Getting Started with a Google AdWords Campaign for your business
As you search for something on Google.com, you’ll notice the first few results to appear are actually ads. Businesses and organizations pay to appear in these top positions to encourage searchers to click through to their website. These companies then pay Google by the click — this form of online advertising is known as a Google AdWords Campaign.
An ever-increasing number of businesses have found Google AdWords Campaigns to be a valuable use of money, when executed properly. All strong marketing plans should include some form of web-based advertising, and Google AdWords is often a top choice.
A Google AdWords Campaign is defined as, “A set of ad groups (ads, keywords, and bids) that share a budget, location targeting, and other settings. Campaigns are often used to organize categories of products or services that you offer.” The beauty of an Adwords Campaign is the ability to serve timely ads to those looking for exactly what you’re offering. When setting up your ads, you get to determine which type of searches you want your website to appear for, so you’re only targeting people interested in your product or service. The cost of the click is determined by the cost per click bid and how many other websites wish to appear for the same set of search parameters.
Setting up a Google AdWords Campaign is fairly easy in that the system will walk you step-by-step through the process. To give you an idea of what setting up a Google AdWords Campaign will look like, we’ve outlined the steps here:
- Login or create your AdWords account.
- Click the “Create a New Campaign” button to get started.
- Select your campaign type and name your campaign something that will help you differentiate between any future campaigns. Learn more about the different campaign types here.
- Choose your geographic location depending on which regions you wish your ads to appear in.
- Choose your bid strategy, or the amount you are comfortable paying for each click. We recommend you change the default settings to, “I’ll manually set my bids for clicks,” to give you more control and help you better understand how the cost per click is determined. Learn more about how bids work here.
- Create an ad group and write your ads based on character limits, paying special attention to the keywords you want people to find your site with.
- Add additional keywords for the keyword field in your account. This will help people find your site with a wider variation of your keywords.
- REVIEW! Your ads will begin the moment you enter your credit card information, so take a minute to review your ads and make sure they are set up the way you intend.
- Enter your information in the billing section. Once you do so, you’re set and your ads will begin.
- Monitor your ads to make sure you are getting clicks and your budget limits are working as you wish.
While Google AdWords is simple to start, it is actually incredibly difficult to master. AdWords campaigns have many components that must work together well to create an effective ad campaign to ensure clicks to your website and ultimately, sales or some other form of a return on your investment. Managing an AdWords campaign involves constant monitoring, analysis, and refinement to improve campaign performance.
If you’re ready to learn more about setting up and effectively managing your AdWords Campaign or adding this skill to your resume, sign up for the Google AdWords for Beginners Class at the Digital Workshop Center. Our hands-on approach will give you the skills you need to effectively leverage online advertising and see a strong return on your investment. Contact us to learn more about this and our other classes and certificate programs to jumpstart your digital marketing program or career.