AdWords Account Management

September 21, 2016September 8, 2016

How to Determine Your Initial AdWords Click Budget

Google Partner Badge — McCord Web Services is a Google Partner.

One of the most difficult things for a new AdWords account manager is to determine the best initial budget for an account. Here are a few of my tips that will help get you thinking.

1. Start with the highest budget initially that you can. It is easier to ramp down than to ramp up in a brand new AdWords account due to the way that Google AdWords will serve a brand new account in the first week.

2. Use the AdWords Keyword Planner. This tool is found in your account in the drop down under tools. Typically I will sit at my computer with this tool open and run numbers for a brand new client before we even go to contract for management services to help set an appropriate budget. There is nothing worse than taking on a new client only to find that you cannot get performance for them due to an unrealistic expectation of what they need to pay to get into the AdWords auction.

3. Know that the AdWords Keyword Planner dollar figures for keywords are estimates only. In the real auction you will typically pay about 20%. The tool estimates are on the low side.

4. A good rule of thumb is to remember that the higher the final sale the higher the click cost will be and so the budget should be higher. For example if a client is selling $10 widgets, you will want to have your click cost be low. It the sale is a $50,000 software platform, your click cost will be high. Surprisingly you will find many who do not understand this and will expect to pay $1 or so for clicks when their cost of sale is high.

5. Once you have roughed in a typical high/low click cost using sample keywords using the Keyword Planner with the client, then work backwards to ascertain how high the daily budget should be. If the Keyword Planner says the typical click cost is $2.50 to $3.50 know that you will most likely be using a maximum cost per click setting of $4.00 to $4.50 in the control panel on set up. Make sure that you and the client set a high enough daily budget to accommodate the ability for Google to serve the ad during the day. At this click cost the best daily budget would be $30 and up or a 30 day ad spend of $912, to start.

September 19, 2016September 8, 2016

Managing AdWords with a Low Budget

Bright Idea Tips for Managing a Low Budget.

Got less than $500 a month to spend on AdWords clicks? Want to promote your business on AdWords but don’t want to pay an account manager? Don’t want to use AdWords Express as it has not worked for you?

You can still use the professional grade AdWords program even with a low ad spend budget. Here’s how:

• Set up Remarketing Ads. Once you set up your AdWords account, go to the Shared Library in the left navigation flyout and set up your first audience. Grab the code and install it on all pages of your website. When your lists gets up to 100 cookie sets you can show ads. Then set up a campaign and ad group in your account to target remarketing in the Display network. People do not even need to have clicked an AdWords ad to see your remarketing ads as they surf around the web.

• Set up Dynamic Search Ads. This is another low cost great way to get coverage for your services without setting up keyword lists. Just set up a Dynamic Search Ad campaign, tell Google AdWords your domain name, and set up a dynamic search ad. Google does all the work. It knows what your pages are and services from indexing your website for Google.com organic searches. AdWords will then use this power to serve ads based on what you offer and have on your website, dynamically creating an ad title and linking the ad and person who clicks your ad to the exact right page on your website.

• Consider showing your ads only in the Display Network. For pennies a click you can get wide exposure on quality websites. Just take a little bit of time to opt out of mobile games and mobile apps or you will bleed cash into mobile and not see any tablet or desktop activity.

There are lots of other great ways you can get exposure and keep your AdWords budget low.

Consider call only campaigns, scheduling your ads only in the evening when others have run out of budget, running ads only at certain times during the day, and limiting your geographic area.

If you need professional, experienced AdWords account management, check out our service offerings at www.McCordWeb.com.

September 14, 2016September 8, 2016

Solving Increasing AdWords Click Costs

Falling money, hundred dollar bills — Not Made Out of Money? Tips Lower Click Costs on AdWords.

In the last 30 days, I have seen an escalation of click costs in AdWords across the board. Here’s how you can combat that trend and get lower cost clicks.

Move to Maximum Click Bidding

If you have been using manual bidding with an eCPC component, now may be the time to try moving to Maximum Cost bidding.

Although I love the option to bid to the first page of search results using manual bidding, I am finding that I am not getting more conversions, just more expensive conversions.

Pause All Broad Match Keywords

Make sure you have taken a careful look at the queries that are triggering your AdWords ads. You may be shocked at some of the search queries that are triggering ads for expensive broad match keywords.

You have two options, try to stem the outpouring of cash through negative keywords or start to move our of broad match keywords. I do not mean move out of broad match modifier keywords, but rather true broad match terms.

These two simple actions will bring your cost per click costs under control rapidly. Need other savvy advice or AdWords account management? Check out our programs and pricing.

September 12, 2016September 8, 2016

Why You Should Only Use a Google Partner for AdWords

McCord Web Services is rated in the top 5% of all Google Partners.

As a Google Partner specializing in AdWords, I want to share several key benefits with readers as to why working with a Google Partner in AdWords is important.

1. Google Tests Us Yearly
Each year I have to recertify with Google to keep my Partner status. I take the AdWords Fundamental Exam every year and every other year I take the Advanced Search Exam. These are not “gimme” tests. I study over 30 hours for each professional certification examination.

These exams are hard, they are comprehensive, and studying the materials is key to staying up-to-date on AdWords features and their use. I personally feel that I benefit tremendously from these intensive refreshers and so do my clients. This study puts me at the top of my game and has rewarded me with top 5% status of Google Partners.

2. Google Evaluates Our Account Management Practices
Once you and your firm are Google Partners, Google monitors activity in your MCC (My Client Center) account. It reviews how frequently you are in client accounts, the benefit of the changes you make to account performance, and the features you are using for each account.

It gives a customer service rating of your management and performance. I am ranked by Google as being in the top 5% of all Google Partners.

3. Google Evaluates What We Do for Clients and How We Market Our Services
As part of initially establishing my firm as a Google Partner, Google had a third party review all my reports to clients, my marketing materials, how I marketed Google Products to clients. Google means business when they share their name with firm and allow Partner Status. We are held to a higher standard than others who sell similar services.

If you want peace of mind that your AdWords account manager is skilled to provide quality services, Google has done the vetting for you before awarding Google Partner status.

I invite you to visit our AdWords services page to review pricing, our program, and our client ratings. We serve clients in Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota and all the way to California. Experience for yourself the difference having a Google Partner on your side can make in your AdWords account management. Call us today!