Are you new to Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising? Have you determined that PPC Advertising may be profitable for your business? This post is for those who are new to PPC Advertising and would like to get off to a fast start buying keywords on Google!
Here are some steps to take to start a Google AdWords Account and set up a successful Adwords Campaign:
Step 1. Create a Google AdWords Account
Go To http://adwords.google.com and register a Google AdWords Account!
Step 2. Set a Budget for a TEST Campaign
Identify a budget for a 30 or 60 day Test period. The budget must be high enough to generate adequate sample data in order to determine if the effectiveness of the campaign. If you set a budget too low, it will be difficult to qualify for the auction and generate ad impressions. Without Ad Impressions, there is no way of knowing the how effective your ad is.
Step 3. Determine The Goal of the Adwords PPC Campaign
Of the many reasons an advertiser would want to advertise via PPC Campaign, here are a few biggies:
- Transactions – B2C companies, like eCommerce companies are looking for visitors to purchase their products
- Leads – B2B Comapnies, like Software companies are looking to generate Leads for a sales team to follow up on
- Branding – Companies should own as much real estate as possible on Google to capture all searchers of that Brand. As you start to gain traction with your brand, competitors will purchase your brand name to try and capture some market-share.
- Video Views -If a company has determined that visitors that view the video have a higher probability of converting/purchasing, the goal may be to have visitors watch that particular video.
- RSS Subscribers – Companies are always looking to expand their reach. New content that is being syndicated to relevant readers can increase brand awareness, increase leads for B2B or increase traffic for monetizing a blog (ad impressions).
Step 4. Identify Keywords To Purchase
Once the budget and goal of the PPC Campaign is set, you will need to identify keywords to purchase.
Within your Google AdWords Account, Go To OPPORTUNITIES -> KEYWORD TOOL
In order to advertise on Google, you need to purchase keywords. Keywords are the foundation for all internet marketing efforts (PPC, SEO, SMO). Google’s Keyword Tool is conveniently built directly into Google Adwords. Google’s Keyword Tool allows you to type in keywords to get keyword suggestions and allows you to add websites to get keyword suggestions (use competitor websites for ideas).
How many keywords should you research? Since 20% of all search queries on Google are unique, the larger the list of keywords you research with, the more opportunities you will have to find specific and relevant keywords for your business! You don’t have to purchase every keyword, but you want to research as many variations of keywords as possible to identify a base of relevant keywords.
Advanced Tip: If you have google analytics set up on your website, go to your Google Analytics account -> Traffic Sources -> Keywords. Here you will find all of the search queries that generated organic clicks to your website over a customizable period of time.
Step 5. Group Semantically Relevant Keywords
Now that you have identified a list of relevant keywords to purchase, you will want to group those keywords semantically into Ad Groups. For Example, if you have a “Pet Store” in Boston, MA and you sell “Pet Supplies,” you should group those keywords and variations of those keywords into an Ad Group. Example Ad Group = {Pet Store Boston, Pet Store Boston MA, Pet Stores Boston, Pet Supplies Store Boston, Pet Supply Store Boston, Pet Supply Store Boston MA, Pet Supplies Boston MA}
Advanced Tip: Ad Groups should contain 5-10 semantically related keywords. If you are looking to group thousands, tens-of-thousands or hundreds-of-thousands of keywords, you may want to check out these 3 keyword grouping tools for efficient ppc advertising.
Step 6. Identify Match Types for your Keywords
Exact Match – Your advertisement will only be impressed upon the searcher if the keyword you purchase exactly matches the Google search query.
Phrase Match – Your advertisement will be impressed upon the searcher if the order of the search query and spelling of the search query match your keyword phrase but also contain another word. For Example, If I buy the keyword “Boston Pet Store” using phrase match and the searcher queries Google “Boston MA Pet Store” there is a chance my ad will be in that auction.
Broad Match – Google defaults to the broad match function when you are purchasing keywords. If you purchase the keyword “Pet” using Google’s broad match function, your advertisement may get into an auction for “pet dog” or “pet cat.” This can be expensive and not as targeted as an exact match or phrase match, so you run the risk of paying for irrelevant clicks.
Negative Keywords – This match type will ensure that your advertisement does not get impressed upon very broad, non-discriminant search queries, trademarks, or any word that you do not want your ad to show up for. For Example, if I own a pet store and sell pet supplies, but do not sell “pets,” then i am going to set a negative exact match keyword for “pet” and “pets.”
Step 7. Create New Text Ads For Each Ad Group
Here is where you need to be creative and come up with a compelling call to action that will entice a searcher to click on your ad. Your headline should have a keyword focus and come very close to exactly matching the search query. Description Line 1 and 2 should contain your call to action. The display URL should be your domain name of the destination URL and if you have enough room for a keyword in the page slug of the display URL then add a keyword. The destination URL is the actual URL that you are sending the searcher when they click on your ad. You should send the searcher to a landing page (a page on your website that is designed to convert a website visitor into a lead or customer). See the example text ad below.
Step 8. Check Campaign Settings: GEO Targeting & Networks
Are you limited to doing business in a local area (state, country, territory)? If so, you will only want your ads to run in that particular location. In order to adjust the location of your ads, go to your Campaign -> Settings -> Location. If you want to limit your ads to showing up on Google’s Search Engine and not the Display Network, you can un-check the “display” option in the “Networks” section (beneith the Location section).
Now that you know the basics on How to Start a Google Adwords Campaign, put your knowledge to the test! If you have been managing PPC Campaigns, how would you recommend starting a Google AdWords Campaign?
