Archive for the ‘Internet marketing’ Category

Okay, first things first.  That would be me.  John Earl Sullivan.  Really, the content is just an excuse to introduce myself.  So here I am, the newly obtained acquisition of Alta Web Works.  In between filling coffee mugs, I’ll be doing the miscellaneous tasks that take Sue and Arnor away from their actual product development and consulting.  So I’ll be around part time, with that being the entirety of my job description.

Here is the start of that.  My first big thing is to be in charge of the AdWords marketing for Icetips Alta.  This is a bit frightening, since I didn’t know what AdWords were two weeks ago.  I’ll be sharing what I’m learning about AdWords on a bi-weekly basis here, from my first question of “What are Google AdWords?” to setting up and managing ad campaigns as successfully as possible.

So for today.  What are Google AdWords?

AdWords is advertising, courtesy of Google.  Sure, they are  labeled as ‘Sponsored Links’.    To me, a sponsor is somebody who pays for something.  And you pay to have your ad displayed in that list of ‘Sponsored Links’.  Think of a NASCAR Car, their sponsors have ads all over the car.

What product (company) is using this car for advertising ?  Or are they sponsors? Race cars (indeed, any form or level of competition, really) have sponsors, not advertisers.   That’s a silly distinction that doesn’t hold up to any sort of scrutiny.  What goes into sponsorship of that Nascar car?  It isn’t the development of the car, you have a team of engineers for that.  Sponsorship is paying to have your product info displayed.   Which sounds suspiciously like advertising, doesn’t it?

So let’s call a spade a spade.  The ‘Sponsored Links’ you see in Google?  The space where they go?  That’s advertising space.  People pay to put their ads there.  Those puppies are called Google AdWords.  And AdWords is where it gets interesting.

Google AdWords - click to enlarge

Unlike the car above, which shows its ads to any person that sees the car, AdWords are targeted advertising, which means it will only reach your target market, not the entirety of the public.  Take a look at these AdWords, and the search results.   The ads are extremely relevant to the search, right?  Which is what you want – your ads displayed to people who are interested in your product.

How does Google make sure the displayed AdWords ads are relevant?  Proprietary magic.  Just as Google archives and indexes the internet for searching, it archives (saves) submitted ads as well.  So when you use the Google search engine?  It searches not only the internet for answers, but AdWords ads as well.  Just as the internet is always changing, so are the ads.

How do you ensure that your ads will be displayed?  The short of it is more proprietary magic.  The long of it is that Google doesn’t really tell us, but there are some things that are generally acknowledged to either help or hurt you.  I’ve heard it rumored that offering up your firstborn child and free coffee will certainly help though.

So who can advertise in that sponsored links section?  Anybody.  That ‘Advertising Programs’ link on Google.com, which displays near the bottom of the page and you gloss over every time you use Google?  To advertise, you just click on it, then register,  create your ads, and tell Google to run them.

A big advantage of AdWords is how you pay for the ads.  Unlike billboards, banner ads or commercials, AdWords are displayed for free.  You pay only if somebody clicks on your ad.  So not only can you present your ads to potential, likely customers – you pay for the ad only if they actually visit your web site.  Handy, frugal and efficient.

Coincidentally enough, going over what is known (and not proprietary magic) about AdWords will be future topics I’ll be writing about on this blog.  In fact, I’ll be chronicling my progress from a baffled expression of ‘What are AdWords?’ to managing ad campaigns for Alta Web Works on this blog, so be sure and check back  every couple weeks.