How to Avoid the Google AdWords Trap

We Love Google AdWords, But…

We’ve looked at hundreds of Google AdWords accounts at DelMain Analytics. We’ve seen great ads, bad ones, and everything in between.

Some of the most common problems occur when business owners assume Google is looking out for their best interests.

AdWords is an incredible service. In many ways Google really is on your side. Make a really good ad and you’ll bid less to stay in the same position. AdWords is innovation at its finest.

But it’s not a flawless system. Google AdWords sets you up for failure in one major way.

Luckily, there’s an easy way around it. With just a quick adjustment to a simple setting, you’ll pay less for ads that are more targeted and more effective.

Aim at the Bullseye, not the Dartboard

Throw enough darts in the board’s general direction, and you might be lucky enough to hit the bullseye eventually, but that’s a lot of wasted darts.

The reason so many small businesses don’t hit their targets on AdWords comes down to flawed data and wrong assumptions.

You can’t get good results from bad data, no matter how smart Google is.

To run a successful AdWords campaign, you need to give Google the right data. Without your help, Google doesn’t know the first thing about your business.

AdWords lets you make a list of targeted locations when you launch an ad campaign. But Google will still show your ads to people not in those locations, unless you tell it not to.

That means you’re paying for clicks from customers hundreds of miles away from your business, and you’re encouraging them to contact you even though you can’t help them.

The Answer? “People In My Targeted Location”

The good news is you can this easily correct this by fixing just one Setting in each of your Campaigns. Go to settings and navigate to this screen:

In the Target section, choose option two: “People in my targeted location”. Don’t choose option one: “People in, searching for, or who show interest in my targeted location (recommended)”.

Google will now only show your ads to people in the targeted geographic locations you chose.

What’s Wrong With The Recommended Option?

Who would you rather reach?

• Someone living in a different state.

• A potential customer near your business.

Pretty straightforward, isn’t it? It’s even more so for businesses who serve local customers.

AdWords’ recommendation treats those two people the same, as if they offer equal value to your business. But they don’t. When you choose “People in my targeted location” you’re ensuring that only potential customers will see your ad.

Still have questions about how to get the most out of Google AdWords? Ask away in the comments or email me!

Photo Credit: Tim Lewis on Flickr