What are your goals when advertising on Google or Yahoo?
So you want to build your business a little, huh? Thought you might try Google Adwords? A Google advertising campaign may seem intimidating but, remember, good planning and a clear understanding of your goals will go a long way to maximizing your Return on Investment (ROI) and attract new clients to your product or service.
Since most of us have a limited advertising budget and, since Search Engine advertising can be a strong performer for your advertising dollar, a vehicle like Google Ads is extremely attractive. Before you start, though, make sure you know what you want from your advertising campaign. Are you setting up a billboard or are you placing an ad in a telephone book? Of course, I am speaking figuratively, but which of these do you need?
Billboard Advertising
A billboard is placed on the side of the road that services heavy traffic. The theory behind a billboard is this: a large number of impressions will create increased branding awareness and, eventually, more sales. Immediate ROI is not important – making more advertising impressions is the game.
Google can satisfy this need in two ways: 1) The Content Network and 2) General Searches.
The Content Network is a huge number of websites that have opened their site up, at least in part, to hosting Google Ads. Say you are advertising a backyard sprinkler. Google would put your ad on one of it's Content Network related sites, like a site selling backyard furntiture, for example. The site that hosts these ads receives a nominal bonus each time a client Clicks Through to your site. The hosting site makes a little money and you get to connect to people who are improving their backyard.
General searches are searches in which the surfer enters a very general topic: "Canada", for example. In the sponsored links beside such a general search could be placed any ad that includes "Canada" as a keyword.
Both of these advertising vehicles allow surfers to stumble onto information about your product or service when looking for something else, as opposed to entering it specifically for themselves. A surfer, then, is more likely to be browsing and not buying when they visit your site. Great for increasing impressions, but not great for making immediate sales.
Who would want billboard-style advertising? Anyone who wants increased web presence and the branding that confers or any business that needs to educate the public about a new product or service. These companies tend to be large already, or well funded start-ups, servicing a whole country (or the world). Any company with name brands, for example. How about a large chamber of commerce that wants to attract businesses to move to their city? Associations, too, would be happy to have increased web presence. How about a new country-wide plumber’s emergency line? These businesses can only benefit from increased impressions (branding). That's what they're paying for. They do not need to see immediate results.
Telephone Book Style Ads
However, a local plumber would only want to advertise in his or her own area targeting customers who are already specifically looking for plumbing services. A plumber gets little or no value whatsoever out of increasing branding awareness. No, he or she is more likely to thrive because of word of mouth as will any business offering local goods or services: a bakery, a dentist, a gardener.
Small service businesses attracting new clients need to place a clearly targeted advertisements on Google Adwords that maximize their ROI. They do not need to educate the public about products or services. They simply needs to have an ad posted when a potential client is looking for a local plumber. The clients knows both what he is looking for and the category under which he will look. And since, increasingly, clients are turning to the Internet and not the telephone book to find the information on local goods and services, your business wants to be there. If you are there with your ad when your potential clients need you the most, you will get a strong return on your investment.
What does this all mean when setting up my Adwords account?
Most of us have small or medium style businesses that are interested in servicing their local area. So, most of us should be taking the telephone book style approach when setting up our Google Adwords campaign. How? Pay close attention to three key points: 1) Geographic location, 2) Content Network, and 3) Keywords.
Make sure you define your geographic area as tightly as allowed. Google Adwords will allow you to define not only a state or province, but cities within that state or province. This will ensure that only those potential clients searching in your area will see your ad. You won’t get clicks from Timbuktu.
And, I would advise anyone who is trying to maximize their ROI to turn off any Content Network option in your Google Ads. Remember, folks who are attracted to your ad while viewing another site are most likely to browse your site without actually buying your product or service. This costs you a lot of money. So turn it off.
Lastly, make sure that your keywords are specific. Choose "Toronto" over "Ontario" or "Canada". If your keywords are too general, your ads may show up on some very odd searches.
If you take time to set up your campaign with your own needs in mind, you will get higher quality clicks that turn into clients – what you wanted in the first place, right?
Jacqui Burke
Jacqui Burke is Words&Images: http://www.wnidesign.com/. Jacqui Burke has been designing websites and offering Internet Marketing services for almost ten years.
