Google AdWords...anyone use it?

[andybuildz]

I've been involved with Google's AdWords and wondered if anyone here has been involved and how it's worked for them.
Pretty amazing stuff just like everything else Google.
Just when I thought I was finding some time to learn SketchUp better I had to get invoved in AdWords...ugh
https://adwords.google.com/select/Lo...ogle%20adwords

I'd like to hear how people here have worked their strategy with Adwords.
What key words you've found helpful in your neck of the woods and what negative words have been helpful.
Just what I need...more sleepless night on the puter...ugh

[Mark G]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

I just started last month. No hits yet. I plan to expand my list.

I'm having fun with google analytics which I set up at the same time. It lists visitors to my website. Most are web crawlers or something but some are bona fide visitors.

[andybuildz]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

Yeh...me too...have my analytics set up too. Pretty amazing isn't it? Wish I understood it a bit more...same with the AdWords.
I have a pretty extensive key word list but no hits yet that I can tell.
I think I need to figure out what to add to my negative key words next b/c I haven't added anything in that yet. I also want to figure out why I would use a second campaign...how that could help and if that would make it cost more money or not.
Its all pretty new to me. Ya gotta love anything Google!
Also...I added the AdWord "Group" to my list of forums which I browse through from time to time. http://groups.google.com/group/adwor...p/topics?hl=en

[J.Buesking]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

I've used both Google adwords and Google Adsense for years now. Not geared towards construction services but still have alot of experience.

The second campaign can be used for other websites or just different tracking and conversion purposes. Say I want to set up campaign for interior work and one for exterior work. I can make one take you to http://mysite.com/exterior.html and one take you to http://mysite.com/interior.html. I can use different keywords for each obviously since I'm running 2 campaigns and also budget differently. All kinds of things differently.

For success it all depends on you neck of the woods competition. When it first started years ago it was a lot easier to advertise. Now they have made to where you need to spend $100/monthly to get anywhere. Basically they have made there ads more relevant buy squeezing out all the little guys.

Set you ppc at atleast a 1.00 to get any results imo.

[jocobe]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

I've used Google Analytics for the last couple of years. Pretty cool info...

About two months ago I started using Adwords. I set it up to advertise within a 30 mile radius of my home. Most of what I do is door and window/repair and replacement. I've gotten a bunch of nice orders! Last week we did a $7k job and it cost me a $1.26 in advertising! I've installed a few patio doors and fixed a bunch of other windows from Adwords' leads.

Last month 1,146 people saw my ad while googling. Eleven people clicked on my Google ad. Almost all of the time my website appears at the top of the web page, along with the ad. If they click the website link, it does not cost anything. Nor does it cost anything for someone to view the ad, without clicking on it. Google calls the viewing of the ad 'impressions'.

I set my budget for $60.00, but have never spent anything close to that.

I highly recommend GoogleAds.


John

[andybuildz]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

John
I've been using adWords now for about a month.
I have an average 10 position with about 300 impression rating (whatever that means) and zero clicks. I'm thinking I might have too many words selected? All the words relate very closely to my ad and what I do.
I have two campains going. One for my basic home renovations biz and one that reads kitchens and baths. I also have a $60 budget a month and I have up to $1 per word bids. I've just about given up even checking my daily reports.
Any thoughts? I am on Long Island so the comp is probably really strong.
Sure hasn't worked for me at all. I'm glad you're having success with it though..thats one of us...lol
andy

[jocobe]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

John
I've been using adWords now for about a month.
I have an average 10 position with about 300 impression rating (whatever that means) and zero clicks. I'm thinking I might have too many words selected? All the words relate very closely to my ad and what I do.
I have two campains going. One for my basic home renovations biz and one that reads kitchens and baths. I also have a $60 budget a month and I have up to $1 per word bids. I've just about given up even checking my daily reports.
Any thoughts? I am on Long Island so the comp is probably really strong.
Sure hasn't worked for me at all. I'm glad you're having success with it though..thats one of us...lol
andy

Andy-

My average position is 7.6. My default max bid for 'cost per click' is $1.64. Maybe trying upping that a bit.

They say it's best not to have more then 20 keywords. Also, a keyword doesn't have to be a single word, but a string of words. Like I have 'Andersen window repairs' as one. And 'Anderson window repairs' (spelled incorrectly) as another.

When your ad appears, does your website appear as a google search result as well?

John

[andybuildz]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

Andy-

My average position is 7.6. My default max bid for 'cost per click' is $1.64. Maybe trying upping that a bit.

They say it's best not to have more then 20 keywords. Also, a keyword doesn't have to be a single word, but a string of words. Like I have 'Andersen window repairs' as one. And 'Anderson window repairs' (spelled incorrectly) as another.

