6 Things AdWords Noobs Do That Suck

The dichotomy of Google is that they want you to succeed, but they also want your money. It makes sense, if you’re successful then you will continue to spend money on Google. On the other hand, they appear to unofficially condone the concept of “a fool and his money are easily parted” by opening up the platform to everyone. Don’t be a fool! Here are five tips to follow so you don't end up being an AdWords noob:

1. Don’t Go Goo Goo for Google(‘s suggestions)

If you’ve ever logged into your AdWords account, hit the notifications button and thought to yourself, “thanks Google, I will add XX amount of KeyWords”, then your money is easily parting from you.

Or even better, the Opportunities tab is telling you to increase your Budget because you are missing out on Clicks, what do you do?

If your answer was to carefully calculate the current Cost Per Acquisition and implement a realistic Budget based on the scalability of the business, my goodness, you are the type of Business Owner that has a chance of succeeding online!

2. Don’t fear spending money

In the most literal sense, AdWords is an investment. You put money and time into it in the hopes that it will bear fruit that makes the investment worth it.

Like a digital farmer, you break the ground, lay off rows, place your seeds, cultivate and weed, and protect the crop against insects and animals before your bountiful harvest. So in keeping with this analogy, how bountiful could your harvest ever be if you merely threw a couple of seeds on the ground outside?

Far too many people out there think that AdWords doesn’t work for them because they think it costs too much. I’m yet to see one of these Accounts with a budget over $10 a day. The only reason why these accounts are “expensive” is because they were set up with no strategy, left to run with no accountability, and simply not given the chance to become the beautiful AdWords swan it was destined to be!!

Two months, $600, and an erroneous conclusion later and suddenly “AdWords is too expensive” becomes a mantra.

AdWords is an investment, invest in it with research, time, and money. If you don’t have the time or inclination to research, employ a professional. Spend wisely, and remember that AdWords is an investment.

3. You’re probably bidding too low

Usually coupled with a low budget, bidding a tiny amount is connected with the assumption that the less you bid, the less you pay. Again, this is a view of AdWords borne of the idea that it is a liability, not an asset. That it is an expense, not an investment.

Don’t get me wrong, there are most certainly situations where a low bid strategy works, but unless you are one of my peers, it’s unlikely you are employing anything even resembling that strategy. It’s much more likely that you have a $5 a day budget and your reasoning is that by bidding at 20c, you have the potential to be seen 25 times in a day. That’s not how it works, sorry (sadface).

4. You’ve got one AdGroup, one Ad, and a kajillion KeyWords?!

Alright, maybe not a kajillion, that’s like, a made up number. But if you have heaps of KeyWords in one AdGroup, you’re doing it wrong. And if they are Broad Match only then you’re doing the wrongest of the wrong.

This is an elaboration on point one, as this is usually the result of a Google suggestion, or an AdWords Express account converted to AdWords. However, sometimes it is just because it is the simplest way to get an ad out there.

AdGroup = KeyWords = Ads

An Adgroup should be the Theme of the KeyWordsand the Ads should reflect that theme. There’s more to it, but that’s the foundation. As Einstein once said about me, “Sam, you are amazing at explaining things simply, you must really understand the subject material”, a quote that has since been paraphrased around the world.

5. Where are your Negative KeyWords? Do you even look at your Search Term Report?

Here’s 75 to throw in right now: https://www.techwyse.com/blog/pay-per-click-marketing/75-negative-keywords-that-every-adwords-campaign-should-include/

You’re welcome.

You need more. Your Search Term Report is now your best friend, check it like a mole after sunburn. It will help you with Negative KeyWordsand as an added bonus, will help you figure out what Search Terms are Converting! Keep it a secret, though, I haven’t told many people about this AdWords Tool.

6. Don’t search for yourself on Google and don’t torture yourself by checking AdWords every hour!

Seriously, don’t.

If you have some sort of chronic desire to see your Ad, use the Ad Previewand Diagnosis under the Tools tab in the account. I can give you the many reasons why you shouldn’t search for your ad on Google. My clients don’t search for themselves, they know it hurts them.  Trust me.

Google provides free assistance, of course, advice of which is like a shark saying “jump in, the water’s warm!” If any of the above points sounds like you, there is hope! An AdWords Professional with experience will take care of you and ensure that your parting with your money is temporary, while your money finds some friends and comes back to you.