AdWords Campaign Set Up Tips

by: Chris Burgess

It’s easy to overlook the basics of a strong AdWords campaign. Without them though, your AdWords campaign can be doomed from the very start. Follow these tips and you can be sure that your campaign will have a strong foundation for both short term and immediate success.

Use Proper Grammar and Spelling

It may sound basic, but ad text that uses slang, has misspelled words or doesn’t read clearly isn’t going to get clicked. If anything it makes your business seem unprofessional and could actually harm your business’ reputation.

Make sure that you spell and grammar check your ads. You might also have a friend, co-worker or employee read through the ad text to make sure that it reads smoothly and makes sense. Input from others is invaluable when creating AdWords ads.

Start Small With Geographical Targeting

If you’re just starting out, try limiting your ad’s distribution to one or two regions (e.g. for businesses based in North America, limit your initial distribution to the U.S.A and Canada). By starting with a smaller distribution area, you will be able to keep your costs lower and “fine tune” your ads and keywords before you start to expand.

When you feel comfortable that your AdWords ads are profitable, start to expand several countries or regions at a time.

Scout the Competition

Chances are, no matter what kind of product you are selling, you will have a competitor who is already selling something similar and advertising it on AdWords. Search for the terms you wish to use on Google to see what kinds of ads your competitors are writing.

You might even try a tool like GoogSpy to see exactly what terms your competitors are buying.

Pay close attention to the terms they use, the deals or incentives they offer and the titles they use. You can learn a lot from your competitors. You don’t want your ads to be exactly like theirs, but you can use elements from each competitor to make your ads perform even better.

Ready for more tips on how to make your AdWords campaign work more effectively for your business?

Start with a Modest Budget

Just as you should start with a smaller geographical region, start with a modest campaign budget. Spend a few days or a few weeks fine tuning your ads before you really decide to pump up the budget. The more “finished” and tuned your ads are before you start spending serious amounts of money on advertising, the better.

Patience in building a strong ad group before you expand will benefit you and your bottom line.

Remember Your Audience

Write ad text that will appeal to your audience and bring in the traffic you want. If your products appeal to hobbiests, use terms that hobbiests would understand. If your products are directed mainly at younger customers, use youthful verbage and terms that will draw their attention.

You only have your ad text to convince the “right” customers to visit your website. Make those words count by making sure that you target the message toward them.

Attract the “Right” Customer

There is a fine line between writing ads that appeal to customers enough to get a high click-through rate and writing ads that merely draw anyone. You want to have a high click through rate on your ads, since it will get you higher placement and save you money. You don’t want to attract customers who won’t ever becom customers though.

Use strong action words in your ads. Include powerful selling points and benefits. Try to stay away from phrases that will draw everyone though such as “free” and “bargain.” Write an ad that will bring you viewers who have a good chance of becoming customers too.