Google AdWords Tips For Beginners | Google AdWords Strategy, Setup, Basics

I'll go over some Google AdWords basics as a little refresher for beginners, then we'll get into a little more strategy and go over some important tips.

OK, picture the results page that you see after you search for a keyword in Google's search engine. What you see is two columns; one wide column in the middle of the page and one narrow column on the right side of the page.

The column on the right contains Google AdWords. AdWords is Googles version of pay-per-click advertising. You bid on keywords for your ad, Google places your on search results pages, you pay when people click on your ad. You are essentially paying Google to drive web surfers to your business.

The column in the middle of the page is mostly "organic search results". You can advertise here for free with e-zine articles, press releases, and SEO, but that is another topic.

Also, note that your AdWords impressions will not only display on Google search results pages, but also on Google's partner sites which include AOL, Blogger, Earthlink, and HowStuffWorks. Google calls this "search network" advertising.

Your ads can also show up on websites that are not partners with Google. This is called the "contextual advertising" or "content targeted AdWords".

As a marketer, your "contextual targeted AdWords" will show up on websites that have AdSense on them. Websites owners can use Google AdSense to place relevant contextual advertisement on their site.

AdSense - for the website owner to make money via clicks from web surfers on their website.

AdWords - for marketers to promote a website.

If this difference between AdWords (for advertisers) and AdSense (for website owners) is unclear, then check out my article AdSense versus AdWords.

If you're a beginner, then you might be wondering "What are benefits of using AdWords?" Google AdWords can provide massive exposure for your product, service, or opportunity. How else can you get your product in
front of people all over the world?

It also provides targeted marketing. You can advertise only to people who might be interested in your product or service. They type in a keyword and press "search", then your ad shows up. It's like you're reading their minds. This targeted marketing is good for you, because you won't be wasting money advertising to people who aren't interested in what you have to offer.

Another benefit is the quick results. Within 15 minutes you could be getting feedback. Quick feedback is really good when you're split testing several ads. Which brings me to another benefit of Google AdWords -

It's easy to split test. In seconds you can create a different [but similar] advertisement. The ads alternate, so you can see what works and what doesn't. Keep the ads that work; stop the ones that don't work. Then, find out why the good ads work and try making hybrids of the working ads to make an ad that really works well. When I say "the ads that work", I'm talking about statistics. With Google AdWords, you can track things like how many people looked at your ad, how many people clicked, and how many people entered your marketing pipeline.

There are tons of great reasons to use AdWords, but there are also some things you need to watch out for.

First, is the "Google Slap". Google will jack up the price [possibly out of your price range, so your ad won't be displayed] if your ads are not relevant to the keywords. So, here's a "tip", make sure you give people what they are looking for.

Another issue to contend with is some niches too competitive or pricey for beginner AdWords users. Try getting an ad for the keyword "AdWords"... it's prices have been bid up. One way around this is to advertise to a smaller niche, like "Beginner AdWords Guide" or the phrase "AdWords Guide for Beginners ". I'll talk more about this in the tips section.

Another downside is the meticulous attention you must pay to ads when you are testing to make sure you didn't make a mistake that would cause your ad to not get any impressions.

Also, there is a fairly steep learning curve, so without a guide and some tips, you could end up wasting your time and money.

The only other potential negative to using Google AdWords is the limited space in the ad... but that's what makes it a fun challenge!

Check out this website "5 Days to Success with Google AdWords" to make sure you avoid making costly mistakes.

I know where you're coming from, I've been there. When
I first started advertising online, the first thing I'd do when
I "got stuck" was call my friend who's been in the
business longer than me. He would patiently talk me
through it (for free - he charges clients $400 an hour),
then he would tell me I'd be better off if I'd just get the basic
guide/course for whichever advertising subject I was
asking about.

It took me a while to figure out that I could learn a lot
more if I had a basic understanding of the subject
matter, tried it out in real life, and THEN asked for
coaching when I got stuck.

So here's what you do:
Get Perry Marshall's Definitive Guide to Google AdWords
(via the 5-day bootcamp I mentioned above)

The first part of the guide is like an Adwords for dummies.
The Definitive Guide is clear, simple and straightforward.

And it tells you in the first 3 chapters the exact steps to
take to get started driving traffic to your website, even if
you're a complete newbie. Plus, there is a 90 day
money back guarantee if you don't like the course, so
there is no risk to you.

Your next steps are:

(1) get your copy of the Definitive Guide from this link:
Definitive Guide to Google AdWords
(2) go straight to Google's signup page and follow the
instructions starting on page 25 of the book ("Building
a Campaign from Scratch: A Step-by-Step Example",
(3) process your payment info with Google, and
(4) turn on your traffic. You could be up and running in
as little as 30 minutes.

Now that we've covered the basics, learned how AdWords can help your business, and learned about some potential challenges, let me guide you through my simple strategy.

First, set a weekly budget and stick to it. Don't get in a bidding war for the top spot with your competitors. It might be best to settle for a lower position (at a cheaper price per impression) and wait for your click-through rate to move you up in the list of ads. Oh, I almost forgot - your ad's position is roughly calculated by max-bid-price times the ads click-through-rate. As you can see, increasing click-through-rate (by having interesting and relevant ads) will increase the ad's position as determined by Google's formula. OK, glad we got that out of the way. No more math from here on out, I promise.

Second, decide where you want your ads to show up geographically. Do you want your impression to show up on people's computers locally, in your state, nationally, world wide?

