Google AdWords and Search Engine Marketing

Pay? For advertising on Google? Why would I do such a thing when people can just search for me and find me?

Well, if you have a highly optimized site that is coming up for every possible relevant search term that people could possibly type into the Google search engine, you're probably right.

Of course, search engine rankings can take months, or even years to reach that kind of level. If time is something you don't have, Google AdWords can provide a very quick and surprisingly effective return on your investment (ROI).

If you're not familiar with AdWords or similar search engine marketing (SEM), click here to view a quick flash introduction.  (This will open in a pop-up window, so if you are having trouble with the link, copy this into an browser window: http://www.getclickedseo.com/adwordsinto.html).

One of my clients recently came to me and said “I want to be at the top every time some one Googles the words ...”.

I looked right back at him and said, I can't guarantee that, and no one can. Then I suggested if he had enough money, I could get him into the top 3 of the sponsored results most of the time. If he had enough money. Did I mention that he had to have a fair bit of money?

The search term he was looking for was fairly generic and there was lots of competition from big players. It was an unsound strategy but still he would not relent so I got him his position. He paid a lot for it, and didn't see much or any return. Then he came back and asked me why he wasn't selling very much for all this money he was sinking into the advertising.

This was a combination of unrealistic expectations and no strategy. All I could say was, I told you so. This tutorial won't focus on the basics of how to set up an account, how to access your reports or similar functional questions. You can find all the information you need about those topics from Google itself at adwords.google.com.

What I will focus on in is expectations and strategy. In my mind, there is no greater thing to focus on than return on investment (ROI) and a number one position does not guarantee a strong ROI. In fact, I've noticed my most effective ads are in positions 4. More on that later.

For now, let me dispel some myths about Google AdWords. More late-breaking rumors will be addressed in my Rants & Blog section. Here are some things you should know.

1. You cannot guarantee your position in Google Sponsored Results
2. You cannot buy your way into the organic Google results (but you can in Yahoo)
3. Google does not rig the bidding process, although they do change their Quality Score algorithms from time to time. (See Rants & Blog)
4. It's an auction, not a sticker price. The more people bidding, the higher the price gets.
5. The days of 1 and 2 cents per click are LONG gone. Expect 30 cents to a few dollars depending on how popular the term is your bidding on.

With those out of the way let me address some very relevant topics within the AdWords system.

Search Network vs. Content Network
There are in fact a lot of different places your ad could appear in the AdWords universe. Everyone is aware of the sponsored results in the Google Search page itself. These ads appear on the top or to the right of the main search results and are in a different colour.

The Google Search Network is a series of high profile websites including AOL, AT&T, Ask, Compuserve and similar which use Google technology for their searches. If you go to Ask.com and type something into the search box, the results you're getting back are actually Google results.

The Google Content Network is much larger and consists of probably millions of websites on almost any topic you can think of. The people who own these websites set aside a space for Google ads to appear in their sites and are paid a small fee. If you've ever seen something online that says “Ads by Google” you're seeing a Content Network Site.

So for text ads anyway, you in fact have three choices or any combination of the three. Google itself, the Google Search Network, and the Google Content Network. For image, video or other types of ads, you're restricted to the content network.

The Search Network along with Google itself are paid for in cost-per-click (cpc). This means that no matter how many times your ad is visible, you only pay something if someone actually clicks on it. The content network ads are paid either on a cpc if they are keyword targeted or a cpm (cost per thousand impressions) if they are site targeted.

huh?

When you create an AdWords campaign that will use the content network, you choose whether to target your ads based on keywords you enter, or on sites you choose. So, if you're not all that particular about which sites your ad will appear on you choose keyword.

Google does make sure your ad is somewhat relevant to the content of the site it will actually appear on, but I've seen ads for a Denver restaurant on a New York Restaurant Review site. Yes, both restaurants, but not likely that someone looking for New York Restaurant reviews would be interested in Denver restaurants. Only choose this option if your selling an item with more broad based appeal.

Alternatively, you can use the Geo-targeting function in Google to narrow down where your ad will appear. It is possible to select certain cities, or even a specific area you define with latitude and longitude points. The problem here is that Google needs to figure out where the searcher is, which isn't always accurate.

With the content network you can also select a site targeted campaign. Here you can specifically select websites you would like your ad to appear on. Google will even suggest other similar sites. If you use the site targeting option, you will pay per thousand impressions (CPM). An impression is nothing more than a view. If someone goes to a website and your ad is displayed to them, you'll pay whether they click on you or not.

Which should you choose? Google, content network, search network, all three, and then site or keyword targeted?

It depends.

You need to think about the audience you want to reach. Keyword targeting in the search network can produce very low rates of people clicking on your ad, but those people were looking for usually the exact thing you are advertising. That results in a higher ROI than if you advertise the same product on a website that has material that relates to your product. People using the search network tend to be further along in the buying process so if you're looking for an immediate order or have a unique niche product, this may be a better choice.

If your interested in branding and have a product with broader appeal the content network may be a great choice. People can be a various points in the buying process, but your ad may be seen by potentially hundreds of thousands more people than if it appeared just on the search network. All of those people will be in different stages of the buying process, but by entering their thoughts early, your chance of them buying your product later on is stronger.

Site or keyword is another beast. Site targeting requires a lot more research but could pay off in much more interested viewers and higher ROI. Keyword is relatively easy, and will result in much further spread of your ad. Once again it boils down to what you're trying to sell. If you seek broad appeal then go with keyword. If you're after a very specific audience, consider site.

Testing Ads

Writing ads is always a challenge. What copy will compel visitors to click on your ad instead of the others? Well, here is the perfect ad that always gets clicked on. 

Kidding. There is no such thing. However a nifty feature in AdWords is the ability to test multiple ads. 

In your ad group page, click on the Ad Variations tab. From here you can create any number of versions of your ad that you would like. The system will then start showing them all randomly. As time goes by, AdWords will then start showing the ads that get clicked on more often. Voila, automatic testing. After some time has passed, you can go into the system and delete, pause or edit poorly performing ads. 

Once you have a few strong winners you will usually see some things in common. A good ad will normally be very clear and concise (you have to be concise with the limited number of characters you have), and will have a strong call to action. 

A call to action is a phrase that will hopefully incite the user to click on your ad.

More of this article to come!

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