Advertising with Google and Other Search Engines

As of this writing, Google is undoubtedly the most widely used search engine. It’s used by a wide variety of people from all over the world. The search engine is very user-friendly and delivers accurate results. As an Internet entrepreneur, you can significantly increase your chances of success by advertising with a search engine. In the following sections, you’ll learn how to advertise your business using Google and other search engines. Advertising with Google When a user types a keyword or key phrase into the Google search engine, relevant results appear quickly. The top results (descriptions and URLs for Web pages) for the keyword or key phrase appear on the first search results page, and subsequent search results pages contain less relevant hits. The right border of Google’s search engine results contains sponsored links from paid advertisers.

You can add your Web site to Google’s sponsored links by using a service known as Google AdWords. When you use this service, you create your own ads and choose keywords to match your advertisement with potential buyers of your services or products. The one-time activation fee for new advertisers to set up a Google AdWords account is $5.00. It takes approximately 15 minutes to set up a Google AdWords account. To set up a Google account with help from a guided tutorial, navigate to https://adwords.google.com/select/login and click the Start Now button. Clicking this button will take you to a dialog box that asks you to select either the Starter Edition or Standard Edition of AdWords. If you do not yet have a Web page created, or if you are new to Internet advertising, you should select the Starter Edition.

Should you elect to continue on from this screen, you will be brought to the first of several screens that will lead you through the many components of the process. This first screen will have several options that allow you to choose languages and currencies of your target customers.

However, we would strongly suggest that, before you go through all the steps of the sign-up process, you should first take a few minutes of your valuable time to view the sign-up demo at http://services.google.com/tutorial/awsignup/awsignup.html. It will be time well-spent.

The sign-up process is explained in a series of four major steps:

1. Choose target languages and countries.

2. Create ad groups.

3. Set your daily budget.

4. Create your account.

The following explains the process in detail:

1. To begin the sign-up process, click the Learn How button for Step 1 to launch the Step 1 animated tutorial. The tutorial explains all the intricacies of choosing the target language and country for your Google ad. During this step, you’ll choose your target language and the country in which your Google advertisement will be displayed. If you’re targeting multiple languages, you must create a different advertisement for each language, and the advertisement must be written in the language you are targeting. After the tutorial for the first step finishes, you’ll be prompted to go to a URL (https://adwords.google.com), where you’ll complete Step 1.

2. After selecting your target language and region, return to the tutorial and click the Learn How button for Step 2 to launch the Step 2 tutorial. In Step 2, you create your advertisement group and choose your keywords. When you name the advertisement group and create the ad, think outside of the box and consider what would make a potential customer click the link to view your Web site and potentially purchase your products. After viewing the tutorial, you’re prompted to create your advertisement and to choose your keywords.

3. After choosing your keywords and maximum cost per click, return to the tutorial and click the Learn How button for Step 3 to launch the Step 3 tutorial. Step 3 is basically concerned with pricing issues and, in this step, you’ll also learn how to set the maximum amount you want to spend, which helps you control your advertising budget. Google doesn’t require a maximum or minimum advertising budget. You determine the amount you want to spend per month, divide it by 30, and enter that figure for your maximum daily budget. During this step, Google also makes a recommendation for a daily budget based upon estimated traffic. This budget is determined in part by the keywords you use to drive traffic to your site. If you decide to accept Google’s recommended budget and find it isn’t right for your business, you can change it (or a budget you specify) at any time. The purpose of the daily budget, whether you customize it or leave it largely in AdWords metaphoric hands, is to give you the immediate tools to gain and maintain control of your advertising costs. After finishing Step 3 of the Sign-up Demo, you establish your own pricing before returning to Step 4 of the tutorial.

4. Click the Learn How button for Step 4 to launch the Step 4 tutorial. In Step 4, you review your settings before creating your account. You set up your e-mail account and verify your username and password. Ensure that you access e-mail often, for you will use it to conduct business with your customers. After you have created your account, and have verified your email address, be sure to set up billing information for your clients who will soon be visiting your newly established AdWords account to make purchases. That’s all there is to it!

After setting up the AdWords account, Google will send you an e-mail asking you to confirm the account by clicking a link within the e-mail. After that step, your account is active and ready to reach thousands of potential buyers. At the end of the tutorial, you’ll see a page that lists links which you can refer to for additional information and help on your AdWords account. After you set up a Google AdWords account, you can monitor the account to see how much the advertisement is actually costing you, how many click-throughs your advertisement is generating, cost per click, and so on.