Traditionally small to medium businesses will advertise using flyers, brochures, newsletters, magazines, Yellow Pages, mailbox drops, etc. More recently have been email newsletters and the “new kid on the block” Pay Per Click (PPC). PPC is exactly what it says. You pay for each click. You don’t pay for the advertisement to show on the web page, you only pay when someone clicks on it. There are many forms of PPC including Yahoo, Facebook and Google. Google Adwords have been around the longest.
So what are Google Adwords?
Google Adwords are small PPC advertisements which appear on Google search engine pages when a person searches for a particular topic. They are extremely effective because the advertisement appears only when somebody is looking for your product or services, as opposed to having an advertisement in a magazine where is it seen by people who don’t necessarily care at all about what you do or what your services are. Google Adwords are based on the user experience and the keywords they enter.
And what are Keywords?
Google Adwords are based on keywords. Keywords are the words which people put into the Google search to find information on a particular topic. Let’s say you have a hairdressing business. (This system works for any business so you can work through this with whatever your business is.) Some of your keywords could be hair, hairdressing, cutting, trim, style cut, colour, weddings, etc. You also might have a nail technician so keywords there could be nails, gel, manicure, French manicure, nail polish, etc.
What do the ads look like?
Google Adwords are written to a specific formula. They have a 25 character headline and two lines of text, each line has up to 35 characters. The final line is your web address (URL) which is up to 35 characters. Your results will be better and cheaper if your adverts are well written with your keywords in both the header and in the body of the advert.
The Very Best Part
And the very best part about Google Adwords is that they cost you NOTHING until someone clicks on your advertisement. That’s nothing, zero, zilch! And when someone does click on your advert they’re more likely to buy because they were looking for your product or service in the first place.
You Have Complete Control
With Google Adwords you are in complete control at all times. You can stipulate the geographicsl area where your ad will appear. eg worldwide, Australia, 30km radius of your physical address, etc. You have control over the upper limit of the cost per click, the cost per day and the cost per month. And these parameters can be changed at any time and they will become effective immediately.
Boost Your Business Today
Google Adwords can also be used to boost your business just on certain days, or over a particular period of the year. You can run your ads just to appear on Mondays and Tuesdays or only over the winter months if that’s when you’re looking for extra business.
It’s a great way to advertise and can get immediate results.
Whilst Google Adwords can be easy to set up, there are some ways to increase their effectiveness. Stay tuned for future posts on things you should do to make them more effective.
One of the things I always recommend to our clients is to claim their free “Google Local Business Listing” It’s very quick and easy to complete and it can really increase the amount of business you get.
In October 2009 I posted on what your Free Google Local Business Listing is and how to claim yours. I was talking to a client the other day who followed the instructions and set up it. Below is the testimonial he sent me, and get what – he doesn’t even have a website – yet!! Recent studies show that 6 out of 10 people will visit your website prior to phoning you, so Dan could be missing out on even more business. However I am glad that he is getting some business already from one of my strategies.
Natalie from Brilliant Web Design showed me how to get a free Google Listing and the work is starting to come in. I am amazed that people actually do Google searches on my category and area and I’m in the top three nearly every time. There are a lot of big companies in my area and I’m a one man band so to get listed above them is great!
Dan Purkis
Dan Purkis Pest Control
0413 116 864
Want to use this article in your e-zine or website? You can as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Natalie Alaimo is a Small Business Marketing Consultant and Online Marketer. Natalie provides small business owners, women and entrepreneurs with straight forward marketing and branding services including one on one coaching and do-it- yourself marketing products. Natalie is a published author and runs several websites, including www.nataliealaimo.com. If you are looking to kick start your business, go online now to get your Free e-book at Brilliant Web Design
