Imagine getting paid every time someone clicks onto your website. You can make it happen with Google AdWords.
This is an advertising service run by Google, for businesses who want to display ads on its search engine and its advertising network.
Adwords is primarily focused on keywords. It enables you to set an advertising budget that you only pay for when people click on your ads.
Debby Jones, digital marketing advisor for The Brand Agency, says that businesses can also get paid per click.
“But a word of warning; once you’re up and running it’s best to get people with lots of skills to help optimise the service, or you may not be getting the best bang for your buck,” she says.
Google Ads works by connecting to Google Analytics. This helps you to see how well your keywords are doing.
“Google is rewarding on the cost per click, so advertisers can see exactly how much they are paying to get people to their site. Then they can verify that the price was well spent by understanding that people are taking action on the site,” she explains.
Jones believes the beauty of Google Ads is that you’re letting certain customers – the ones she calls “low hanging fruit” – know what you’re offering.
This is because it’s used mainly by people who are already looking for certain product or service.
“It’s the end of the funnel. All of the work has already been done, and people are already looking, so it is just closing in on that low hanging fruit to pull customers to your website, and therefore a conversion,” she says.
“It is relatively cost effective if the campaign is set up in a quality matter, and also if the website is set up with good content and good structure.”
But like a new plant that you continuously watered, fed and loved when you first bought it, Google Ads are often left to wither after the initial excitement dies down.
Jones advises that a person with digital marketing skills needs to manage the campaign to keep it all running smoothly and efficiently.
“It’s critical not to set and forget,” she says.
“The way to avoid this is to consider perhaps a business that is already upskilled in this area. Although there is a lot of training available online, I would say that experience is a huge factor in managing a high performing campaign and delivering the most bang out of your buck!
“It is also essential to make sure that whoever is setting up and managing the campaign is skilled. Otherwise, it can result in budget wastages, with settings maybe not being set up quite correctly and keywords not resulting in return. So, there are a lot of things that can go wrong if it is not being managed well.”
