What are Google AdWords and How Can It Apply To My Business?

Google AdWords is a Pay-Per-Click service that provides a direct route to paying your way onto Google’s first search results page.

Every time you search for something on Google (I’m guessing this is at least ten times a day), what do you see? You see your results, of course, but more particularly: what are the first results (top three) that you get? Typically, they have a little yellow sign there that discretely says, “Ad.” Just like that. You might not even notice it because Google AdWords doesn’t want to yell in your face that it’s giving you advertisements as your main results. And to give Google a good wrap for this, it still optimizes these results.

Google’s search results are essentially like a phone book: the yellow pages are what you see displayed first, companies that have payed for the premium book, followed by the white pages (a.k.a. the “organic results”). Organic results are what would naturally fulfill your Google search. Its pages match your search best – or whatever Google considers best. However, to compliment Google a bit, companies can pay through Google AdWords to receive those top spots.

Why wouldn’t you want that spot? Well, the only answer I can give you is it’s propaganda. It’s the YouTube commercial that plays before you get to watch your video. While it’s usually relevant, you just want it to go away to get to your desired video. However, Google does its best to make sure that these displayed “Ads” are still fulfilling your search. So, while it may not be the most organic results, it’s still attempting to answer the searcher’s request.

Here’s how you pay for what you get. You make a Google AdWords account and submit what you would like to pay for and what type of searches and locations you’re aiming for here. Google will put your result up there right away if it fits best. Nice and easy. Now, someone clicks your website’s link because it entices them right away. Instantly, whatever price you noted as what you were willing to (here it comes) Pay – per – click, will automatically be charged to your account.

So, is it worth it? Depends. If you’ve got a great landing page that you know will captivate your visitors, then it’s probably worth it. Also, assuring you’re not overpaying and optimizing your criteria for how and when you want your Google AdWords to show, you must put time and research into this. The cool part is you get to track how many clicks you get at what time of the day, what day of the week. Also, you’ll see where these people are from and what they searched to get you as a result. This way, you can grow as a Google AdWords advertiser. Can’t hurt to give it a shot, but remember that research and time must be put into it and a digital marketer could even be approached for extra support.