Monday, February 9, 2009

7 Important Things You Should Know Before Starting Google Adwords

Google Adwords continues to be one of the most effective ways to generate high quality traffic to your website, but setting up a campaign can be intimidating if you are just getting started with online marketing. When you know how to set up your campaign correctly, you can focus on fine-tuning and refining your ads for a maximum return on investment.

Perry Marshall, author of The Definitive Guide to Google Adwords offers several tips for beginners and novices who want to maximize profits using Google Adwords. Knowing exactly how to fine-tune your keyword lists, setting up test ads for each campaign, and learning as much about your target market as possible are the building blocks for success with your online marketing strategy.

Are you currently in the process of getting started with your first campaign? Then you must remember these seven significant techniques in the utilization of Google Adwords:

1. Define your location. Google Adwords makes it easy to target different search networks and geographic locations, so you will need to define exactly where you want your ads to run. Do you offer products and services at an international level, or just to a specific region of the country? Where is your target market? Narrow down where you want your traffic to come from and run your ads only in these areas.

2. Be budget-savvy. Since you are new in this business, might as well start with a small budget. Besides, Adwords does not require spending too much money and you are always free to modify your daily ad spending whenever there is a need to. For instance, your CTR gets higher then you can also increase your ad spending.

3. Make use of the appropriate URL. To monitor the progress and effectiveness of your ad, use a landing page or other destination URL aside from the one that directly links to your homepage. This approach also allows you to endorse easily any of your site's section.

4. Use action keywords in the body of your ad. Encourage ad viewers to take action immediately with words such as 'sign up now!' or 'contact us today!'. These can encourage click-throughs to your site and put the viewer in the mindset of taking action in a few short clicks.

5. Keep an eye on the competition. Keep track of your competitors by running simple Google searches on your own keywords and seeing which ads come up first in the search results. What are your competitors doing that you aren't? Have you missed other keyword or keyphrase opportunities? Take notes as you conduct each search so you can monitor your competitors regularly and implement similar strategies for your campaign.

6. Set up separate campaigns for each keyword. Avoid lumping all of your targeted keywords into one campaign so you can track exactly how each word is performing as you run the ads. Setting up separate campaigns helps you determine your return on investment instantly, so you can eliminate what may not be working with ease.

7. Be skillful in the use of Google analytics. Google Analytics translates what viewers are clicking or what they want from your site. Proficiency in its application backs you up in your market research.