Sunday, November 16, 2008

The 7 Mistakes That Kill Your Google AdWords Campaign

Discover the 7 common mistakes that most newcomers make when starting an AdWords campaign. Even if you are more experienced, read on as many existing clients have been discovered making these mistakes.

Mistake Number 1: Creating 1 Generic Advert for your entire AdWords Account
A common error is to set up one advert, probably the same one you created when you first set up your Google AdWords Account. Example:

Virtual Office
temporary staffing, virtual office
registered office, mail forwarding
freelanceofficeservices.co.uk

The advert above is trying to advertise several services in just one advert: temporary staffing, virtual office services, registered office services as well as mail forwarding.

So, don't try to fit as many keywords as possible in your advert text. Aim to set up one Ad Group with its own separate advert text for each product or service that you offer.

Mistake Number 2: Not measuring Conversions
It is important to check that your advertising is producing results to allow you to make decisions about whether your Campaigns are working. Internet marketing is highly traceable, so take advantage of this fact. Use a tracking package such as Google Analytics and install tracking code on each page of your webpage where a conversion occurs. Examples of conversions include:

• Purchases
• Sign ups
• Call Back requests
• PDF document downloads

It is useful to note that you can assign nominal values to conversions to allow you effectively measure your Return on Investment. For example, if you normally convert 25% of your Call Back requests into clients, and a new client is worth £1000 to you, a Call Back conversion would be worth £250.

Mistake Number 3: Putting your company name as your advert headline

When creating your first Campaign, it is a common error to place your company name as the advert headline. Your advert headline should contain what your visitor wants. Ensure it contains the keywords that relate to 1 specific Ad Group only! For example:

Bouncy Castles
Hire A Bouncy Castle From £45
Many Different Sizes Available

Aim to match your headline to just the single product or service you are advertising in that particular Ad Group. This will ensure your visitor wants to click on your advert, as it matches what they were searching for.

Mistake Number 4: Directing people to the homepage of your website

A common error is to send visitors to your homepage when they click your advert. People are lazy and have limited attention spans. Show them what they wanted to find, and quickly! You have just a few seconds until they hit the Back Button...... Your aim is to send people to a tightly focused landing page that specifically relates to that single product or service only.

Mistake Number 5: Choosing the wrong number of keywords

Novice marketers often choose just a few keywords for their products and services. These keywords will normally be ones they thought of themselves. The disadvantage is that many of your potential visitors do not think the same way as you do! To overcome this, use a keyword tool (such as the free Google Keyword Tool, which is sufficient for most people's needs) and generate as many related keywords as you can. Select out the ones that are very similar to your original keyword phrase.

The reverse problem is when people use a keyword tool and generate more than 100 keywords for just 1 Ad Group. To combat this type of error, ensure you choose only closely related keywords from the suggestions generated by the keyword tool. For keywords you would like to include, but realise are not so closely related, place them into their own Ad Group instead.

Mistake Number 6: Failing to use Negative Keywords

If you do not want to attract a certain type of traffic, you can avoid them seeing your adverts. For example, you might wish to dissuade people from visiting your website who are looking for "free" or "cheap" items. The way around this is to ensure you include negative keywords.
If they aren't likely to buy, why bring them to your site?

Mistake Number 7: Leaving the Content Network on

Google's default setting is to leave the Content Network on. This means your adverts will be showing on other people's websites throughout the Internet. This will lead to people clicking on your advert who are not interested in buying. Avoid wasting your money. Turn the Content Network off. If you are really interested in making the Content Network work for you, invest some time learning how to use this form of marketing effectively.

Notes for editors: Claire Jarrett is an AdWords Professional, Qualified Teacher and Experienced AdWords Trainer with Computer Training Solutions. She is the lead Trainer on the highly rated DVD course "Master AdWords!" recently released by Computer Training Solutions. Claire is also the managing director of Computer Training Solutions in Bristol, Solihull and Bracknell. Claire offers Google AdWords DVD Courses call 0800 019 6882 for more details.

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