“How Does Google AdWords Work?”

“How can AdWords help my business?”

“How much does AdWords cost?”

“People don’t search for my services/products online – how is AdWords different?”

“How do I know if it’s working?”

I was in a meeting recently and heard a few of these very questions – they’re often the most asked when any client is looking to do online marketing through Google AdWords. Specifically, this client had previously invested in a local listing company (think Yellow Pages) that promised paid advertising and had little to no idea or record as to how successful (or unsuccessful) it had been.

This lack of transparency and communication between client/business + advertiser is a problem.

Why We Love AdWords

(If you don’t know what AdWords is and would like a more detailed description, check out this post – this will help answer “how does Google AdWords work?”).

We love AdWords and have been working with it since our beginning in 2005 (and even a few years prior to that). It’s our top-recommended marketing service for a few reasons.

#1: AdWords is Easily Tracked (“How Do I Know It’s Working?”)

Using AdWords, you can track the amount of leads your business receives.

All businesses are different, so a lead (or what we like to call a conversion) can be tracked by any variable that is important to your business. Are you an online store looking to advertise specific products? AdWords can track those who clicked on your ad and bought something along the way. Are you a real estate agent looking for people to contact you for your services? AdWords can track those who clicked your ad and then contacted you (the same can be done with phone calls).

Basically, tracking leads/conversions/sales/whatever’s important to your business is the main success indicator.

#2: AdWords is Easily Managed and Scalable (“How Much Does AdWords Cost?”)

The great thing about Google AdWords is that is works with almost ANY budget.

We’ve had clients in the past that have spent thousands of dollars a month and we’ve had clients that have spent $100 a month.

Here’s a quick overview of how it works – a campaign is setup that bids (bids can range anywhere from $0.25 to $20 – it all depends on the industry, competition, etc.) on the keywords you choose (for Atilus, we would want keywords like “web design company” or “internet marketing company”). Then:

• Your ad shows up for that keyword.
• A user clicks the ad.
• You pay ONLY when someone clicks.

Another great feature of AdWords is the ability to have constant control and to easily scale up/down. As an AdWords Certified Agency, we have access to login to your account at any time to make changes. If you’re getting close to your monthly budget, we can pause immediately. Or, if you’re seeing tons of return right away and want to increase, we can do that, too. Being the main manager of the AdWords accounts here at Atilus, I can ensure you that I’ve got a constant eye on my accounts (even waking in the middle of the night to check).

#3: AdWords Helps Businesses Grow (“How Can AdWords Help My Business?”)

Since we’ve worked with AdWords for as long as we have, we know the power it holds in helping businesses grow and help them to reach potential customers they might have missed out on before OR reach those same potential customers for less (if done correctly).

For example, one client we’ve worked with has done traditional advertising in the area for years. In initial meetings, we were told that in their advertising, they were paying well over a few hundred dollars per lead.

Using AdWords, we’ve been able to lower this client’s cost per lead (or conversion) by a few hundred dollars in a matter of 6 months.

If you’re able to lower the amount you pay per lead in your advertising, DO IT.

#4: AdWords WILL Get Your Business in Front of the Right People (“People Don’t Search for My Services/Products Online – How is AdWords Different?”)

We’ve had a handful of clients approach us with this statement. However, people ARE searching for your products/services online – and we have access to the data to prove it.

Our AdWords clients have come from a wide array of industries and we have NOT ONCE (in my experience) come across a company whose services yielded no data in our keyword research. There have been varying numbers – some services have tens of thousands of searches a month and some have only a few hundred. However, your products/services ARE being searched for online – if you’re still skeptical, contact us and we’ll be happy to show you!

It’s also important to note that your ad is being shown to people who are ALREADY SEARCHING for your services and not being displayed to the masses (think TV advertising). These people are already in the information search stage of the consumer buying process and are well on their way to making a decision – and you’re on the first page (of Google, that is).