This article is part of a 4-part series on Getting Started with Pay-Per-Click and Google AdWords. If you'd like to review these posts, click the links below:
In our last two posts, we looked at the basic economics of PPC and how to size up a market. In this post, we show you how to start a Google AdWords account in 8 steps.
Go to Google Adwords
Start on the AdWords home page and then click the button labeled, "Click to Begin" (in the right of the image below).
Choose the Standard Edition of AdWords
This will give you the full range of AdWords features and functionality.
Choose A Language and Location
This is where you target the language your customer speak. It's also where you tell Google over how large an area you want your ads displayed.
On the next screen, you can instruct Google to display your ads in the countries of your choice.
Compose Your First Ad
Here's where it gets fun. Let's assume the keyword term we're bidding on is "weight loss." The graphic below shows us the elements of a Google Ad along with the maximum number of characters available for each one.
Circled in red in the graphic below is the ad we're creating. The ad's display changes in real-time, as we enter text in the 4 fields immediately below it. With the headline (appears in blue), we're limited to 25 characters, so we have to make it short and to the point.
The best practice with headlines is to include the search term you're bidding on in the headline. You also want to repeat the search term elsewhere in the ad if at all possible. In this case, we have it in the headline, the first description line, and the Display URL. (At the time of this writing, the URL displayed in this ad did not exist.)
Description lines 1 and 2 and the Display URL give us 35 characters to work with. In general, you'll get better click-thru rates (CTR) when Line 1 speaks to a benefit and Line 2 mentions a feature.
Benefits emphasize what a user gets out of using the product or service. Features are those aspects of the product or service which make it possible for the user to enjoy the benefit.
In line 1, "Get Trim" is the benefit. "Miracle Weight Loss Plan" describes what kind of product it is. It also implies a benefit, namely, that the weight loss will be easier than with other approaches.
In line 2, "No Side FX" is an abbreviation for "no side effects." This is a useful feature of the product. "No BS" serves to neutralize a potential objection. It could also be viewed as another feature. "Get A Free Report" tells the reader to do something - a/k/a the "call to action."
The Display URL is the address you want the viewer to see. The Destination URL is the actual address they'll go to if they click the headline. The Destination URL can be 1,024 characters along. This helps if you need to append data like an affiliate code to the Display URL and don't want it to show in the ad.
Later, we'll discuss split-testing this ad as a way to get more clicks. In the meantime, let's tell Google when to display our ad.
Add Your Keywords
Circled in red below is where we enter our search terms. When getting started, it's best to use just a few terms. With more experience, by all means, expand the keyword base, but do so in a disciplined fashion.
Earlier, we discussed the Google Traffic Estimator Sandbox and how variations of "weight loss" would likely perform. There are three variations - broad match, exact phrase, and exact term. Broad match (no quotes) leaves it up to Google to decide when a search is somehow relevant to weight loss. In this case, it amounts to making Google your favorite charity and donating generously.
The exact phrase (placed in quotes) is more restrictive. Google shows our ad only when "weight loss" is typed in exactly or when it's contained in another search request like "permanent weight loss." This too is mighty expensive and not recommended.
The exact term (placed in hard brackets) is the most restrictive. Google will display our ad only when this term is requested with nothing before or after it and misspellings won't match it either. In this case, with a low enough bid, you might get this ad displayed in the 7th to 10th position. With a very persuasive landing page, you profit might cover this ad's daily cost.
Put a Cap on Your Daily Ad Spend
This is where you can control your costs. If you'd like Google to never to bill you more than a certain amount per day, specify the exact figure in the field shown below.
Once your daily budget is reached, Google will stop showing your ad until the next day. It sounds like a good idea because it protects you from making Google even richer. On the other hand, imagine you were running a restaurant. This would be like putting up a "Closed" sign in the window before the lunch or dinner crowd comes in. More on this in a moment.
Put a Cap on Your Cost-Per-Click (CPC)
You can also cap the amount you'll spend when someone clicks your ad.
The trick here is to balance the two so your ad gets displayed throughout the day. By bidding lower on the CPC, your ad will appear in lower positions on the page. This is good for two reasons.
First, people who click on ads in the lower area of the page are, in general, are hungrier for your product or service. Second, you won't eat up your daily limit until late in the day, if at all. This way, it's like having a restaurant whose sign says, "Open" twenty-four hours a day.
Final Steps
To get your campaign off to a good start, review your ad, keywords, cost-per-click, and daily ad budget. Next, enter your email address and password. Finally, provide Google your payment information. Congratulations, you're in the game!
In our next post, we'll get an overview on things you can tweak to get more out of your Google ads. Also, we'll look briefly at an advanced tool Google makes available to AdWords users.