Google Ads for Beginners
It often used to be said that Google runs the internet, and that Google Ads were the power behind that belief.
Google is probably best known for its search capabilities, as well as YouTube, Gmail etc, but people often don’t realize quite how much the company depends upon its advertising revenue.
Google built itself on what is known as pay per click advertising, which changed the whole face of how both advertisers and publishers used ad networks.
The basic principle is that an Advertiser only pays for an ad when someone clicks on it on a website, and at the same time Google will receive a percentage of that payment, as does a website publisher who also receives a percentage.
This incentivized publishers to put Google ads on their website, and also meant that advertisers were able to specifically target where their ad money was going.
Google Ads Training.
This course is a very simple but effective look at how Google ads work. It is a short course approximately 2 hours long, and is free.
It focus focuses mainly on :
Setting up a Google Ads Account
Signing into a Google Ads Account
Logging into a Google Ads Account
The Google Ads Dashboard and what it means
It’s fair to say that it’s target market is probably people who are in companies or businesses that use or are likely to use Google ads, and gives them an introduction into how to set up a Google account and run a campaign using Google’s ad network.
This information however has a much wider audience in terms of people needing to understand how the internet functions.
Advertising is still the core way that most businesses make money online, or at least contributes to other ways as well, in addition to subscription sites etc.
Privacy
Google ads are often used in a way that is known as targeted advertising, meaning they are focused on specific items or services that an individual has searched for, either recently or in the past.
Google often uses their own search information to build up a profile of individuals so they can target them with the most relevant advertising that they feel are relevant to their needs.
That is a perfectly legitimate use of their own information but also highlights why understanding Google ads can be so important for everyone involved in cyber security.
Privacy is the key issue in terms of who collects information how much information and who stores that information.
Smart Devices and Products
At the moment people’s personal data is mainly collected through desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
This will change considerably in the future as internet of things devices, or smart devices as they are known, become much more a part of everyone’s lives.
People’s whole existence will become accessible to internet companies and the storing of their personal information will be a crucial security issue.
Given that Google ads rely on collecting and storing data of individuals and companies, it is important for anyone involved in cyber security to understand how Google ads work, how campaigns are put together, and how people’s personal data is used in the context.