Third, decide on your market or niche. One way to find your niche is to ask yourself, "Who is my ideal customer?" or "Who is my ideal prospect?". Another way to decide on your niche is to do keyword research. You may not be able to compete for a broad keyword like "real estate", so have to do some keyword research to find your niche... Like "real estate license".

How do you find out what keywords you should bid on and use in your ads? Well, you need to look at the number of searches there are for each keyword. Then find out how competitive they are and how much they cost.

There are free keyword tools out there that will do this for you. I like Digital Point's Keyword Suggestion Tool and Google AdWords' Keyword Tool".

Bookmark these pages, then come back to finish this article.

Your goal, when doing keyword research, is to find targeted keywords that have low completion. This helps you in two ways. One, targeted keywords filter out people who aren't interested in your product or service, so you won't be wasting time or money. Two, targeted keywords are generally cheaper.

Tip 1 Be Relevant - Don't try to advertise a new diet pill to people who are searching for pet supplies. Google will "slap" you with a huge cost per impression. Stay focused on your niche. This will add more value to your customers, so Google will like your ad. Google rewards relevancy.

Tip 2 Use Targeted Keywords - More specific keywords have low traffic, but also have a lower cost and lower competition.

Tip 3 Use Negative Keywords - If you are selling a travel guide, then you might want filter out people looking for "free travel guide".

Tip 4 Put the keyword in the Display URL - That way, Google will put more of your ad in bold when it is displayed on the results page.

Tip 5 Put the keyword in your Title - More of your ad will be in bold and you'll show more relevancy

Tip 6 Pick an attractive Display URL - Which looks better www.AdWords-Guide-URL.com/keword or www.AdWords-Guide-URL.com/pagename=obviouslyAnAffiliateLink44549977201743284792834528745 you don't have to use the URL that you want to drive traffic to.

Tip 7 Study your Competitors - Watch your competitor's ads and see which ones are around the longest. Chances are, the ones that work well will be used for a long time.

Tip 8 Split Test - Weed out the losers, run with the winners. Also, learn why the winners work and use that to build even better ads

Tip 9 Set A Budget - So you don't spend all your advertising dollars in 10 days on ads that don't work

(If you like these tips, please rate my lens. Thanks a bunch!)

There is a lot of information you must to learn to succeed in Adwords and I can't fit it all in this one article.

But, you can learn a lot more from Perry Marshall's free 5-day course. I've checked it out... it's good stuff.

It's not just some crappy sales pitch, Perry actually gives away a bunch of valuable information that will help your business move forward (just like I've tried to do with this article).

Also, his course has some excellent examples you can use as a model for your advertisements.

It's a free 5 day course called "5 Days to Success with Google AdWords".

It's definitely worth checking out.

I know where you're coming from, I've been there. When
I first started advertising online, the first thing I'd do when
I "got stuck" was call my friend who's been in the
business longer than me. He would patiently talk me
through it (for free - he charges clients $400 an hour),
then he would tell me I'd be better off if I'd just get the basic
guide/course for whichever advertising subject I was
asking about.

It took me a while to figure out that I could learn a lot
more if I had a basic understanding of the subject
matter, tried it out in real life, and THEN asked for
coaching when I got stuck.

So, your best bet (least expensive with the most impact) is to get the
Renaissance Club with Quicksilver. Honestly, $40 is darn cheap when
compared to other marketing material).

The Renaissance Club comes with TONS of free bonuses.

The bonus material will tell you how to make money with
internet marketing. It's going to take some work. You will
have to treat this like a college course. Expect to spend
hours learning the material and applying it. You must
be willing to put for the effort and give it "a good college
try".

Here is a link to the Renaissance Club website:
Perry Marshall's Renaissance Club

One of the bonuses is called Definitive Guide to Google AdWords.
The first part of the the guide is like "Adwords for dummies".
The Definitive Guide is clear, simple and straightforward.
And it tells you in the first 3 chapters the exact steps to
take to get started driving traffic to your website, even if
you're a complete newbie. This will help you advertise.

You really want to know how to make money. The other bonuses
will tell you how to do that.
For example:
"Selling and Marketing on a ZERO Budget",
Jay Abraham's "Power to Profit" Seminar on 3 CDs
Plus a bunch of interviews from other marketers.

And there are "Open Call-In Days" 2 times per year if you
have any questions for the experts.

I think the most interesting subject is:
"Rant From a Frustrated Marketer - And Brutally Honest
Advice to Beginning Marketers About Choosing Your
Niche, Using Your Gifts, and Finding Your Groove."
The author got an absolutely burning rant from a frustrated
subscriber about all the snake oil that goes around in the Internet
marketing business, and how it seems almost impossible to go
out and buy something and get actual results. The subscriber
makes a series of excellent points and the author respond to
them in turn, showing how you will find your own unique path in
the marketplace. And create a success story that nobody else can replicate.

Your next steps are:

(1) Go to this web page and read the entire page all the way to the bottom
Perry Marshall's Renaissance Club

(2) Purchase the program and get the free bonuses to learn how
to make money online.

(3) Read the newsletter and decide if you want to keep receiving
marketing lessons (You can cancel if you decide you don't want it)

(4) Start making money.

Laptop with eye and hands photo courtesy of Jef Bettens

Internet marketer on tracks photo courtesy of Renxx Garmider

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I hope these Google Adwords Tips were helpful.

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