When your ad appears, does your website appear as a google search result as well?

John

I have $2 a day as my budget and my key words vary from in the teens to about $1.00.
I've read conflictingthings about how many words to use. they're all pretty much related. Some words I'll add a second just like it but plural like
"home improvement"-" home improvements" "kitchen renovation-kitchen renovations...and similar. I can't see how tha can do anything but help.
Maybe I do need to up my word $$ bid though.

In the beginning when I typed in a few of my key words and the town I was targeting it came right up but then it stopped after a cpl of weeks or less.
Maybe I'll start all over with a cpl of new ad campaigns. I donno...its weird.

I even added in the local Google map they offer.
Oh yeh...I did read about the spelling of Anderson (en) too...I think I even spelled it wrong all these years...lol

[BathRenewal]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

It's not as important to bid more as it is to make your adword ad more relevant. In many cases, I actually bid less per click than my competition, but I get ranked higher. Why? Because I make my ads very specific to the keywords I use.

So, for example you are doing Anderson windows. You want to use the following keywords:

anderson windows
"anderson windows"
[anderson windows]
andersen windows
"andersen windows"
[andersen windows]
window installation
"window installation"
[window installation]
window replacement
"window replacement"
[window replacement]

-windows operating system
-windows computer
-windows 98
-windows xp

(These negative keywords prevent your ad from displaying when someone is searching on something other than having windows installed in their home)


The key to your keywords here is to have as tight a group of words with every possible variation and misspelling as you can think of. Then you want your ad that displays to reflect those tight groups of keywords.

Then you have to restrict your searches to come up to your geographic area, which is a whole new lesson for a whole new day. I've only scratched the surface of what you really need to learn about how to get the most of Google Adwords. But learning it is well worth it. I've been in markets where I was bidding $1-$2 per click while others were bidding closer to $5.

But one last tip. . . NEVER BID FOR #1!!! If you do, you are over paying! Being 3-5 is the best position because it does not affect the clicks by that much, it gets you a more serious shopper, and it's pennies on the dollar compared to #1.

Well, that's likely far more information than you ever wanted to know. But I hope it gives you a start in the right direct.

[andybuildz]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

The more info the better..thanks.
I was looking at my compititions ads the other day. The guys that always seem to pop up at the head of the list almost every time...everywhere. One guy was that Handyman franchise. They show up on top of the list almost every single search I do.
I did get to thinking more about using keywords that relate or mimic words in my ad and wondered if that brings me closer to the first page or two more often.
Thing is...my compition in my targeted area (that I do have defined in my campaign) I'm sure uses the same words in their ad and I imagine in their selection of keywords as well. Thats the confusing part to me. I live in a pretty populated area as well....not like I'm in some remote area. I'm 45 minutes to Manhatten. Lots of compitition here.

[jocobe]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

Hey Bath-

What does the [brackets] do for the keywords?

I've tried window repair, window installation and window replacement.......by themselves, with brackets and with quotation marks and haven't gotten one impression in the last three days.

Any suggestions?

John

[BathRenewal]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

When you use brackets it will return only exact matches. So if you use [window repair] your ad will only show if the user types in window repair and no other words.

If you use "window repair" then your add will show if the customer types in stupid window repair, or how to window repair, or even window repair: the untold horrors.

If you use window repair with nothing around it then your ad could show if someone used broken window, or car repair.

By breaking down your Adwords campaign(?) in to very specific keywords and groups of keywords you can write your ads so they are very specific for your keyword grouping. In other words, your ad would display Save Money On Window Repair - We offer quality window repair at an affordable price, etc

Now you will want to run a national campaign that has keywords specific to your area of operation. Then you will want another campaign that has general keywords that has Google limit your search to a geographic area.

I hope this make sense and helps some.

[jocobe]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

Thanx, that helped!

Right now it's within a 30 mile radius of my home. But I think over the holidays I'll play around with a national campaign using keywords aimed towards my area.

The last couple of weeks the hits have been less, but I'm figuring that's because of the holidays. September through the beginning of December was fantastic! Adwords was providing a lot of great leads and orders......I was really impressed. The yellow pages was delivered last week and I threw it right in the recycle bin.

John

[Geoff Graham]

Re: Google AdWords...anyone use it?

Great stuff here. I learned a lot myself. After a lot of effort on Search Engine Optimization, our "organic" search has started to significantly out-produce our paid search (AdWords). It took a lot of effort (and our blog was a key part of that effort), but it's been worthwhile.

On Google Analytics, if you haven't setup "Conversion Goals" definitely do that. It's easy to track how much of your traffic clicks on your inquiry page, and where it came from (which adword campaign, or which organic search phrase).