Google AdWords is an advertising program that allows you to buy advertising space on Google – the most popular search engine in the world. What better way to advertise than on a site that’s used by more than a million people each day. Google AdWords allows you to create your own ads, pick keywords related to your business or product, and to control how much you’ll pay per click. Anyone with a product or business to promote is free to join Google AdWords.
Google AdWords is great for honing in on a narrow market. Your ad appears when a search is performed using any of the keywords associated with your business or product. This let’s you know the searcher is defiantly interested in what you’re offering. So if someone searches for information on caring for antiques, your antique restoring business ad can appear right alongside normal search results.
Google AdWords vs. Regular Advertising
The difference between Google AdWords and regular advertising is you don’t pay to have your ad displayed. There’s a fee to join the program, but Google displays your ad for free. However, you do pay a fee when someone clicks the ad. Google AdWords can be as cheap or as expensive as you like. Short on marketing dollars? Then set your Google AdWords budget to $5 a month or less. That’s certainly cheaper than advertising in your local newspaper, and you may even receive better results.
What’s that about Bidding?
Google AdWords doesn’t set a price for the ads. Instead, you bid on the specific keywords you want associated with your ad. If your bid is the highest for a specific keyword, your ad is likely to appear more often and above other ads. A maximum bid for the word "antique" at 20 cents with the next highest bid at 10 cents, means Google will give the 20 cent ad priority. Low bid ads receive exposure, just not as often as high bid ads.
Is Google AdWords Smart Marketing?
It depends. Google AdWords offers a great way to market to a wide range of people. But it may or may not make sense for your business. Before signing with Google AdWords, consider carefully if it’s worth your time and money. Paid online advertising may or may not be necessary.
For instance, if you’re a local barber trying to attract local clients, your website alone is probably sufficient advertising. Simply having your website appear during regular Google searches should suffice. After all, if you want local clients you won’t care if your ad is seen worldwide. So paying extra to advertise online may not be the best marketing tactic.
If Google AdWords is something you want to try, remember to pick your keywords carefully. Decide how much you’re willing to spend per-click per month, and see how it goes. The results may be well worth the time and money, or maybe you’ll discover that Google AdWords isn’t for you. You’ll never know until you try.
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