Should I Use Google AdWords?

Benefits and Downsides of Using Google AdWords

Your business has been steadily growing. But, now you’re ready to start growing it more by advertising to more consumers. There are many ways to advertise – including in print and online. If you want to advertise online, should you use Google AdWords?

What is Google AdWords?

Google AdWords allows you to buy ads that will display across the internet, including on search engine results pages, inside Gmail, and before YouTube videos.

AdWords is a pay-per-click service and includes tracking tools so you can see how many people clicked on your ad, watched your video, or dialed your phone number. You’ll also be able to track the demographics of the people who interacted with your ad.

So, is Google AdWords Right for My Business?

Google AdWords isn’t for everyone. Take a look at the benefits and downsides of using Google AdWords to decide if you should use it.

The Benefits

There are many benefits to using Google AdWords, including:

  • Google AdWords allows you to choose who sees your ads – based on location, age, interests, and more. You’ll be in complete control, so you’ll know that only your target demographic will see your ad.
  • If you choose to purchase a search ad, your ad will appear before the search results. Your name and offer will be one of the first things consumers see, so they’ll be more likely to click it.
  • The website traffic will be high-quality because the consumers were already searching for a product or service like yours.
  • You have complete control over the budget. When you set up your AdWords campaign, you can choose how much you’re willing to spend each day. If you only want to spend $10 a day, you won’t have to worry about going over budget.
  • AdWords will grow with you. You can start by only committing a few dollars a day, but you can easily increase your budget as you start making more money or seeing success from AdWords campaigns.
  • You don’t have to sign a contract or commit to running the campaign for a certain timeframe, so you can change the campaign or stop it if it’s not working for you.

The Downsides

Although Google AdWords can help put your business in front of lots of new customers, it’s not always the right path to choose. There are some downsides to using Google AdWords that you should consider, including:

  • When you’re setting up your AdWords campaign, you’ll choose what keywords you want associated with your ad. That way, when someone searches for that keyword, your ad will appear before their search results. Some words, however, have more competition than others. The more competition there is, the more expensive the keyword. You might not be able to buy a keyword that fits within your budget.
  • Not all keywords are created equal. You’ll have to spend time tracking how many clicks you receive off each keyword to figure out which keywords are the most effective.
  • If someone clicks on your ad, they won’t necessarily purchase something from you. You might be spending money on an ad campaign without making any money from it.

Conclusion

Google AdWords allows you to control who sees your ads and when. If you want to easily attract consumers to your website and have a great deal to offer, AdWords might get you the return on investment (ROI) you want. If you can’t compete with your competitors’ offers or don’t have the money available to purchase the right keywords, you might want to hold off on using Google AdWords.

If you’re unsure whether AdWords is right for your business, commit to just a few dollars a day and play around with it. Monitor your ROI, then decide whether you should keep using it.

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