The Google Advertising Network is one of the largest advertising platform on the web. Any usage of a Google product, whether it be the search engine, Android apps, or Google Maps, will display advertisements created by big and small advertisers.
The reach of the Google Ad Network is your gain; its low price, simple-to-use interface, and diversity has the potential to drive immense amounts of traffic to your website. In this article, I’ll be sharing the very basics of writing and placing Google Ads.
How to Create a Target Google Adwords Campaign
The Google Advertising Network I’m talking about is Google Adwords. This name may not come as a surprise yet it’s greatly under utilized amongst affiliate marketers and business owners because there is a general sense that “it’s too technical”. On the contrary, Google has created its ad network to be useful to the non-techies; in this section, you’ll learn how to get started from the ground up.
Step 1: Setup a Google Adwords Account
Visit the Google Adwords home page to begin the process of creating your account. You’ll need your basic information such as name, address, and more, along with a banking/credit account to fund your Adwords campaigns. Alternatively, you can call the Adwords department at 1-800-919-9922 to have them setup a free account.
Step 2: Create your First Campaign
Start a new campaign within the ‘Campaigns’ tab. Get acquainted with the page and explore the various options available such as location settings, demographics, social elements, devices, ad extensions, and more.
As your first foray into Adwords, create a simple campaign that is set to your country, all available devices, a default bid of $1.00, and the budget you’ve set for this initial test. Note: Don’t be afraid to spend $10 for a very basic campaign as this small amount will give you a greater understanding of how Adwords works in the real-world – not just theory.
Step 3: Create the Ad
Options include: text, image, display ad builder, and WAP mobile ad. For our purposes, choose the ‘Text ad’ bubble and give your ad group a proper name for the campaign.
Here’s how the ad breaks down:
- Headline. Like article titles and sales, go with the main keyword, hook, or item of importance that will immediately grab a Google users’ attention. Do an analysis of your competitors to see their ad copy and build from it.
- Description #1. This first line is crucial; it’s like the opener for your advertisement. Use a hook or get right into the information for what people are going to buy. If you have a physical product, tell it up-front. Have information? Share what they’ll get.
- Description #2. Use this line as icing on the cake if you have additional space. Add items like ‘free shipping’, ‘Buy One, Get One’, and other call-to-actions that catches a users’ attention. Play with the format for multiple ads in your campaign; it’s always a good decision to split test.
- URLs. Display a short URL that isn’t deceiving the user. You have limited space so focus on the branding yet use the actual URL to push people to an internal, highly optimized web page.
- Keywords. The keywords is how your ads will display when a user is doing a search or using a Google product. Use keywords that relate to the specific page to increase conversions and weed out invalid clicks. Alternatively, aim for the big keywords (if you can afford it) that has a larger search volume.
Once you’ve completed these main actions, it’s only a matter of funding your account, waiting for approval of the ad, and letting it run. Set the budget of $10 – $20 (or more, if you can spare it) as a way to test the waters of Google Adwords. The first ad is always the hardest to create; everything afterward is just building on your success. Good luck!
