#1 Website Maintenance Company in Clearwater
September 2013
By Dan Lewis – Bio
We’ve all seen those paid ads on Google, the ones in the lightly colored top and right column of the results page. The question many have is, “Do they work?” The short answer is yes, and no… which leads us to the longer answer.
The truth is, yes, they work, but only if – a) they are managed by someone who knows how to use them, and b) the budget is sufficient within your given industry. If either of these is ignored, the money spent may not be recovered in new sales. Let’s elaborate on these two factors.
Managing the Ad Campaign
Like anything else, it takes some experience to get good at using Google’s AdWords. One can waste a great deal of money by making mistakes. Here’s a simple example: an amateur sets up the campaign so that when people search for the company (by name), the ad is triggered. But the company already has a #1 position (natural ranking) in Google for the company name! And, of course, when a person searches that name, they click the first thing they see on the page; the ad. Result – wasted money.
There are many other details one learns over years of experience running AdWords campaigns. Details that, when unknown to the ad manager, translate into wasting a lot of the budget. Some variables to these ads are; Ad text (the words used), ad position (changed by altering your bid per click and overall budget), using multiple ads, the choice of keywords (that triggers your ads), and many others.
AdWords Budget
Setting a budget too low is a very common mistake. Depending on what industry you’re in, there is a certain group of others that also use Google AdWords. Some industries have more competing ads than others. Some have companies with huge ad budgets that dominate the top positions. Others, have relatively few, or have relatively small budgets, or both.
Therefore, it’s important to experiment. Try different things and keep notes on what works and what don’t. And it’s even more important to have patience. Like all advertising, AdWords does take time to reach its maximum effects. It’s well known to experts that TV ads take about 3 months to produce noticeable results. Radio is similar. Direct mail usually takes three mailings to the same list, or about 6 weeks. Why would anyone think Google ads could produce instant results? They can, but that’s not the average or normal. They usually take weeks to months before they produce viable results.
Used correctly, with an adequate budget, Google AdWords is normally the most cost-effective method of advertising available to any company. If you have had a bad experience with this and given up, you may want to do yourself a favor and try again.
Going through a “learning curve” can be expensive. To avoid all this “learning curve” waste, most smart business owners hire a professional to manage their ads for them. To find out more, call Profit Gate today; (727) 607-3300.