Get the Internet Working for You and Your Business by using Google Adwords 

Adwords is a great service that Google has created to help you improve your business’ adverts; advertising to an audience that is already interested in you. This is all achieved through using keywords, phrases and a pay per click (PPC) system.  A PPC  is when you, the business pays Google for each time your advert is clicked on through their search engine, by paying for this service this ensures that your adverts’ position on the Google search pages higher than those business’ who do not Pay Per Click.

Once you have created an account with Adwords you can start to create a campaign for your business. Firstly you need to decide on some keywords, these are words and phrases people use when searching for your products or services. They commonly use words and phrases that are specific to the items, benefits or facilities that you are selling and promoting; free weights, personal trainer, gym subscription, aerobics, yoga, sports club, leisure centre, amusement park etc.

Using specific terms will ensure that you reach your target audience, who are each looking for something in particular that’s available from your site. Many of the words and phrases will have been used or are already in use, so in order to find out how effective they are use the “traffic estimator” tool (located in the 'Opportunities' page on Google Adwords in the side menu on the left hand side), this will give you a guide as to how many clicks the keyword will expect a day (multiply this by 30 for each day per month). Then use the “keyword tool” (located in the 'Opportunities' page on Google Adwords in the side menu on the left hand side) this will then give you an indication to the number of searches expected for the keyword per month (divide by 30 for per day). If these scores are low then have a rethink unless you are sure that they are relevant to what you are offering.

When you start you can create adverts for each campaign; write two adverts for each keyword that is highly associated with your products or services, on one campaign offer a free fitness video online and the other offer a free health report. By writing two we can test how effective they are against each other, monitor the results for these adverts over a couple of days and you will begin to see what works and what doesn’t. A typical advert campaign is usually four lines long:

1. Your headline – presenting a challenge, Want to get fit quickly?
2. Clear benefits – feel great, improve your overall health and enjoy doing it!
3. Description of features or what they will receive – first month free, weight trainers, personal trainers, exceptional facilities.
4. Your link or URL – www.gym.com/personaltrainers - /personal trainers link for the personal trainers keyword, www.gym.com for the gym keyword

We would advise to write up to six ads here, using a structured method (as shown above) this makes it reasonably easy to create ideas. Google doesn't charge for the number of ads you write for a campaign, which makes AdWords a perfect vehicle for testing ads and keywords against each other. Set a reasonable budget and stick to it, then when you are happy with the campaigns you can increase them accordingly if need be.

Google reviews the effectiveness of your web site through your quality score; this is generated by your click through rate (CTR) meaning how many times your ads are clicked on. Your CTR is associated with your keywords, advert campaigns and your domain. The higher your quality score the less you pay for each bid, although you can increase your CTR by increasing the cost of each bid.

So for example you could be the 10th advert on the 1st page of Google search results and have exactly the same quality keywords as the business in 1st position. The business in 1st position is paying more per click than you, which is in turn increasing their click through rate. So if were to increase your bidding amount and out bid the business in 1st position, your advert could knock them off the top spot.

Although you could be the highest bidder and still not have 1st place on the Google search results page, due to your advert not being clear or attractive enough so people click elsewhere (lowering your CTR), a lack of quality keywords or a bad domain name.

Throwing loads of money at Google Adwords will not guarantee you the top place on Google. You need to do your research on your target audience and the keywords that attract them. Use the tools that are out there many of which are free, the only thing you need to spend is time and effort and you will get there.

Top Tip

Always monitor the effectiveness of each of your campaigns. Don't just compare how many clicks you get or how much each click cost but what return of investment (ROI) did you get? I would pay £100 per click if I knew that on average I got £500 back.

Essential Links

Google Adwords create an account here

Keyword Tool

How to find

Keyword and Traffic Estimator Tools: to access these tools, when you have logged in click on 'opportunities' in the tabs at the top. When the page loads you will see a menu running down the left hand side. There you should see the 'Tools' category; in 'tools' there is the 'keyword tool' and the 'traffic estimator' tool.

Next month

We will be posting the Google Adwords - Advanced Guide and Tips for you to push your business further.

Good luck and stay focused, if you have any questions please comment below and we shall get back to you a.s.a.p.

All the best

The OFS Team