The Complete Google AdWords Tutorial: Go from Beginner to Advanced Today!
As a beginner, mastering AdWords may at first seem daunting thanks to all the options and optimizations available; but in truth – it is quite straightforward. That, however, does not mean that AdWords is uncomplicated. Without guidance and insight from industry leaders like runrex.com, you will easily get lost in the forest of alternatives and that is precisely where this tutorial comes in.
How effective is AdWords?
Knowing how effective AdWords is as an advertising platform will help you cultivate the right attitude and passion such that the effort needed to master the channel will come easier. Over a million firms, including all the top brands you can think of use AdWords.
More than that, it is the main income earner for Google raking in $121 million daily which speaks much concerning its efficacy. Even better, a return on investment of up to 900% or more is not unheard of for those who know how to make the most of the platform. In short, if you know what you are doing, AdWords can be an excellent money making tool.
How AdWords works
The AdWords core framework mirrors an auctioneering model. For an ad to show in SERPs, interested parties submit their applications (bids) and Google chooses a winner whose ad is then displayed. To win, two factors come into play: your bid and quality score.
The weight of your bid will come down to the cost-per-click (CPC) you are willing to shoulder if your ad is shown and clicked on. Thus, the higher your proposition, the higher your chances of winning and your ad being shown.
Quality score is more complex taking into consideration the quality of your ad, its performance, relevance, among other considerations. The role of the quality score is to ascertain that only the best ads show, so that Google users get only the best. Google would rather show a quality ad with a lower bid, than a poor ad with a high bid.
Getting started
To commence your AdWords journey, head over to the AdWords home page and click on the green ‘start now’ button. Then, set up your account which is an easy and quick process courtesy of the easy to follow directives. Once you create an account, you will be prompted to set up a campaign.
Set your budget and determine the maximum CPC
The best thing about AdWords is that it allows you to advertise within any budget. To help you decide how much you can spend on AdWords, determine your profit first by deducting costs from your selling price.
Then, determine your conversion rate which is the percentage of people who click on your ad that actually take the desired actions. On average, the conversion rate stands at 5%. Use the conversion rate to arrive at the highest amount you would be willing to pay Google for advertising (20% for instance) while at the same time making profits to arrive at your ideal maximum CPC.
Thus, your maximum CPC will be [your profit] X [conversion rate (5%)] x [20% (Google’s percentage)]. By magnifying your CPC based on the volumes you think you can sell, you can then figure out a budget. However, it is of utmost importance that you commence advertising with only a fraction of your budget and then scale up as you accumulate platform experience.
Identify keywords
With budgeting done, you now have to determine ideal keywords with enough conversion intent and traffic but without cutthroat competition. Take advantage of Google Keyword Planner to get probable keywords
Input your list of keywords into the AdWords interface being sure to specify the targeting parameters. Also, specify whether you wish the ad to show for exact match or broad match search phrases. Exact match is preferable.
Once done, at the bottom, click on the ‘get ideas’ button to view the keyword’s traffic and costs. Input all keywords as per the above process until you find several that are in your max CPC range while also having significant traffic.
Fill out campaign details
Once you have input your budget, you will have to target your campaign geographically. Choose your preferred location and also uncheck the display network box in the networks section. Next, input the keywords you settled on as well as your maximum CPC which will now act as your bid amount.
Create an ad
You will then be invited to write your ad in step 4 of creating a campaign. Take utmost care in this process bearing in mind that your ad will determine your quality score which will not only improve your standing against competitors in winning the AdWords ad auction, but also ensure that you pay less.
Your ad should be a summation of your value proposition. To get ideas on how to go about it, notice how the top brands do it. Even better, get a professional to do it for you.
Then, select the ‘save’ button and you will be led to the dashboard.
In the dashboard
Your dashboard will present all manner of campaign tweaks to drive efficacy and performance. First, pause your campaign. Click on tools and select ‘+conversions’. Then select ‘website.’ Input the required information and after you save, a strand of code will be generated. Install this in your thank you page which marks the end of a successful conversion. This way, you will enable tracking and monitoring. Then, in the dashboard, resume the campaign.
In closing, your campaign will not go live automatically. Google will review your advertising proposal, ensuring you meet the quality standards and adhere to guidelines. Then, you will get a success notification after which the campaign will go live. Once this happens, monitor the campaign daily while also embracing research to sharpen your AdWords expertise.