Google Ads is not just one of the oldest online advertising platforms, but it has also been the inspiration for many others - Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Microsoft Ads, Amazon Ads, and many more. Understanding and being able to manage the vast jungle of settings in Google Ads gives you incredible leverage.
By creating your own ad account and campaigns during the course, you will not just put theory into practice, but also get a closer understanding of the application of the herein taught principles and strategies. Past course attendees have highlighted the practical nature of the course and being able to complete the Google Ads Certificate.
Upon completing this learning experience, you’re able to structure an Ads account, set up the most common ad campaigns in Google Ads, know the KPIs you should look out for, how Google is defining the future of online advertising with AI, and the basics of how to measure digital success with Google Analytics.

Overview:

Google Ads is an incredibly complex platform with many opportunities when mastered successfully. However, to get there, it takes quite some practice. Learn directly from a former Google employee and global digital agency owner, who has helped 3,000+ companies with Google Ads. This course will help you approach the learning journey in a practical way and teach you according to the 80/20 rule the most important aspects:

1. Account structure: What makes an efficient account? What campaign types help you drive which business goal? This is a big part of the 90% of an iceberg that you don’t see, but a crucial factor in creating a sustainable basis for long-term growth.
2. Targeted Ads: Learn and test techniques to create compelling ads through organized ad groups and campaigns. Discover what makes an efficient Call-To-Action and various advanced tips and tricks to help you convert more people. Of course, you’ll get to know how to create the best ad copy with AI and which prompts to use.
3. Keywords: Learn tips & tricks to find the best keywords that will drive the most traffic to your website while also keeping cost per click down to maximize your profit. We will use the Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, and a few other tools which save you time & effort.
4. Assets: Discover the easiest way to outperform your competitors and get even better leads to your homepage. Add phone numbers, locations, prices, simple snippets of information, or much more to your ad to make it bigger, stand out more, and increase the Click-Through-Rate.
5. Metrics/KPIs: When do you actually know that a campaign is working? What are some competitive metrics that you can use to compare your company with others in the industry? And, especially, why the Cost/Click isn’t as important as some people may think.
6. Basics of Google Analytics & The First-Party Tracking World: Get to know the basics behind data analysis with one of the most powerful and free tools out there. Learn how Google’s AI and machine learning elevate your data analysis and campaign strategy.

At the end of this course, you’ll be well prepared to take the Google Ads Certificate. With that, you receive a worldwide recognized certification that is a valuable addition to your degree in today’s job market.

After completing this course, you will be able to
1. Structure a Google Ads account
2. Set up Search, Display, YouTube, and Performance Max campaigns
3. Acquire advanced knowledge for keyword research & campaign strategy
4. Know which KPIs matter most in digital campaigns & how to track them
5. Use the basics of Google Analytics to measure landing page performance & user behaviour on your website, hence derive concrete insights and action steps for any company’s revenue growth and more efficient marketing budget spend.

According to WU rules, you have to attend 80% of the sessions in this course.

Course Materials

Please make sure that you have access to all course materials on Canvas! If NOT, please contact me until November 12, 2024!
Since most digital marketing books are outdated by the time they get published, we’ll be using a mix of case studies and online articles as well as YouTube videos in class.

Pre-Class Assignment:
• You will receive the instructions of the pre-class assignment latest by November 12, 2024, on Canvas. Make sure to start early.
• As part of the instructions, you’ll also be asked to create a practice Google Ads account. There will be a voluntary online Q&A session about 1-2 weeks prior to the deadline, in order to help you with any questions that may arise while creating your ad account. The date will be announced as soon as possible, so make sure to keep an eye on your email and Canvas!

1. 30% of the final grade is based on in-class participation, which is split up into the following parts:

• YouTube Ads Discussion Board entry (5%): since its acquisition in 2006, YouTube has been a steady part of Google and its revenue. Covering this important platform for our everyday lives, you’re expected to research about and post the best YouTube Ad according to your assessment. You will find further instructions for this task in the forum for the discussion board.
• In-class participation (15%): actively participating in the learning process is not just key to efficient skill acquisition. It is also a major attitude that helps you progress and succeed in the professional world.
• In/Post-Class Reflections (5%): At the end of Day 1 and 3 (days may change but will be announced on Day 1), you’ll be given around 10 minutes to contribute an individual reflection which you will post on the respective discussion board/forum. Taking a few minutes to write down what you have learned and reflect on the new knowledge helps you retain it better. You will find further instructions for this task in the forum for the discussion board.
• In-class pop quizzes (10%): on Day 2, 5, and 6 (days may change but will be announced on Day 1), after reviewing the material from the prior class day, you’ll do a short, 4-5 questions quiz. This is not graded and solely there for you to have another option to practice and reflect on your knowledge. Submitting it will count as completed and add to the 10%.

