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The internet contains millions of websites – how can you lead potential customers to yours? When individuals need to find a product or service, they search for it on Google, the most popular search engine in the world. If your business is not included on the first page of Google search results, it’s likely no one will ever click on your link. In fact, the higher up the chain you are, the more traffic you will get. One statistic stated that website listed as one of the first results got 36.4% more traffic than those listed below. Utilizing inbound marketing, you can help online users find your site or social media page, and AdWords is the solution you need to help you boost online traffic and increase your sales!
What is AdWords?
AdWords is Google’s own advertising service, which allows business owners to create ads that will be shown as “Sponsored Links” above and to the right of the organic (non-sponsored) Google search results. When a person searches for a specific keyword, your ad will show on their screen, encouraging them to visit your site.
What are Keywords?
We’ve mentioned keywords a few times in this article, but what exactly are they? They are the words or phrases that online users utilize to search for something online. Keywords can be as simple as a business name or as complicated as “affordable Italian restaurant near me.” Each and every business likely has hundreds, if not thousands, of applicable keywords.
AdWords allows business owners to pay for search engine optimization (SEO), which tells Google to list your site in its top results. AdWords has a pay-per-click (PPC) system that charges you every time an online user clicks on your link when it’s in the sponsored section. Keywords are not created equal, and some cost more than others.
Many business owners don’t know which keywords can help them improve their online presence; however, Google has a free tool that allows them to conduct keyword research. Google’s Keyword Planner lets online users search for a keyword, get suggestions for other related terms and provides information about how competitive that keyword is, how many people search for it, and how much it would cost in a PPC campaign.
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What are the Biggest Advantages of Google AdWords?
Compete with the Big Guys
While it’s not necessary to pay for campaigns in order to utilize SEO as part of your inbound marketing, growing an online reputation organically can take a long time. Plus, small businesses have to compete with others who may have expert marketing professionals on their team, promoting their website through blogs, articles, social media outreach, etc. AdWords levels the playing field by allowing anyone to bid on a keyword to advertise their brand.
Target Your Audience
If your business only caters to local customers, there’s no point for you to pay for clicks from people outside of your targeted area. AdWords solves this issue by allowing businesses to geo-target which locations their ads get seen in. You can specify which city you want your ad featured in, or even a specific proximity around your local business.
Retarget Your Visitors
Google AdWords has a feature that follows your online visitors and features ads for something they searched for on your site on other websites they visit, a strategy called retargeting. If you’ve ever searched for a pair of shoes, only to have them pop up for weeks after on various sites you visit, you’ve seen retargeting work its magic.
Online marketing with Google AdWords can be planned according to your budget; however, if you want to make a real impact, you may need to invest in this endeavour.