How To Setup AdWords
There are 2 basic types of digital advertising. Search Based Adversing like Google Adwords where you advertise to people looking for exactly what you are offering and Disruptive Advertising. Both types of advertising can be effective, and which is right for you depends on what you are selling. Often it’s not clear which is better so we always recommend doing both and looking at the data to make the decision. Here is how to get started with AdWords:
There are 2 basic types of digital advertising. Search Based Adversing like Google Adwords where you advertise to people looking for exactly what you are offering and Disruptive Advertising. Both types of advertising can be effective, and which is right for you depends on what you are selling. Often it’s not clear which is better so we always recommend doing both and looking at the data to make the decision. Here is how to get started with AdWords:
Setup Your Account
You’ll need to sign up using a Gmail account. If you don’t have a Google account, create one and then visit https://ads.google.com/home/. Google will attempt to steer you to an automated option for your first campaign. You’ll want to choose “Expert Mode” instead to get more control out of your campaign. While expert mode is trickier to work with, it offers more clarity into your campaign and whether or not it is generating a profit.
Google will again try to steer you to an automated option to make your set up easier. But instead choose “Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance.” This will again allow for more transparency.
Choose “Search” as the campaign type. This is the standard search campaign option that will deliver your ad when someone searches for your service.
Choose “Website Visits” as the result you want from the campaign. The goal is to always steer someone to your website, so it can close them.
Create Your Campaigns
Set up 1 campaign and 1 ad group. Think of campaigns as segments of your business and Ad groups as content themes. So a possible campaign for a Law firm would be; “Divorce Law” and a possible ad group would be “Alimony.” By creating only one campaign and ad group it will force you to focus on what type of customer is most important to you. Then, as you optimize your campaign, you can expand and grow into other ad groups or campaigns.
Choose Where You Want To Show Your Ads
Set your targeted geography to a realistic service area. Be conservative at first, you can always increase your targeted area later once the campaign is running. If you are in a highly competitive market, use a tighter radius. If you are specialized, then use a wider radius.
Choose The Keywords
Start with 10-15 keywords related to the type of customer you want. But don’t be too general. Make sure your terms are somewhat specific to what you do. If needed, use your ad group title as a theme. For Example choose “Divorce Law” instead of “Lawyer.” Specific keywords typically cost less and convert at a higher rate. Set a standard bid of $2.99. You’ll adjust these later once you have data that tells you what the going bid prices are. You’ll also want to make sure your keywords are set as “Exact Match.”
Set Conversion Actions
Then set up a conversion action and set the bidding to “Maximize Conversions.” This will direct Google to bid on words that are driving leads to your website. If you can’t think of a conversion action, you can always use “Phone calls” for anyone that spends more than 1 minute on your website.
Create Your Ads
Write 3 different ads that clearly communicate why someone should use your company. Use compelling language and words to attract visitors that will buy. Promote how you are different or better than your competition and include the keywords you are bidding on. A good tip is to use the copy from your website. If the copy is good enough to get someone to click, it will probably get them to convert on your website as well.
Set up as many ad extensions as possible. Google rewards campaigns that use them by giving them a free bump in positions. In addition, they help improve the Click-through Rate of your ads. Even better, they do not cost anything extra to use.
Optimize
Monitor and Adjust. For the first week, look to see if you are using your entire daily budget. If not, increase your geographical targeting or add some additional keywords. For the 2nd week look at your campaign to adjust your bid prices. Google will tell you if your bids are too low. After 2 weeks, start to optimize your bidding. If a keyword hasn’t converted (but has clicks,) then lower your bid or get rid of the keyword. If a keyword has converted, then increase your bid. After 1 month begin to expand by increasing your geographical target, or by creating a new ad group or campaign.