2. 15% of the final grade is based on your pre-class assignment, which is due on November 25, 2024. This allows for sufficient time to give you feedback on the task prior to the first class day. Make sure to have an eye on the assignments as well as the respective deadlines. Make sure your email is up-to-date! If you cannot find the instructions or haven’t received an email by November 12, 2024, you’re expected to reach out to the professor. Late submissions will automatically count as a 0, no exceptions given. Past students have often highlighted how doing this assignment was a key differentiator in receiving the better grade at the end of the course!

3. 25% of the final grade is based on 2 in-class exams, whereas there will be a mid-course exam (10%) and a final exam (15%), which will simulate parts of the Google Ads Certification exam.

4. 25% of the final grade is based on the group project. See more details about that below.

Note that while your attendance in class doesn’t count towards participation, failing to meet the 80% attendance requirement will result in an automatic failure of the course. It is your responsibility to meet that requirement. If you’re unsure, check in with the professor.

Class structure: You will receive the slides for each day in advance of the class and are expected to read them prior to each day. This flipped classroom principle allows you to discover the new knowledge through hands-on learning and get a very practical experience.

Bonus Task (not mandatory):
In addition, you will receive a maximum of 5% bonus points to your grade by successfully passing the official Google Ads Certification exam within 2 weeks after the last class day. This gives you an extra chance to improve your grade.

The transformation of your grade on the 100% scale looks like this:
• 1: 100% - 91%
• 2: 90% - 81%
• 3: 80% - 71%
• 4: 70% - 61%
• 5: Below 60%

Please log in with your WU account to use all functionalities of read!t. For off-campus access to our licensed electronic resources, remember to activate your VPN connection connection. In case you encounter any technical problems or have questions regarding read!t, please feel free to contact the library at readinglists@wu.ac.at.

I am happy to answer your questions during class. I will also try to be available in the classroom after each class or during the breaks of each class. It is usually much more productive to discuss your questions in person. If you have any questions before class, please reach out to pw@ajaladigital.com.

Group Project

Task: When working in an agency or a big company, it is absolutely common to work as a team on a bigger account. Together, you will utilize the skills of each person to succeed with this project. As a result, you will get a glimpse of the different elements it takes to create an efficient account structure. Your task is to do research, prepare an account structure, and create campaigns with Ads as well
as Assets, the right settings, Keywords, and Audiences. Your group needs to create at least 1 campaign/person except for App and Smart campaigns which count as half a campaign. If a person chooses to do an App or Smart campaign, they are expected to create a second campaign to fulfill the requirements. You will not just submit a 2-page strategy playbook outlining your rough strategy and eventual additional campaigns, but also present it in a 5-min* video, which you record at your own convenience!

2-Page Strategy Playbook
In this 2-page document, you need to:
• Showcase that you've done some background research about your company (max. 5-6 sentences).
• Outline the general account structure.
• Highlight why you chose to create the campaigns you are creating.
• Mention the goal for the campaigns.
• Highlight which person has created which campaign.

5-min Video
You can choose whether every person records their own campaign and explains it, or if one person speaks about all campaigns. Your task is to take me through each of the campaigns your group has created and highlight the settings, Keywords, Ads, Assets, Audiences, and any other aspect that is relevant and key for a campaign to be set up well. Since you only have 5 minutes, there is no need
to repeat any information that you put in the strategy playbook.

You can upload the video on any platform and will post the link to it in the text entry box as part of your submission. You have to make sure that the video is accessible to me before the deadline. If the video is not accessible after the deadline, it counts as not submitted. Therefore, it is your own responsibility to double-check and make sure that it works. Any content that exceeds the 5-minute mark will count as not submitted.

The group project includes:

Part I (in-class): What are you going to advertise? Why? What do you hope to get out of the ads? Also assign a 'spokesperson' from your group who will be my main contact person for your group. You can choose another person to be responsible for the submission of the assignment.
Part II (in-class): What are you going to test? What is the account structure? What campaigns are you going to use?
Part III (partially in-class): Draft ads - set it up in an actual account.
Final: Submit a video explaining your account structure and campaign setup.
Deadline for submitting the video and strategy playbook: 1 day after the last class day. To meet course workload requirements, you're also expected to work on the assignment outside of class.

Post any questions regarding the assignments in the respective discussion board/forum. Make sure to check the entries before you submit your question. Duplicate questions will not receive answers.

*The video length is calculated as 1min per person.

Bonus Task: Google Ads Certification

Task: By completing this exam successfully, you will leave the course with a certification that is highly valuable in the professional world. Furthermore, it is an add-on to your education and a well-sought-after proof of skill in the marketing world. Make sure that you’ve got a stable internet connection as any internet interruption could mean that your exam ends early and you need to start all over.
You will receive 5% for this task if you complete the steps below before the deadline. This task is not mandatory, but represents an additional opportunity to get a valuable certificate outside of class and add a few bonus points to your grade. You will receive the right link to access the exam during class. Once you have passed, upload a full screenshot of your screen and the result (date, time,
full student name must be visible on your laptop screen) on Canvas.

Deadline: January 4, 2025