PPC (pay per click) Adwords campaign
Starting Adword campaign
To start your campaign, go to https://adwords.google.com, login and click, “Create your first campaign” button.
- Select your campaign type and name. Choose “Search Network only” option, then give your campaign a name.
- Choose the geographic location where you’d like ads to show. Click “Let me choose …” and then search the most appropriate area for you.
- Choose your “bid strategy,” and set your daily budget. Your daily budget is the maximum that Google is authorized to charge you per day. Chances are, you’ll hit that maximum most days. Make sure and set your daily budget, that way if things get crazy you won’t over spend. You can always adjust this budget later if the adwords campaign is profiting. Start your budget low and adjust higher as needed.
- Ignore the “Ad Extensions” section for now. This is an important part of any campaign, but leave this for now and add these later after you’ve finished all nine steps.
Click “Save and continue.”
- Create your first ad group, and write your first ad. More people click on ads when the headline includes the keyword they’re searching on. So use your keywords in your headline when you can.
The second and third lines allow for 35 characters of text each. In most markets, you’ll be more successful if you describe a benefit on the second line, followed by a feature or offer on the third line. Later on, you can test which order converts better.
Even though Google places the field for your display URL—the web address people see in your ad—below your main ad copy here, when your ad displays on the search results page, its URL will actually show up right below your headline. The display URL has to be the same domain as your site, though the URL itself doesn’t necessarily have to be the specific landing page that you take people to.
The last line is your actual destination URL, or your specific chosen landing page. You can also use a tracking link here.
- Insert your keywords into the keyword field in your account. Paste in your keywords. Start with just one set, and add plus signs (+), brackets ([ ]), and quotes (“ “) to see precisely how many searches of each type you’ll get. When you’re getting started, it’s not a good idea to dump hundreds or thousands of keywords in. Start with a tiny handful of important ones, and work from there.
- Set your maximum cost-per-click. Set your maximum price-per-click now (called your “default bid”), but realize this: Every keyword is theoretically a different market, which means that each of your major keywords will need a bid price of its own. Google will let you set individual bids for each keyword later.
If you can only afford $50 per day instead of, say, $170, it’s better to bid on low-cost keywords so that your ad can be seen by as many people as possible. Due to the limitations of any budget, if you’re going after high-priced keywords, you’ll exhaust your budget quickly and your ads will only be seen part of the day rather than for a full 24 hours.
- Review everything. Double-check your ad and keywords to be sure they’re the best possible match. Check your cost-per-click to be sure you get the positions on the page you want. Double check your daily budget to be sure you don’t unwittingly drain your bank account right out of the gate.
- Enter your billing information. Your ads will start showing as soon as you confirm your payment information. Now you’re set.