What is AdWords and where does it apply?
Google’s enormously successful pay-per-click (PPC) advertising system, AdWords, can work for all types of business.
Using any PPC platform requires time and money. AdWords’ estimated revenue income of $74 billion in 2015 indicates that businesses all over the world have discovered that it is time and money well spent.
Why should I even want to know about AdWords?
AdWords allows you to present your business to potential clients who are using keywords to search Google for your exact products and services. You only pay when your Ad is clicked for more
information; hence your advertising budget is only spent on leads that are pre-qualified.
AdWords Ads appear above and below the free, organic listings on Google search results pages; you can see them marked ‘Ad’. These have been placed to respond to the specific keywords that were typed into the search box. Effectively, those Ads are vying for the searcher’s attention, claiming to have the relevant information required, literally bidding against each other for attention – Click ME!
“Googling” has become second nature to us in our modern world – but when we stop and think, Google is, effectively, just a ‘machine’. How does it decide which results to display when keywords are entered?
To you, the advertiser, important questions arise:
- How do I ensure that only people who are interested in my offering click on my Ad?
- What should I do to keep my Ad listed prominently in the search results?
- How do I make sure that only people who are in my service area contact me?
The answers to these questions lie in just how keywords are used to match your AdWords Ads, optimise your landing pages and target your campaigns. It’s all about the keywords!
Google IS just a machine, but it’s a machine that learns. The mass of data collected since the launch of AdWords in the year 2000 forms a complex model of information flow. The Google machine has learnt keyword meanings and has structured groups, using connections, to provide the relevant answers to searches. It has also used this data to assess each advertiser’s relevance and suitability for display.
Understanding this, you will see how knowing your customers’ keywords can give you amazing results when using AdWords: You can save time by quickly
- You can save time by quickly tuning your web presence to be easily identified by Google for your products and servicesYou can save money by being the most appropriate advertiser for your specific, most
- You can save money by being the most appropriate advertiser for your specific, most relevant keywords and phrases
So, knowing these basics, let’s start…
Why should you try AdWords?
- Be the fastest to market…
Gone are the days when you used to wait weeks for conventional advertising to initiate some interest before you could assess the success of your efforts. With AdWords, within hours, you can have people coming to your business website, viewing your products and services, completing enquiry forms and even calling you directly. - Nudge in among the big guys…
The playing fields are now level for small businesses competing with corporate entities on AdWords. Even if your market is saturated, your website can be shown alongside the dominant player in your industry as the result of a search. Admittedly, you will pay more in a crowded market but you still have an equal opportunity to bid to appear in one of the strategic top three Ad positions. - Target specific regions to show your products…
It is now possible to use Google AdWords to penetrate specific local markets, whether they are within suburbs, cities, regions, states or countries. This technique of location targeting empowers small businesses that sell their products at a local level. - Refine your targeting based on people’s interests…
If you have new product to bring to market, Google’s Display Ads provide a way to create instant awareness. Audience targeting shows your Banner Ads to people with specific interests, while they browse. For example, a picture of a novel dog kennel can be introduced to pet lovers who would not otherwise know of its existence. Here, an image is worth a thousand words. - Know, clearly, how your advertising dollars were spent…
You have full and direct control over all aspects of your AdWords budget. Understanding and manipulating detailed metrics, such as cost per click (CPC), cost per acquisition (CPA) and number of conversions, allows you to directly correlate profit generated to provide a measurable return on investment (ROI). This ripples through to assist with product pricing, ensuring profitable campaigns. - Bonus Point – Help you understand your target market and discover new markets…
Scoping out your market based on strategic keywords allows you to hone in on what people are searching for, allowing you to present exactly what they are expecting along the path to sales success. This may uncover new, unanticipated markets for investigation. For example, as a retail florist you may notice a demand for “flower delivery” that might encourage you to consider introducing a mobile service.
Additional features offered in the AdWords arena prevent you from leaving money on the table:
- Remarketing allows you to follow previous website visitors, reminding them of your presence whilst they are browsing elsewhere.
- Device targeting provides the opportunity to explore the potential of the largest and most valuable current growth area – mobile searches.
- Call monitoring lets you track which keywords generate the most leads, so you can optimise campaigns to maximise conversions.
Knowing how to best present your information to Google, and hence to your potential new market, gives you a great start for capitalising on the amazing benefits that AdWords can offer.
