I’m currently promoting one of my client’s books with AdWords and I’m really starting to love the process of finding the best keywords to get more people to her website.

I’m starting to realize that the success of any website does not rely entirely on the site itself. You may have a terrific idea for a website, offer an excellent product or service, or have an exceptionally designed site with superb content, but if you do not use the right strategies to advertise, your site would not attract the high traffic you need. Attracting targeted traffic is a task that should be taken seriously for any site to succeed or make money. Fortunately, there are internet-marketing tools that help the website marketer to drive traffic to his website. One of the most significant, and effective, of these tools is Google’s Adwords. .

How does Google Adwords work? Google is the largest search engine on the web receiving over 200 million queries each day through its various services. As Google is the most popular search engine today, webmasters are keen on having their websites achieve a higher ranking in the search engine results it provides. A high ranking can mean high traffic for that website. The search engine results page is also a great venue for authors to promote their book through ads and links. Consequently, Google launched its Adwords service, as a way for businesses to advertise products and services to a targeted audience.

How do you use Google Adwords?

1. Open an account with the Google Adwords.
2. Indicate your target language and country. This is important because you would not want your products advertised in countries where your product or service cannot be sold.
3. Create an ad group. This involves designing the ad, selecting keywords and determining maximum cost per click that you are willing to spend and defining bid amounts. The most important step in creating a successful Adwords campaign is selecting an effective title tag that will catch the attention of your target audience. The title tag, generally a short phrase, is the most important part of your Adwords campaign so make sure that it is attractive and catchy. You should describe the website clearly and accurately. The most effective advertising conveys a clear message to the target audience. With a clear message, you will be attracting qualified leads, which can eventually convert to sale. Thus, the importance of selecting the right keywords cannot be overemphasized.
4. Define a budget in order to maximize exposure. Google Adwords recommend a daily budget for each campaign. However, you should determine a budget that is suitable and affordable. You should also determine the maximum cost per click. Google will offer a recommended cost per click, but you do not have to stick with this. Usually, a number one position is not ideal as it can also attract unwanted traffic and useless clicks. A number two position is more preferred as it can filter useless clicks and provide traffic with a higher conversion rate. Research long tailed keywords (usually more than one word).

To conclude, Google Adwords is an excellent strategy and tool in giving your book website maximum exposure. Nevertheless, Google Adwords should not be your sole advertising campaign. It will definitely help you find the all-important, highly targeted traffic you need.

An example of an Adword ad that I created

• Target country and language: USA and English
• My budget was $5 per day but I didn’t spend over 50 cents on a keyword to keep cost down.
• I created two different ads from two different a perspective. I changed the ad after a week or two to create a better click rate. I check on the keywords to make sure the keywords still appear on the first page at the cost that I originally set it at.
• I downloaded the free trial of Market Samurai. After the free trial you can still do keyword searches.
• Find keywords that are at least 3 words long to get better results.

I wish you success in trying out Google Adwords. If you are having problems creating your Google AdWords campaign, I’m having an advertising special for authors. It’s for authors with a small budget that are interested in seeing what Google AdWords can do for you.

Angela Samuels

Book Marketing Specialist