(Reprinted\u00a0from Launch\u00a0Marketing)<\/p>\n
Google processed\u00a011.8 billion\u00a0<\/a>search queries in January 2012 and is projected to receive nearly\u00a080%<\/a>\u00a0of all online search advertising revenue in 2012. Paid clicks on Google increased over\u00a030%<\/a>\u00a0from Q4 2010 to Q4 2011. Certainly advertising on Google is a smart choice for many companies, and while it is easy to set up a campaign, maintaining a successful campaign requires a great deal of time and patience (and a bit of trial and error). Here are a few tips we have for a successful AdWords campaign:<\/p>\n Think like a customer.<\/strong>\u00a0Ask yourself, \u201cIf I was looking for this product, what terms would I search for?\u201d After you\u2019ve created an ad, think \u201cWould I click on this ad if I was searching for this term?\u201d Remember that those searching on Google may not know anything else about your brand besides what they see in your ad and that most ads are only looked at for about a\u00a0quarter of a second<\/a>.<\/p>\n Be specific, but not too specific.<\/strong>\u00a0Especially when beginning an AdWords campaign, be sure to select keywords that are specific enough so that you aren\u2019t spending a large amount of money competing with several other companies. However, don\u2019t be so specific that only a few people will ever search for that term. Using the various match types in AdWords can help.<\/p>\n Google provides several tools that help make this process easier. The\u00a0Traffic Estimator Tool\u00a0<\/a>shows the amount of traffic you can expect to receive with a specific keyword. The\u00a0Keyword Tool\u00a0<\/a>is also very useful. Simply type in a few of your keywords and it will produce ideas for related terms as well as the approximate cost per click you would pay. Export this list to Excel for an easy way to select terms that you want to add to your campaign.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t create it and leave it.<\/strong>\u00a0AdWords accounts require continuous monitoring in order to be successful as things can change daily. While you can set up custom alerts that can email you if that action occurs, you should still log in to your account at least once each day (even if it\u2019s for a few minutes) to make sure your campaign is performing correctly. Be on the lookout for anything that seems out of the ordinary and fix it as soon as possible.<\/p>\n If it\u2019s not working, change it.<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t get so attached to your work that you refuse to change it if it isn\u2019t working. Also, don\u2019t wait for an ad to suddenly start getting a higher click through rate. If people aren\u2019t clicking on it, find out why and change it. Possible solutions could include changing the copy or finding a better keyword.<\/p>\n Be sure that you are testing several variations of your ads. This way you aren\u2019t spending all of your money on an ad that may not be very successful. Track the metrics and stop any ads that aren\u2019t performing up to par in order to concentrate your resources on those that are performing well.<\/p>\n\r\n\t