An Introduction To Google AdWords

Pay-Per-Click marketing is a simple advertising system, whereby a company can promote themselves through a search engine such as Google. By bidding a certain amount of money on a keyword search term, the search engine will insert a paid advertisement into the organic search results. For example, a person searching for a local copywriter would more than likely narrow their search down to the location and the service they require, perhaps to 'copywriter sw London'. This is the keyword search term, and it can be either one word or a whole phrase.

The sponsored ads section is the top three results along with seven or so others down the right hand side of the page. Having a strong AdWords account can therefore put you right at the top of the search results. How high and how often the ad appears in the rankings depends upon a calculation of quality score, relevance, and maximum bid.

The maximum bid is the highest amount of money an advertiser is willing to pay for a click on a certain search term. If the maximum bid is 3 for instance, it does not mean that the advertiser will pay 3 every click, but that it will be higher in the search results and appear more times than competitors bidding below 3. The actual cost to the advertiser will be one penny over the amount of the nearest bid below them from another advertiser.

The quality score is how relevant the ad is to the landing page, normally the business homepage, and the collection of selected keywords. Obviously, the higher the ad in the search result, the higher the chance of a click. This is why it is vital to have a carefully crafted campaign with relevance right the way through from keywords, to advertisement, to landing page. Google AdWords was designed to create highly targeted campaigns directly focusing on likely customers; only with this in mind can it be a success. Furthermore, by using quality score as well as bid price, the company with the biggest budget is not guaranteed to the number one slot.

A website copywriter bidding on this keyword or phrase, with a Google AdWords account, will have a carefully designed advertisement triggered when this term is searched for. Only if the searcher clicks on the advertisement, will the advertiser pay for the click. The basic elements of this software can at first seem to be a little confusing. Understanding SEO (search engine optimisation) on the other hand can give a real boost to potential revenue. By tailoring a targeted and specific campaign, PPC can ensure that any money spent on advertising, is likely to bring a good return of investment.

Using this form of advertising may not work for everyone. However if you get to grips with the methodology and if you are a company that gets a lot of business from an online presence, it may well make a difference.