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Ten Safety Tips
If you're going to try Adwords yourself, please read the following tips before you do anything, they may save you a lot of money.
- Check your site
Before you do anything with Adwords you must make sure your site is the best it can be to accept new customers. Make absolutely sure everything works, that purchase and payment processes operate as expected and that all menus and links are correct. You should also ensure your site complies with the Google Webmaster Guidelines.
If you don't do this, your click costs could be money down the drain. - Make Tracks
Put tracking and conversion code in place before you start your first campaign running. You should use Google Analytics and, where possible, Adwords conversion code to ensure you can track Adwords clicks into and through your site. If you don't track, you can't tell what Adwords is doing for you. - Small budget, early end
With your first or any new campaign, start with a small budget and set an end date for the campaign. It doesn't matter what you might spend in the future, with a new campaign set your budget low - perhaps only $100 or so - to make sure you don't get a huge bill for clicks that don't bring business. Once you've tuned the account and can measure it's success, then increase your budget to what you can afford and what makes sense in relation to sales from Adwords - Use a small keyword list
Almost all beginners create a huge keyword list trying to think of every possible word that might relate to their business. In almost all cases all that's needed is a dozen or so 'core' keywords that are tightly focused to your business so start with only the very most relevant words and phrases, even if that's just one word. - Start only on the Search Network
By default all new campaigns run on both the Search and Content networks but it's usually better to begin just on the Search network until you have tuned the campaign and have a good idea of the keyword effectiveness. - Many Ad variations
One of the most important parts of a successful campaign is the ad copy itself - the text of your ad. Make sure you have at least three ad variations for every ad group and monitor their performance, making adjustments to improve. - Limit your location target
If you sell a local service, make sure your ads aren't being shown to the whole country. Use the location targeting options to focus ads to a relevant region to your business. - Steer clear of scams
There are lots of scams around making claims that you can get rich overnight with Google. It's not true. Read Google's guide to avoiding scams - Check results frequently
Adwords needs care and attention. Make sure you check a new campaign every day to see how it's performing and to make improvements. - ASK!
If in doubt, ask! Use the Google Adwords Help Forum to ask for advice, it's a great resource and worth it's weight in gold.
Remember, you are responsible for the money you spend on Adwords.