What is Google AdWords?
Google AdWords is a form of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) which involves placing advertisements on the Google Search and Display Networks.
Ads placed on the Google Search Network appear above and to the right of the natural search results, and are more often known as ‘Sponsored Links’ (see image below). Whereas, ads placed on the Google Display Network appear on thousands on websites in partnership with Google and capture potential customers whilst they are searching the World Wide Web. It’s almost like a mini billboard that appears every time a user makes a search – only with 4 simple lines and a maximum of 130 characters (including spaces!).
The real beauty of AdWords is that it is a targeted and specific approach to online marketing. AdWords allows users to quickly and effectively increase their websites traffic, revenue and profits by targeting search terms most relevent to their business and creating magnetic ads that solve their target markets search problems. As AdWords is a Pay-Per-Click system, advertisers only pay when someone actually clicks on their ad. This means that a business can be noticed all over the internet, but they will never pay more than the maximum bid that they have set.
Furthermore, AdWords one of the most measurable forms of marketing available through the inclusion of qualified data checking and traffic analysis. Through AdWords, users can measure how many people click on their ad, compare this to how many people see the ad, and measure the profitability, revenue generated, return on investment and leads generated for their business as a directed result of their AdWords campaigns. This allows users to explicitly see if and how their AdWords campaigns are meeting their business advertising objectives.
You will not find a more effective and measurable marketing platform that can deliver almost instant results through the generation of qualified and quality traffic to your website than Google AdWords.
On top of amazing measurability, AdWords can target potential customers in a specific geographical areas relevant to a businesses reach. Users can even tailor campaigns to run over a certain time frame so that leads are only generated during available hours!
With all the great things one can achieve with Google AdWords, this does pose one question…
Should businesses manage their own AdWords account, or should they outsource it to a professional AdWords company?
Sure by managing your own Google AdWords account you can save on management fees, but it takes a lot of your time and energy away from what your businesses primary focus. AdWords has the potential to become very costly if not correctly optimised. On the other hand, outsourcing adwords can also be an expensive endeavour.
However, although utilising the skills of a professional AdWords company may cost you extra in management fees, AdWords Qualified Professionals are trained to ensure that your campaigns perform at their absolute maximum potential. This means a business will likely make back the increased costs through decreased overall campaign costs and an influx of relevant customers to their business!
If this post has made you feel the need to join the digital revolution, you can speak to one of our consultants about how we can tailor make a Google AdWords campaign to suit your business needs!
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Read MoreBidding on Your Own Company Name in AdWords
One PPC strategy that often causes some trepidation amongst advertisers is the decision about whether or not to bid on their own company name and other related brand terms. It is a common argument that if a user is typing in a specific company name, then they will already be able to find this business at the top of the organic search results.
So why do you need to advertise on these terms as well?
Consider this – What if by relying solely on your organic search listing, you may in fact be turning some of your potential customers away?
Below are our top 8 reasons why bidding on your company name is an effective search engine marketing strategy that can help increase conversions, ROI and your brand presence on the web.
1. Attention, Interest, Desire, AdWords
It is important to remember that Google AdWords clickers are different to Google Organic Search Result clickers as they are generally at a different stage of the consumer decision making process. We have found that, in many cases, users who click on the organic search results are more likely to be in the research or ‘interest’ stage of the buying process, whereas users who click on sponsored links (like Google AdWords), are more likely to be purchase ready customers. If you don’t have an active ad catching these purchase ready consumers, your competitors may be winning customers who are in fact searching for you!
2. Because Your Competitors Are
Under most circumstances, your competitors are allowed to bid on your branded keywords. You can submit a copyright infringement request to Google for some more specific brand terms but there is no guarantee this will go through. Depending upon local advertising regulations, competitors are generally allowed to use your brand name in their ads (through ‘comparative advertising’) so it is important that you compete in this advertising space if your competitors already are. Do a Google search now and check if there is anyone else advertising on your brand terms!
3. It’s Cheap
A common misconception is that bidding on your company name is a waste of your PPC advertising budget because your website is already in the organic search results for free. This is simply not true. Using your company name as a keyword is actually a cost effective method to ensure you maintain a very high click through rate at a very low cost per click. Brand terms are generally much cheaper than other keywords in your industry vertical (depending on how competitive your industry and how specific your brand terms are). The benefits of running a brand terms campaign often outweigh the extremely small costs involved in doing so.
4. Increases Campaign Quality Score
The high click through rate that advertising on your brand terms receives will help boost the position of your ads in your other ad groups by increasing the overall click through rate of your account and, therefore, increasing your overall quality score.
5. Control Your Message
AdWords ads offer personality for your brand where you can feature your latest products, promotions or brand messages. The personalised ad text gives you the opportunity to control the message so you can communicate directly with your customer. This engages the customer by offering more relevant information and landing pages. Your ads may even attract more clicks than your organic results. For example, if you are an ice cream store running an offline advertising campaign that promotes a free ice cream for all customers who download a special online coupon in the month of June, an integrated AdWords strategy would allow you to capture users searching on your brand terms and send them directly to your coupon landing page or micro-site whilst reinforcing the offline advertising messages in the AdWords ads themselves.
6. Website Relevance
AdWords can boost sales for your business by capturing the market segment in ‘buying mode’ and ensuring these users are quickly directed to the most relevant page in your website, bypassing your home or other irrelevant pages that may frustrate or confuse buyers.
7. Misspelling Your Company Name
If your business name is not well known or difficult to spell, bidding on likely misspellings ensures your company name, and the users intended search, is listed.
8. Increase Your Online Branding and Search Engine Real Estate
If your business has an organic search listing (or listings) and an AdWords ad when a user types in your company name, then your business occupies more physical space on the Google search page. The more physical space you occupy, the more visible your website.
All these factors are why we generally recommend bidding on your own company name in AdWords.
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