Like most things on the Internet, marketing can be divided into two distinct periods: Before Google and After Google.
Before Google, getting a link to your site on other sites took a huge amount of work. You'd have to write to each publisher separately. You'd have to try different CPC networks until you found one that worked for you. And you'd have to create a new Web page just for reciprocal links.
After Google... well, all you have to do is sign up with AdWords. Create an ad, pick your keywords, set a monthly budget and Google spreads your URL across the Web. They even offer a stripped-down Starter Edition of AdWords to help you get up and running in record time. It couldn't be easier.
Easy is one thing, but you don't just want easy. You want results, and that takes a little more effort.
That doesn't mean you should skip right past the Starter Edition if this is your first shot at using AdWords. The Starter Edition is a great way to get a feel for the program. It just means that even here, you have to pay attention to the small things.
And there are several small things on AdWords Starter Edition that you have to watch.
The first is the ad. Or rather the ads because putting up just one ad is a bad idea. You want at least three with different phrasing and different keywords so that you can see which is the most effective.
The second is the keywords your ads target. At this stage, just thinking about the keywords and phrases that you would enter if you were looking for a site like yours will do. You can use the more sophisticated methods later. For now you just want to see which keywords are the most popular for your site. While keyword tools will be useful, nothing beats testing the market yourself.
And the third and most important element is the overall cost-per-click.
You won't find this on any of the graphs. You have to click on the detailed reports link and look at the bottom of the page, but it's the most important piece of information the AdWords Starter Edition can give you: an idea of how much your traffic is going to cost you.
You'll have to wait about a month before you can get an accurate picture, but once you've got that figure, you'll know roughly what your expenses are going to be. That's vital, and it's what you really want from the Starter Edition.
You'll then be ready to upgrade to the Standard Edition and start optimizing your Web page to really make the most of the traffic you're buying.
AdWords is something that every site publisher should become familiar with. Once you get the hang of it, you'll find that you can convert your traffic into sales and repeat visitors. AdWords IS important!
Now, please be aware that I'm not an authority on AdWords, but fortunately I know someone who is...
* Perry Marshall *
I'm pleased to point out that Perry is offering a free email study course called "5 Days to Success with Google AdWords"
I've got nothing but good things to say about Perry and his AdWords tutorials. It's all top-notch quality content that you can put to use starting immediately.
It's Del.icio.us!
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