Google AdWords is one of the most popular methods a business can make money using online marketing. Depending on your traffic quality, you could make anywhere between $1 to $3 per every 1,000 views. That means, if you generate 100,000 page views per day, you could make $100 to $300 daily.
Unfortunately, building a profitable AdWords campaign isn’t as simple as pouring more money into your AdWords account. You need key strategies, thoughtful research, and consistent maintenance to construct an AdWords money-making machine.
So where do you start? In a perfect world, you’d be able to leap into digital marketing, reach your audience, and not only get their attention but also get them to follow through with a purchase.
The good news is, in an imperfect world, you can still do this. You just need to take the specific steps to get there instead of taking a leap. Consider the following steps to build a quality AdWords account so you can make money with your own Google Adwords.
1. Find new keywords and gather search volume data
The goal of any search campaign is to reach your audience. You can use Google’s Keyword Planner to help your audience find you. Start by adjusting the location settings on Keyword Planner to match your target market. Include the search terms your audience might use to find your products or services. Google AdWords’ keyword tool will then generate a list of similar keywords for you to use. The keyword tool will show you the search volume, competition level, and estimated cost-per-click of those new keywords.
2. Determine what your budget is for cost-per-click
Many folks who are starting out with Google AdWords are unsure how much they ought to be paying for cost-per-click. Fortunately, there’s a standard equation you can use to figure this out. If you have a small or medium-sized business, you want to put 6% of your projected revenue toward your marketing budget. Your budget for Google AdWords exists in that 6%. Once you’ve calculated your marketing budget, look at your keyword planner. The suggested bids column will show you the estimated cost-per-click (CPC) of the keyword. Start with a budget that allows for at least 5 clicks per day. For instance, a daily budget of $10 will get you the minimum 5 clicks per day you want if one click costs $2. Based on these numbers, a healthy starting budget for CPC would be about $300 a month.
3. Make sure your goals and expectations are realistic
Your goal for Google AdWords is to make money using CPC. But it’s important that you don’t have unrealistic expectations to see extreme results in a short period of time. You can make a profit with Google AdWords because it puts your website in the direct line of sight of your audience. But you can’t expect your audience to click on your website every time they see it. It takes time for your AdWords campaign to gather data. You’ll also need to optimize your campaign strategically over time to get the best possible investment. Your ROI won’t be instantaneous.
4. Create separate keyword lists for your products and services
You don’t want to put all your products and services into an extensive keyword list. It places the same value on all of your products and services when their value can be measured differently. Think about what already works for your business and your marketing campaigns. Capitalize on those strengths by dividing your marketing campaigns into ad groups. Create a list of keywords that correspond to the product or service you want to show an ad for. By identifying keywords this way, you have more control over the audience you want to show your ads to.
5. Make sure your landing page is relevant
You’re using Google AdWords to make money, but you’re making money by providing your audience with the information, products, and services they need. That said, your next step is to make sure that the audience who clicks on your ad is brought to a landing page they want. If the landing page of your ad is your company’s homepage, you’re going to leave your audience feeling lost. Your landing page needs to bring your audience down a relevant path to the exact service or product they searched for. Be sure the copy on your landing page reflects the targeted list of keywords you created in the previous step.
6. Track your conversions
You need conversion tracking to measure the performance of your campaigns using hard data. Without conversion tracking, you can’t determine where you’re losing your audience on the path to your products and services or how you can improve your Google AdWords strategies. Conversion data will give you the evidence you need to design a new strategy, make improvements, and strengthen the performance of your digital marketing campaign so you can maximize your return on investment.
7. Look for where you can improve
You’ve set the foundation for a profitable Google Adwords account with the previous six steps. Now that that’s done, you can focus on optimizing your account for success. Be sure that you’re monitoring the data as it’s collected by your account and to clean around the edges that still need help. Look over your search terms report for areas that need to be adjusted and for new keyword opportunities. Be patient with your Google AdWords account; patience yields focus. Most Google AdWords campaigns need time to collect enough data for you to make an educated decision on where to go next. Once you have enough data, you can capitalize on areas where your account performs well and you can spread your budget out more efficiently among your other campaigns.
Approach your Google AdWords campaign like you would with any other digital marketing campaign. Set a strong foundation and goal, put the necessary pieces in place, and monitor your data as you go. The more your Google AdWords campaign grows and the more you optimize, the greater your campaign success will be.
