Wondering how you can get Google to send you more of its 2 billion + daily searchers to your website, but don’t want to wait weeks or months for your search engine optimization campaigns to kick in? Or, are you looking to test out a new idea or concept, and want to get it up-and-running quickly and inexpensively?
In either case, a Google AdWords pay-per-click campaign might be the perfect answer. It’s a fast and inexpensive way to draw buyers in to your website at the exact moment they are looking for a product or service like the one you offer.
Finding profits through AdWords isn’t as simple as selecting a few keywords and writing ads, though. In fact, there are four important foundations that sit beneath the success of any campaign over time…
#1 Targeted Keyword Research
AdWords is only useful if you spend your money attracting the right kinds of visitors to your website. That means searchers who are just interested in a particular topic, but are looking to make a purchase (instead of simply finding information), and have good reasons to choose you over your competitors. In order to match all of these factors together, you’ll want to engage in a bit of detailed keyword research for placing your first ads.
#2 A Smart Bidding Strategy
A classic mistake in pay-per-click advertising is to simply begin by out-spending all of your competitors. That can be a great way to attract website visitors – the top two or three AdWords positions tend to get more than three quarters of all collects – but it also means eating heavily into your budget. If all those extra clicks aren’t converting at a high rate, you could end up spending more on advertising than you’re actually getting back in new sales.
#3 Landing Pages That Convert
Newer marketers tend to obsess about their ads and keywords, but it’s good to remember that these only represent half of the equation. That is, it doesn’t matter how many potential buyers you bring to your landing pages if the content that’s found there isn’t all that compelling to them. From the headlines and images you use, to your layouts and calls to action, all the elements of your landing pages need to work together with each other – and your PPC ads – if you want to see the right kinds of results.
#4 Regular Analytics Checkups
The truly wonderful thing about advertising on Google is that you can track the performance of your campaigns in real-time. You can see which ads draw in visits, how searchers interact with your website, and what kind of return on investment you are generating from each keyword or campaign. None of this happens, however, unless you regularly look into your analytics package with a critical eye.
Beginning a Google AdWords campaign without these foundations in place is likely to lead to wasted time and money. So, before you start placing ads on your favorite search engine, take the time to figure out how you can do so efficiently, or commit yourself to working with a creative partner who can ensure you get and stay on the right track.