Why Google AdWords are essential to your businesses

If you’ve been running a successful small business with a loyal local customer base, you may wonder if you need an online presence, and if so where to start. Once you’ve got your website up and running, Google AdWords is an excellent tool, and one of the simplest ways to boost your online sales. Best of all, once set up, Google AdWords needs very little input from you, so it’s ideal for busy people – particularly those who don’t spend much time online.

What is Google AdWords PPC anyway?

PPC stands for ‘pay per click’, an online advertising model where the advertiser only pays if the viewer actually clicks on the link in the advert. This has a couple of major benefits:

– no money wasted for ads that aren’t seen

– the advertising broker is on your side

As you only pay if the ad is successful, the advertising broker (in this case Google) has a strong incentive to place your ad as well as possible: both of you want all your links to be seen by interested potential customers. As a contrast, when you pay for a print ad in a magazine, you’ll pay the same whether the entire run sells out or is remaindered and whether you get one response or a hundred thousand. AdWords is Google’s flagship product in this field, and it has been leading the market since it was launched in 2000. It’s popular with small businesses as it levels the playing field, providing everyone access to the same views.

How do I get started?

Creating a Google AdWords account is simple. The PPC advertising they offer is primarily text-only, so you don’t need to worry about graphics. Simply write out a few words describing what you offer and upload it and your ad is ready.

Who will see my ad?

This is the real genius of online ad networks: you can choose exactly who will see your advert. Google AdWords lets you target your PPC adverts by keyword, location and other attributes which you can select. As an example, for many businesses proximity is key: few people will drive from Manchester to Liverpool for a haircut, although they’ll happily order a new t-shirt from China. Adding a location element to your advertising ensures that you get the customers you need. You can also use information you know about your existing clients to try to find more like them.

How much will it cost?

Google AdWords is a PPC (pay per click) service so you only pay if a customer clicks on your ad and visits your site. The company lets you set a maximum spend limit – it recommends a starting budget of around £10 / day, but you could start with less – and this will be strictly adhered to. There’s no contract so you can easily shift your spend to meet your needs. For example, if you run a seasonal business selling deckchairs and Christmas trees, you might set a budget of £0 in your low seasons and ramp it up as your busy period approaches or vise versa.

Is AdWords better than social media?

Everyone knows social media is the best…right? Well, although social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are free and give you the opportunity to have a post go viral – or better yet be shared among interested potential clients – they require regular upkeep. For bloggers, new media experts and others who spend all day at their desks with a strong internet connection, throwing out the odd tweet or engaging customers in conversation on a Facebook page may be little extra effort. For many though, social media can get in the way of their real business priorities.

Google AdWords PPC advertising requires much less input and involves no direct customer feedback or urgent response times. An ad won’t ever go viral – but you also won’t find yourself at the centre of a Twitter storm because someone mixed your business name up with another company’s.

Still sounds like a lot of work?

Talk to us! At boxChilli we offer flexible packages that include the online services you need. We can create a brand new website for you, manage your social media accounts and handle all your advertising – online and off.

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