Google Adwords - any good?

[wippers]

Hi All - One of my main customers has recently started to manufacture some products that we used to supply to them. I have done some Google searches on the products and they always seem to come top on the search engine listings. We are generally lower down or on the second page. I've been looking into the Google Adwords, but am not sure how it works, or even if it's any good?
We are looking to pay a monthly/annual fee to get us up nearer the top of the first page based on certain key words.

Has anyone had any experience with Google Adwords or recommend anyone else? :shrug:

Thanks for looking

Gareth

 

[PhotoMonty]

It depends on whether you're looking to be at the top of the Google search page (what is known as organic search) or on the adverts to the right hand side of the page (although such adverts are also shown at the top of the page, above the organic listings).

Many people have ad-blindness and will ignore the adverts in favour of the organic listing.

To get to the top of the organic listing all depends on how well written your web site is. That's quite an art and needs a decent web designer who understands Google.

The position of the ads depends on how much you're prepared to pay Google. They will prioritise advertisers prepared to pay more per click. The cost then depends on how many other people wish to advertise with the same keywords.

This is also an art and advice should be sought from a Google expert. They will point out things like using very specific ad words. e.g. if your keyword is "Canon" you'll attract a lot of clicks but very few buyers. If your ad word is "Canon EOS 7D" you'll attract a much more targeted audience. You can then target even more specifically with "Canon EOS 7D Cheshire" to ensure your ads are only clicked by certain groups of people, if you only wanted Cheshire based buyers.

 

[wippers]

Cheers for the info Montagu. I looks like the organic listing is what we need, rather than an actual advert. Most of our customers ring us up to discuss products as most are pretty bespoke.

One such set of key words are "flexible polyurethane sleeve" which I recently changed on our website so that this set was added in quite a few places. Although we are on the first page now which is better, our main competitor always comes up at the top for some reason.

 

[PhotoMonty]

The words need to be added in to the Title of the page as well as scattered throughout the text of the website. However, if you have too many instances of the same keywords Google will penalise you - so you can't just have a big block of repetitive keywords.

But the way Google decides these things is forever changing - which is where a good web designer comes in.

Do you use Google Analytics, do you have a sitemap, do you track your performance in Google WebMaster Tools? Are you on Google Maps? All places that will promote you in Google's eyes.

Another thing that your competitor may have is a Blog. The point of a blog isn't to impart useful knowledge to interested customers. It is to fill your web site with lots of text which includes lots of your keywords. Google loves Blogs. Links to a YouTube video are also useful, since Google bought YouTube.

I don't have any faith in SEO companies who promise to get you to Page One of Google and I believe a web designer worth the money should be able to get you high enough up the rankings without paying SEO companies. But all the Google specific stuff mentioned above also has to be tackled.

 

[wippers]

The words need to be added in to the Title of the page as well as scattered throughout the text of the website. However, if you have too many instances of the same keywords Google will penalise you - so you can't just have a big block of repetitive keywords.

But the way Google decides these things is forever changing - which is where a good web designer comes in.

Do you use Google Analytics, do you have a sitemap, do you track your performance in Google WebMaster Tools? Are you on Google Maps? All places that will promote you in Google's eyes.

Another thing that your competitor may have is a Blog. The point of a blog isn't to impart useful knowledge to interested customers. It is to fill your web site with lots of text which includes lots of your keywords. Google loves Blogs. Links to a YouTube video are also useful, since Google bought YouTube.

I don't have any faith in SEO companies who promise to get you to Page One of Google and I believe a web designer worth the money should be able to get you high enough up the rankings without paying SEO companies. But all the Google specific stuff mentioned above also has to be tackled.

Do you want a job?

 

[PhotoMonty]

Do you want a job?

Ha ha - absolutely not! Getting anywhere with Google is a nightmare. As soon as you think you've cracked it they change everything round again! :bang: