put a small portion of your budget here to uncover keywords you haven’t considered.

Where to access match types and how to implement them:

1. Log in to your ad platform (like Google Ads).
2. Navigate to the Campaigns section.
3. Select or create a new campaign.
4. Go to the Keywords tab within the campaign settings.

Here’s how to implement each match type as you input keywords:

Step 4: Create Compelling Ads

Write clear and engaging ad copy. Focus on your unique selling points and include a strong call to action (CTA).  Check out this tool for creating the copy.  

Examples:

• “Impress Your Guests with Top-Quality Event Furniture. Book Now!”
• “Affordable Party Tent Rentals with Fast Setup. Get a Quote Today!”

Enhance your ads with assets, also known as extensions, such as:

• Call Extensions: Let customers call directly from the ad.
• Location Extensions: Highlight your business address for easy access.
• Sitelink Extensions: Include links to specific pages like pricing or popular products.

You can find extensions by clicking “Create” on the top left-hand side of the Google Ads homepage.

Then, select “Asset”.

Step 5: Optimize Landing Pages

A landing page is the page you land on after clicking an ad. The landing page is critical because it ultimately convinces someone to take action after they click on your ad. If the landing page isn’t relevant or doesn’t match the promise of the ad, visitors might feel misled and leave without engaging further. 

Ensure your landing page aligns with your ad. Include:

• Keywords featured in your ad copy.
• Clear, concise headlines.
• A prominent Call to Action, CTA, such as “Reserve Your Tent Today!”
• Simple page design

Note: your landing page should only have ONE CALL TO ACTION. Don’t put any other links on the landing page to prevent confusion and maximize the likelihood of converting the traffic by directing all attention to a single goal.   

Here’s some great examples of high-conversion landing pages!

Step 6: Track and Measure Success

Monitor your campaigns regularly to ensure they’re performing well. Key metrics to track include:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Measures how often users click on your ad after seeing it.
• Conversion Rate: Tracks how many clicks turn into bookings or inquiries.
• Quality Score: Google’s rating of your ad relevance and landing page experience.

Setting Up Conversion Tracking

You can use Google Tag Manager to track conversions. This data helps refine your campaigns for better results. Go to this Google Ads help article to get a step-by-step guide. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid with Google Ads

• Mismatched Content: Ensure your landing page matches the promise of your ad.
• Ignoring Negative Keywords: Exclude irrelevant terms to avoid wasting your budget. To refine your reach, add negative keywords. These are terms for which you don’t want your ads to show up. For instance, if you rent out high-end equipment, you might want to add “cheap” as a negative keyword to avoid unqualified clicks.
• Overloading with Information: Keep landing pages clean and focused on a single CTA.
• Ignoring Mobile Optimization: Ensure landing pages load quickly and display well on mobile devices.
• Slow Loading Pages: Ensure your landing page loads quickly. Slow pages can lead to high bounce rates and dings from Google, which means your ad may not show up at all! You definitely don’t want that.
• Hidden Call to Action: Always make your call to action (CTA) prominent and easy to find. If it’s not clear what the visitor should do next, you might lose them.

Need help?

If you don’t have the desire or time to set up your Google Ads, check out Recipi. They specialize in ads specifically for party rental companies.   

Other blogs you may find helpful:

Best Practices for Pricing Rental Inventory with a Calculator

Best Practices for Rental Inventory Management and Tracking

How to Automate Parts of your Rental Business and Maximize Efficiency and Profits