Google Adwords can be a great way to position your brand effectively, capture new and returning clients, and advertise without large up-front costs. John is spending over $500/month on Google Adwords and here is how you can get started.
Establish Goals, Objectives, and Targets
Whether they be cost per click, monthly spend, sales, onsite time, or whatever, goals are important. Goals will help you create a basis of your campaign, because it will be different if you’re trying to position your brand or if you’re trying to capture repeat sales. Most companies set their goals at a budget “I want to be able to receive 10 sales from $100 monthly spend.”
Build out Keyword List
A great tool for building keyword lists is from SEO Book and is located here. I suggest creating a campaign for brand terms (which are almost always more profitable than keyword terms) so you can establish some familiarity with the Adwords platform.
Create the AdWords Campaign
Now you’re ready to log into Google Adwords and actually create the campaign. Go to the login page , click on “Campaign Summary” and then “keyword-targeted”. You’ll then be able to name your campaigns. After that, select your countries. The more countries, the more reach, but the traffic quality is usually less (why pay for a click when the user doesn’t speak English). Next, write your advertisement. Try to be clear, concise, and have a call to action. I wrote about this on my blog and how you can actually pay less per click, but be ranked higher than competitors.
Next, add the list of keywords you already created (and maybe some of Googles recommended ones as well) and continue. Now comes come number crunching. Set your budgets and default cost-per-click or the cost you’ll pay for each click unless you specify later. Higher CPCs usually lead to higher ad positions, which usually get more clicks. A decent starting CPC is $.50, but that will all depend on the keywords, number of keywords, budget, etc. I recommend setting a content bid of $0.01 (unless it’s brand terms), because the content network generally has lower quality traffic. Once that’s done, you’re done! Well, almost.
Integrate Tracking
While there are solutions out there that cost hundreds of dollars, Google Adwords integrates perfectly with Google Analytics. Link your accounts then sign up for conversion tracking through Google Adwords. You’ll then be able to tell what keyword the person was referred on, which will allow you to start putting a value on keywords to help determine ROI.
Add More Ad Copy
Go back into your campaign and create more ad copies. I suggest having a few (5 or so) running, because Google will find out which ads has the best CTR and start showing that ad more. After a week or so, delete the least performing ad and try an ad with different text. Always try to beat the current winning ad.
Continually Check-in on the Account
Don’t set and forget. Add and delete keywords, optimizes ad copy, and play with your bids and daily budgets. Also, don’t forget that your landing page quality can be a powerful variable in how effective your Google AdWords campaign will be, so be sure you point your ads to the most relevant and conversion friendly page you can.
Hopefully you’re now ready to start using Google Adwords to increase your online sales, brand, or just get a little more traffic. Good luck!
Dave Rigotti is the owner of Freezing Hot, an internet marketing company which specializes in seo and paid search management for small businesses.
Comments
16 responses so far ↓chipseo on Nov 7, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Nice list… I love the “check-in” part. I setup an adsense account on a few sites about 3-4 years ago and totally forgot all about it.
When I wanted to use adsense again it would not let me setup a new account (I totally forgot I had the old one). When I finally was able to log in, I had a nice $100 waiting for me.
That is good and bad… good, cash I didn’t know I had, bad, it took 4 years for a balance to reach the payout :)
Hopefully my newer setup will pay a little better.
Scott
mark on Nov 7, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Good tips. I don’t use AdWords yet (since my sites always do well organically), but its good to know :)
Jon Lee Clark on Nov 9, 2007 at 11:27 am
Great article!! I use Adwords extensively (as well as Yahoo, MSN and Ask) for paid search. While I am far beyond a newbie I would agree that these are absolutely necessary to initially run a good campaign. Good stuff!
DiscretFarma on Mar 27, 2008 at 2:33 am
Thank you for your advice. I’ve changed my Adwords ads and I’m now waiting for results :)
All the best.
amir on Jun 15, 2008 at 11:37 am
Pls guide me what to do after creating an ad in google adword in my campaign there is already an ad running with a budget setting 800 per month, so what i have to do furthur for running another ad and more and how will i earn more commission, after promoting a product from click bank after creating a hoplink how will i come to adwords and fill my PPC Forms(expecially help me how to go to PPC forms after coming from click bank), pls guide me on all these i can very well understand the concept but i don’t know what to do and how to do,
Let me explain the procedures in short pls guide me on the same also…. 1. Logging into a click bank , taking a product and creating a hoplink, 2. Then coming to google adwords there i have to enter my hoplink in PPC Forms and then make my ad to run under Campaign, 3. I have started in Starter Edition only still i don’t know how to go to PPC Forms which is the main thing in this. 4. Then i have already paid an activation charge of rs:120/- will i have to pay each and evry time for me to run my ad in adwords,
Pls Pls guide me on all the same so that i can also earn lot of commission. Hope u’ll do, expecting a positive feedback from u…..
Nitu on Jun 23, 2008 at 5:44 am
Pls guide me what to do after creating an ad in google adword in my campaign there is already an ad running with a budget setting 800 per month, so what i have to do furthur for running another ad and more and how will i earn more commission, after promoting a product from click bank after creating a hoplink how will i come to adwords and fill my PPC Forms(expecially help me how to go to PPC forms after coming from click bank), pls guide me on all these i can very well understand the concept but i don’t know what to do and how to do,
Let me explain the procedures in short pls guide me on the same also…. 1. Logging into a click bank , taking a product and creating a hoplink, 2. Then coming to google adwords there i have to enter my hoplink in PPC Forms and then make my ad to run under Campaign, 3. I have started in Starter Edition only still i don’t know how to go to PPC Forms which is the main thing in this. 4. Then i have already paid an activation charge of rs:120/- will i have to pay each and evry time for me to run my ad in adwords,
Pls Pls guide me on all the same so that i can also earn lot of commission. Hope u’ll do, expecting a positive feedback from u…..
christoper on Nov 12, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Hello, I want to do adwords for my site. This is industry of clothes suits and trouser. Please help me how can i do Google adwords for this.
vinod kumar O P on Jan 31, 2009 at 5:09 am
because we know your needs
Moses on Mar 6, 2009 at 10:28 am
Thanks for the information. i have been learning ways to earn money on line. this will definetly help me to do it in large scale. Regards , Moses