Google AdWords is known as Google’s main advertising product, in addition to their main source of revenue. The online advertising program allows people under Google’s rules and program regulations to create display ads within search engine results pages (SERPs) or on websites.
The Google AdWords program is a popular way for webmasters to advertise their website, business, products and/or services via Google and the rest of the web. As with any practice associated with running a website, there are many fundamentals behind the process that beginners should learn—and experts should master.
Before we take a look at The 10 Fundamentals For Google AdWords, let’s learn how it works.
Google AdWords fundamentals – how it works
Although webmasters do place their own Google ads on their websites, most place ads on other websites who agree to display the advertisements through Google’s AdSense program. Ads managed through AdWords, in fact, are usually displayed in search results under Google or other search engines partnered with them.
Through the program, advertisers can set the amount assigned to their ‘budget’ per day, in addition to the maximum amount they’re willing to pay-per-click for each associated keyword. When the limits of the budget are reached, AdWords automatically stops displaying ads.
In addition, Google AdWords campaign ads don’t have an entirely fixed position on a standard search engine results page. The page position of Google Ads generally depend on a user’s bid per click and corresponding Quality Score.
Google AdWords allows advertisers to distribute their ads on a local, national and international basis. They are also afforded the option of selecting text-based and/or image-based ads.
- Text advertisements generally have one head line of 25 characters and two additional lines of text, holding 35 characters each.
- Image ads usually have to remain in one of the different Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) standard sizes.
Registering for Google AdWords is also free of charge. Advertisers are only permitted to pay when their ads are clicked when using a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaign.
Google currently offers two versions of its AdWords program: their Starter and Standard editions. The Starter edition is usually recommended for complete beginners, while the Standard edition best fits experienced users. Advertisers can upgrade from Starter editions at anytime, however.
With the many options available in Google AdWords, any prospective advertiser should be able to pull off a successful advertisement campaign. Before getting started with any of that, however, everyone needs to know the core fundamentals of Google AdWords.
Google AdWords fundamentals – The 10 Fundamentals of Google AdWords
Getting started with Google AdWords simply means getting started with an entire advertising campaign. To successfully manage a Google AdWords campaign, it’s important to learn the basics or fundamentals of Google AdWords.
Fundamental #1: Start small… and then expand.
Starting with a small campaign run actually benefits complete beginners in the long run. It can actually help you effectively track and manage the progress happening within your campaign and subside the associated costs.
Fundamental #2: Learn your way around campaign settings.
A typical Google AdWords campaign harbors a lot more nuances than you might expect. You’ll have to handle several different keyword/location ad groups at a time that correspond to your ad campaign. To successfully manage these, learn how AdWords actually works—both inside and out. If you don’t, things could become very messy and unmanageable fast.
Fundamental #3: Learn more about the basics of a campaign.
This goes back learning about the campaign settings. Always start with a simple and ‘focused’ campaign that doesn’t trail from your advertising goals. Here, really learning the nuances of an AdWords campaign is incredibly important.
Fundamental #4: Pay attention to search queries and ad placements.
Search queries, particularly those that relate to your ads, do matter in the long run. Keywords should stay grouped with their corresponding ad groups, whether search ad groups (highly relevant search terms) and display ad groups (broader search). That can help inform you about how certain keyword and ad pairs perform over a long period of time.
Fundamental #5: Think long term for your campaign’s growth.
Start thinking about how scaling up your campaign may fare for it in the future; alternatively, think about how scaling back may affect its viability. Your campaign’s growth will affect how you – your products, website and/or services – are seen on the web via advertisements. Remember, the bigger the presence, the more often visitors may convert to potential sales.
Fundamental #6: Establish goals.
Goals simply help you keep track of your campaign. They can help you from a basis for your campaign, particularly if you have concrete sales goals in mind or just want to increase exposure of your brand. The simplest way to set a goal is establishing a budget against total sales you want to make.
Fundamental #7: Create your keyword list.
Keywords are simply the ‘keys’ that help direct people to your advertisement campaign. When a person enters in your targeted search term – or related terms – they may see your advertisement. Building a keyword list can help you generate a concrete of keywords and brand terms that are nearly guaranteed to increase your AdWords exposure.
Fundamental #8: Get ready to create your campaign.
A lot of people usually jump right into creating an AdWords campaign without doing any research. If you’re thinking about it, stop and think. The best way to create your campaign is preparing in advance. Have your targeted keywords, locations and advertisement content ready before you even create your AdWords campaign. Not only will your ad campaign look clean and professional, but you’ll save time and money.
Fundamental #9: Integrate Google Analytics.
If you want to learn anything about what’s happening behind your ad campaign, you need to install Google Analytics. Link your AdWords account with Analytics via their Conversion Tracking feature. This lets you know what keywords are being clicked and who exactly are clicking them, which in turn, tells you which keywords actually sell.
Fundamental #10: Always check your account.
Although you can just leave your account alone for months, you won’t learn anything about what’s actually happening. Checking on your Google AdWords account helps you, well, actually manage its happens. Add and/or delete keywords, optimize your ads and tweak your bids and daily budgets to get the best out of your campaigns. Always manage your AdWords campaign, so that it’s the best possible campaign you can create.
