Blog

How to Make Sure a Google AdWords Campaign Is Worth the Cost

By Kathryn Hawkins

Will you get a good return on investment on a Google AdWords campaign? Here are some tips for making sure your strategy pays off.

If you’re looking for ultra-targeted website visitors, it all comes down to two factors: content, and keyword advertising. If you want to develop a comprehensive SEO strategy that pays off with organic search results, focusing on your web content strategy may be the best investment for long-term results. However, if you want to promote a specific timely initiative, or to give your existing marketing efforts an extra boost, investing in a Google AdWords campaign may be a good option.

Depending on what you’re promoting, though, keyword campaigns can cost a lot of coin: If you want to include the word “insurance,” for instance, you could be paying a hefty $54.91 per click—which provides no guarantee that the clicker will purchase your services or even call you. If you don’t prepare for a campaign, you could be wasting a lot of money.

Here’s how to do it right.

Choose your keywords carefully - If you don’t want to pay the equivalent of a dinner out for every new site visitor, seek “long-tail” keywords that aren’t searched for quite as often. Instead of simply using “homeowner’s insurance” as a keyword phrase, try something more specific (and cheaper): “homeowner’s insurance in Florida,” for instance. Google’s Keyword Tool can help you find the right phrases for your needs and budget.

Use multiple campaigns - AdWords permits you to run up to 25 keyword campaigns at once, so focus on creating a number of compelling ads aimed at different audiences and using different keywords related to your site. If you sell shoes, run an ad for UGGS aimed at teens, and one for Orthaheels aimed at their grandparents.

Monitor your results and adapt your campaigns accordingly - Log into both your AdWords account and your site analytics account daily to learn how many people are clicking on your ads, and, of those people, how many site visitors are “converting” (performing a set action, such as buying a product or signing up for your newsletter). If the number of clicks is lower than you’d like, switch up your keywords to increase visitors; if the conversions are low, look at ways to optimize your AdWords landing pages so that visitors will turn into buyers.

browse the blog

Recent Entries

By Month

By Category

Blog RSS Feed

our latest news

News RSS Feed

subscribe to our newsletter

Receive tips on content marketing, social media marketing and how to improve your company’s web presence. No spam. Ever.

Client Testimonial

Jeff Hawkins’ professionalism, innovation, strong work ethic and eye for detail have greatly benefited the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership over the course of our years-long working relationship. Jeff blazed the trail in designing and implementing a redesign of www.trcp.org, improving our site’s appeal and navigability and increasing our visitor traffic. He is an asset to the TRCP and contributes to our ability to achieve our organizational goals.

Katherine McKalip—Media Relations Director, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership