Using Google AdWords More Effectively

Make the most of your online advertising budget with Google AdWords.

By Amy Gesenhues, Director of Marketing, Autodemo LLC

Google AdWords offers small business advertisers the opportunity to create a highly targeted pay-per-click (PPC) search engine advertising campaign. The PPC model has proven to be highly popular among business owners who like the idea of having much more control over their ad spending than with traditional methods. PPC ads, for example, let you set a monthly spending "cap". Once the cap is reached, your ad goes offline and your spending stops.

But along with great popularity, search ads have also become more competitive, so it is vital to make the most of the tools Google offers to manage your account and help you make the most of your dollars spent.

These simple steps can help you create the most effective Google AdWords campaign:

Choose specific, relevant keywords
Write compelling ads that are clear and concise
Create effective landing pages
Know what not to do to avoid unnecessary costs

Choose keywords that will attract strong, targeted leads

Keywords are the search terms you select to associate with your Google AdWords ad. Google offers different types of keyword searches for advertisers: broad match, phrase match, exact match and negative match. Choosing effective keywords improves your ad impressions.
Try: Use the Keyword Selection Tool and Google's Keyword Help for valuable insight about keywords.

Write succinct, compelling ads

Your Google ad is not the place for creative and clever wordplay. You have a limited amount of space: 25 characters for your headline, 70 characters for the ad text and 35 characters for the display URL. If you want people to click on your ad, you must be clear and concise.
Try: Learn how to Write Effective AdWord Text Copy from an AdWords expert.

Create an effective landing page to increase conversion rates

Your landing page is the Web site that you link to your Google AdWords ad. If a prospective customer clicks on your ad and doesn't find what she is searching for, she is not going to hang around. A successful landing page keeps prospective customers on your site and converts browsers into buyers.
Try: Read Buzzle.com's Comprehensive Report on Building Winning Landing Pages written by a pay-per-click advertising expert.

Set your ad to appear locally

If you operate a local business, you can target local customers only
Try: Google lets you set ads to appear only to people in a particular city, state or region. In the AdWords section, click on "For local businesses" under "How it works."

Take steps to avoid wasting money

Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do when it comes to online advertising. Because Google is the world's leading search engine, if you are unclear about how to create and maintain an AdWords campaign, you may cause more harm than you can afford.
Try: This list of 7 Great Ways to Lose Your Shirt Using Google AdWords will help you avoid wasting valuable time and money.