What is Google AdWords Haw to Use Google AdWords How to Create a Google AdWords Campaign
While these approaches are functionally very different, they both use a PPC bidding system, where advertisers bid to have their ads shown to relevant audiences.
What is Google AdWords?
AdWords is an advertising system Google developed to help businesses reach online target markets through its search engine platform and partner sites. These partner sites host a text or image ad that appears on the page after a user searches for keywords and phrases related to a business and its products or services. On Google.com, AdWords ads typically appear in specific locations at the top and right-hand side of a search results page.
You can choose keywords related to your brand, products, services and industry for your AdWords account. When customers search for these phrases, your store’s ad will be served to them. You only pay when a user clicks on your ad and visits your website or calls your business using “click to call.”
How does AdWords benefit ecommerce businesses?
The two main ways AdWords can help your online retail business are by improving brand awareness and driving qualified traffic to your site. Other benefits of using AdWords include:
- Customers associate certain keywords and phrases with your business
- You can target with AdWords, meaning the ads follow a customer to other Google sites like YouTube and The New York Times – that improves conversion and reduces cost-per-click.
- You have the flexibility to determine which sites host your ads
- Focus on your target market by honing in on certain regions and cities
- AdWords identifies who is searching for your products
- AdWords reminds customers of what they previously searched for, keeping your brand top of mind
- AdWords helps you optimize current campaigns and leverage results for improved overall success
Google AdWords helps customers find what they’re looking for in a faster, more customized manner. Including a unique selling position in your ad can also help consumers determine why your business is better than your competition.
AdWords is an affordable, easy-to-use advertising platform that can increase traffic and sales for your ecommerce store.
Should I Give Google AdWords a Try?
These days, there are a ton of PPC platforms to choose from. You have the Facebook and Instagram Ads platform, Twitter Ads, Pinterest Promoted Pins…the list goes on and on. In Fact, Google AdWords isn’t even the only search engine ad platform—Bing Ads and Yahoo Search Ads are options, too!
However, despite all the competition, Google AdWords is still one of the best ways to reach your target audience.
Facebook Ads and other PPC platforms certainly can work and they can work exceptionally well. That being said, being able to reach customers who are searching for products, brands and content like yours (not an option with most social media PPC platforms) is an exceptional (and profitable) opportunity that shouldn’t be underrated. It could provide you wit the chance to snatch up easy sales before your competitor does.
How to Create a Google AdWords Campaign
Once you’ve decided that you want to run Google AdWords campaigns, you need to dive in and start creating them. Click here to go to the AdWords site so you can get going. You’ll be asked to create an account, which takes just a few minutes.
Once your account is up and running, you’ll be able to create campaigns.
Signing Up for an AdWords Account
Signing up for an AdWords account is as easy as 1-2-3. In fact, I’ll bet that you can set up an account faster than you finish reading this chapter.
Signing Up
You can have absolutely zero knowledge of advertising and AdWords, skipped the whole of Chapter 1 and still set up an account. Well, here goes…
1. Open your web browser and go to https://adwords.google.com
2. Click on the “Start Now” button.
3. Select the email address you want to use with your Google Account.
You’ll have the option to use an existing Gmail address or create a Google account. The sign up form will change dynamically based on your selection.
4. Enter a website that you would like to promote.
When customers click on your ad, they’ll be directed to your website. If you don’t have a website, you can Google “how to create a website”. That’s pretty much how you learn to do any new skill under the sun. Google suggests using their free and basic Google sites solution. If you don’t want to create a website, you can create advertise using AdWords Express, but that’s a whole other ball game altogether.
5. Enter your time-zone and currency.
These are just basic housekeeping duties and Google will use this setting for billing and reporting purposes. You can’t change this setting later on, so don’t pretend you live on the North Pole! It would be confusing understanding your ad reports later on.
6. Activate your account.
Google AdWords will send you an email address with a link that you’ll have to go to.
7. Click “Sign in to your AdWords Account”.
Congratulations, you have just created your very own AdWords account!
Google also presents two sign-up pages:
1. The basic setup: This one allows you to explore AdWords first and control your pace.
2. A guided setup: This is a 4-step process that goes straight into creating your first ad and adding your billing information. There is zero harm in creating a lousy first ad—you can always pause it immediately after before it runs. Also, you have to submit legitimate billing information so that your account can be activated. Don’t get cold feet here!
Frequently Asked Question: Which email address should I use with AdWords?
An average person today has three email accounts. Many savvy advertisers and business owners like you own more than six email addresses. Does it matter which one you use? Yes!
There are three things that you need to take note of:
1. If you already have a Google Analytics account, you must use the same email address for AdWords as your Analytics admin user email. This would make the task of linking accounts later a lot more convenient.
2. If you use a shared email address between multiple business partners and staff, you can set an AdWords-specific password and only share it with your advertising managers.
3. If you use other Google services like Gmail or YouTube, you can use the same address for your AdWords account. This way, you don’t have to switch accounts every time you want to check your email.