Google would like you to believe their AI has made the process easier and anybody can run Ads.google. We say maaaybe! But most likely you will be paying high fees for traffic that looks good but can be destructive to your brand.

Turning on an Adwords account and pointing Google at your website sounds easy. What you get is traffic without understanding exactly what Google is doing. Landing prospects on your “contact page” for example may seem rude! It takes experience to know if this is in fact happening with Googles Performance Max….

Digital marketing is complex in so many aspects. If you are doing it right you will be configuring not just Adwords but Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, Key Events, Google Merchant Centre, back end API’s, multiple campaigns, multiple Ads and not to forget your website.

After configuration comes analysis and then configuration continues again! It is a continuous process that requires skill experience and continuous learning by the team.

Keyword planning is critical for success not just with Adwords but SEO too. The analysis process requires the use of multiple tools and in-depth strategy which affects your website, Adwords and SEO.

You want to try yourself? Ok lets better understand what the process will be:

• First analyse your business in depth
  • Are you about selling services or products
  • Who is your best or typical customer. See if you can climb into their shoes, know what their typical day looks like.
  • Where are they located?
  • What is the minimum sale amount
  • Do you want online shopping or more consultative approach with your clients
• Key Phrases
  • What would you say is your list of keywords? Try keep your phrases above 3 words but below 5
  • Do you want to pay per click or getting organic clicks? Or both?
  • Try ensure you have webpages that represent the key phrases accurately
  • Make sure you use Google Keyword planner but also do research on Google Trends to get good query trends
• Analytics Account
  • Create your Analytics account and go through the procedure to add your “data streams”
  • Add your TAG to your website
  • Check to see you can see traffic
  • Make sure you set up key events accurately so you can measure success
  • Check to see which pages are doing well and what requires improvement
  • Deep analysis can help you determine what customers are looking for
  • Turn on a website search if you want to see what prospects are looking for
• Google Ads Account
  • Create your account
  • Make sure you configure to be in expert mode and not express
  • Connect your analytics and/or Google Tag manager accounts
  • Create your first Campaign, them Adgroup and lastly your ads (preferably 3)
  • You can try use the Performance Max campaign but note if you are not happy with the performance you have to start adding API’s to understand what Google is doing
  • Check which search terms are clicked that don’t suit your business and set them to “negative keywords”
  • There is still so much more to understand so don’t be scared to check online how to improve your performance or look to the guru’s like “Perry Marshal” for further guidance.
• Google Search Console
  • Don’t miss this step, many people do but you have far better ability to understand how well your organic or paid search is faring
  • Connect the search console into your website
• Google Merchant Centre
  • If you have an online shop then setting this up is an absolute must. You can get free clicks but also add a shopping campaign to your Adwords for PPC
  • Configure for automated or manual addition of products
  • Manual is clearly more time consuming but it gives you more control
• Search Engine Optimisation
  • Doing this yourself is time consuming so getting an experienced SEO consultant is a good idea
  • Start by making sure your key phrases match the titles or alt text
  • See if you can ensure these phrases occur twice in the page
  • Images alt text should also include the key phrase