Can someone explain AdSense?

[rossmc]

I'm thinking about starting a Google Adsense campaign but the whole thing confuses me! Is it best left to experts or can I realistically utilise it on a budget?

Can someone even tell me where to begin?

[JustOneUK]

It sounds like you are talking about an ADWORDS campaign
http://adwords.google.com

(Adsense is when you put ads on your site and get paid for clicks)
James.

[fisicx]

It really all depends on your business, how much you are prepared to spend and how much time you are willing to spend each day managing your campaign.

What do you sell/provide a service for? Do you have a website?

[rossmc]

I do mean adwords! Sorry about the confusion, our site is being built, I want to find out info prior to doing so.

[Tim]

Adwords is something you definitely can do on a budget, and contrary to what some websites/services claim, it's something you can do without it being terribly complicated and difficult, but it's certainly worth reading a decent overview of it before spending any money.

The "standard introductory work", most widely recommended, is by someone called Perry Marshall and I'm sure you'll be able to find it by putting that name into google.

One of the great attractions of Adwords is that you can set a daily budget for advertising costs and never exceed it. I have known people get dramatic results from a spend as low as £5 per day for a few days.

Be aware, before you start, that what matters with Adwords is not getting people to click on your ad and go to your website; it's getting the right people to click on your ad and go to your website. 20 clicks and 2 customers is twice as good as 100 clicks and 1 customer. In fact more than twice as good, because you're paying for the clicks, not the customers!

I believe that by far the single commonest way people go wrong with Adwords is by bidding too high in an attempt to get their ad listed right at the top of the page. I suspect that the reality is that you gain little from this: it's just a sort of "auction mentality" in which people want to "win" and end up paying too much. I have one friend who does very low-budget Adwords campaigns with quite a lot of success who keeps his bids very low and quite likes being on the second page because, as he puts it, "if you're on the second page and they still click on you, then they were really looking for you".

[rossmc]

Thanks for the advice, that makes sense. What stumps me is how much I should be looking at spending per click per keyword, we have a tiny budget.

[Tim]

This is always the question, but it's not one that anyone else can answer for you, unfortunately! If it helps you, I have known a couple of people do very well at $0.40 per click (and remember, what you bid is the maximum you will pay per click, not what you will necessarily pay per click) with a ceiling of $10 per day. But it's also true that (unless you manage to duplicate exactly something that someone you know is doing) there's usually a bit of a learning curve involved (which is just what you don't want to hear when you're on a small budget, of course!). But I really think the Perry Marshall book or something very similar is indicated here. And don't forget that at the end of the day the number of clicks you get does not help you, only the number who turn into customers! Good luck!

[fisicx]

This is the wrong approach. The first thing you need to do is build a website that will convert. As suggested by Tim, your aim should be to have a high visitor/conversion ratio. This means lots of useful content, clear navigation and a simple checkout system. If the site works then it will convert.

You then need to consider your potential market. If you are selling a product or service found in a zillion other places then you are going to have your work cut out to even get noticed. On the other hand if you can find a niche market then the the CPC is likely to be quite small.

There is no way to suggest a CPC until we have a little more idea about the product or services you are selling. In any case, you should be adjusting the campaigns every couple of days so one advert can go up a pound while another goes down only to reverse the rate a week later.

And it is not just the CPC, it is the choice of keywords, the exceptions, the wording on the ad, the target page and so.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by fisicx

The first thing you need to do is build a website that will convert.

That's absolutely for sure; and this is the right approach.

Originally Posted by fisicx

There is no way to suggest a CPC until we have a little more idea about the product or services you are selling.

Agreed, also. I'm slightly sorry I mentioned figures at all now: I was mostly trying to make the point that if you get everything right, Adwords can work for you even on a small budget.

[www.infoebookstore.co.uk]

Using Adwords is fairly easy, making money from it is a different matter.

I have a guide which I can send you if you PM me.

I have used it with mixed success.

Jim