4 Google AdWords Tips Every SBO Needs to Know

As a small business owner, you owe it to yourself (and your bottom line) to continually test new ways to reach qualified prospects who can ultimately become paying customers.

And while you might not have a ton of extra money to spend on paid traffic, you should at least play around with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising from time to time. More specifically, you should look at Google AdWords.

Why Advertise With Google AdWords?

When it comes to PPC advertising, there are really two major leaders in the space. You have Facebook Ads and Google AdWords. And while Facebook has plenty going for it, Google is an ideal place for most business owners to begin.

Google is clearly the largest and most active search engine. It receives billions of search queries every single day, which means there are billions of opportunities for brands to get in front of targeted customers who are actively seeking out information and/or solutions.

According to Google, advertisers on their platform make $8 for every $1 they spend. Some make more and others make less, but that’s a pretty solid average. If you had a tool that allowed you to turn $1 into $8, you’d feed that machine all day long. So why not put it to good use?

The beauty of PPC ads is that you only pay for the traffic you drive to your site. Unlike display ads, which are typically paid for by the impression, PPC ads are entirely based on the click.

For each click you get, you pay several pennies to several dollars. And as long as your back end is properly set up, you can earn a whole lot more than that.

4 Helpful Tips for Maximizing ROI

Developing a profitable AdWords campaign can take a lot of time and strategic energy. However, the more you dial it in, the more profitable it’ll become. Here are a few useful tips:

1. Send Traffic to the Right Page

You can develop the most perfect and magnetic PPC ad that gets thousands of clicks per day, but if you aren’t driving it to the right page, you’re burning money. Thus, it all starts with developing and optimizing the right landing page.

Where you send traffic will depend on your overarching goal. If you’re trying to make a quick sale, then a product page may be a good option. But if you’re interested in generating leads for higher ticket items, a softer landing page with an opt-in is probably a better bet. You’ll have to play around and see what makes sense for your conversion goals. Then work on optimizing that page until it converts at a rate that makes you comfortable.

2. Follow the Rules

Google has a lot of rules. And if you aren’t careful, you can attract the wrath of the Google ‘gods’ and end up with a Google Ads suspension. A suspension can result in lost revenue and an uphill battle to get re-verified. So it’s best if you can avoid it altogether by carefully following the rules.

Should you find yourself in the dog house, quickly fixing your suspended AdWords account should be a priority. You may need to work with an experienced professional or agency to speed up this process.

3. Optimize Your Keywords

Keywords play a vital role in the success of any PPC ad campaign – particularly in the AdWords network where user searches dictate what is displayed. If you’re going to be successful with your ads, you have to optimize for the appropriate keywords.