Paul's
Google AdWords review service was hugely successful since first introduced in 2008. As part of the process and from dialogue with customers some common AdWords FAQ are published below. These are regular questions regarding the operation of Google AdWords.
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Jacko.com.au important summary about pay-per-click: The Internet is not a tap you can turn on and off.
When you use Google AdWords or any pay-per-click advertising - you are trying to access and buy a slice of the huge internet traffic related to your business. And to reinforce the point - you are trying to buy - by paying per click - a small slice of the 1000s or 10 000s of related search every day. Advertisers should understand that to be available and 'clickable' at the top of the page for every search - would cost a fortune. Every business needs to understand - particularly small to medium business - that most business simply cannot afford to appear at the top of every search - every day - get clicked all the time - and be able to afford the huge advertising costs. Particularly when competing against large businesses or internationals.
So what should your pay-per-click approach be?
Work out the budget you can afford each month and be prepared to back that budget for 3 months. Understand that you can afford to access only some of the traffic - some of the time. Contact someone like myself to get the best value for your budget on your existing account or new AdWords account. There are ways to make your dollar go further. And the final most important point: you should use all the click information you discover when running your campaign - and use it to optimise your website for organic search. Getting free traffic from appearing in a good position will cost you nothing - it is the holy grail of internet search marketing. Jacko can help you do this.
How? Because everything I am saying here is tested in my businesses. I took my
www.ozdoggy.com.au website from 500 visitors per month to 50,000 visitors per month - by using Google AdWords and then updating my website. YOU can do it also.
Common Question 1:
I have a Google Adwords account - everything is correctly set up - but my adverts aren't showing - why?
Answer: You may have used your daily budget
When you establish your AdWords account, you establish a monthly budget. Google then divides this monthly budget into a daily budget.
This is done to help your advertising dollar get best delivery across the entire month - and not used up within 1-2 days.
But when your daily budget is used on any given day - your adverts will stop running. The adverts will start running when the next day starts.
Depending on your account settings - in Australia - the new Google day can start around 6pm - because it is run from Google UK headquarters.
Common Question 2:
My adverts were running near the top of the page yesterday - but not there now. Sometimes they are on the second page. Why?
Answer: Google does not guarantee advert position
Related to answer above. The higher up your adverts appear - the more likely they are to be clicked - and your daily budget used.
Also, Google does not guarantee when and where they will place your advert - but you can request position preference as part of your strategy. ( Position preference was removed as an advert option in 2011. Google says other tools - like bidding, advert quality scores and better keyword / advert matching etc - will provide a similar result to position preference - and I am inclined to agree)
The only general rule of thumb is: the more you bid for each word - the higher your daily budget - and the better your advert quality score - the higher your adverts will show.
Common Question 3
How much do clicks cost?
Answer: Google click cost changes every search - an eternal never ending auction place
In the large majority of cases, you can never know exactly how much you will pay per click on your advert.
What you do is set a bid for the maximum you will pay.
And we always suggest manual bidding to get best value.
When you advert gets clicked - you will pay a price based other advert bids from other competitors, individual keyword costs, your advert quality score and more - on that exact search. The next search - it could change. By bidding the maximum price you will pay - you establish the maximum cost. You may bid $1 - and get charged $0.42 on 1 click - and $0.88 on the next. However, you will quickly find a pattern will appear and you will get a feel for the performance and position of each word.
Common Question 4
What affects the position where my advert will run? I always want to be at the top!
Answer: Bid price PLUS advert quality score affect where your advert runs
It is not only the amount you bid per word that affects your position - or the bids of your competitors - it is also affected by ADVERT QUALITY.
Google gives adverts a quality score. A better quality (read optimised or well written advert) may appear higher than a poorer quality advert that is prepared to pay more.
Why? Google is a business. They want adverts to get clicked so they earn income. If they display poor quality adverts that no one clicks, they earn no revenue. So even if an advert is prepared to pay $5 per click - but has been displayed 1000 times with no click - it is taking up valuable space and a waste of their time. They will slow down or stop delivery of that advert. Google would rather run an advert that is prepared to pay $1 per click - if it has established a history of getting clicked.
SUMMARY POINT: Google AdWords is marketing genius for Google and small businesses around the world. Google has an intention of helping small business compete more fairly with large business. But the AdWords system can be complicated for the beginner - and even the more experienced advertiser. If you need help understanding what is happening with your Google AdWords account - or need help to set up an account that won't waste your money and give you best value...
contact Jacko.com.au
Common Question 5
I was getting loads of enquiries last week - now nothing - why?
Answer: The internet is not a tap - you can't turn it on and off or demand constant results.
People sometimes think that as soon as they have a website - and activate Google AdWords - that rivers of enquiries will flow. Sometimes this is the case - other times not. The only thing you can expect to do is position yourself in front of people who are searching. You can position yourself to be ready and able to have your message seen when people are searching.
But in reality, there are so many things that affect when people search AND when they decide to contact you. Environmental concerns like sporting events like school holidays, hot days, cold days, end of financial year, employment, general optimism, GFC, Christmas, Easter, Footy final - ALL affect the level and nature of enquiries you will receive. Also increased competition from others looking to replicate your success. The internet is not a tap that you can turn onto full and leave running on full - rather - see the internet and search traffic as something you can tap into - in a cost effective way - and be ready to respond when people contact you.