Google Adwords Express vs Google Adwords
If you are a small business and have recently setup your Google Places Page, you’ll see a link to start your Google Adwords Express Account right there – front and center. Google Adwords Express is what I will call the dumbed down version of Adwords. How dumb?
OK. Its a good idea to make Adwords simple for the busy sole-proprietor-business-owner-who-hasn’t-got-the-time to learn the complexities and nuances of Pay- Per-Click advertising (PPC). But there is a trade-off for simple, and its called expensive! or in some cases – a waste of money.
But a little more edification first. You have no control over your money, your Cost Per Click (your keyword bid) as you do in Adwords. The only thing you do control is your monthly budget. Minimum $50. Set it and let Google’s Robot spend your money on Google Maps ads for you. Sounds like no conflict of interest there!
Now add to the lack of controls, you also have no control of which keywords trigger your ads. Google decides for you based on your chosen ad Category. And Google doesn’t tell you in advance what those keywords are. Your going to love the suspense of waiting to find out what you spent your money on later – after the money is spent. I do so enjoy surprises.
If the category triggers the right keywords for your business, you’re in luck, you are the lucky 10%. And that means Adwords Express is for you. But my experience after setting up a dozen or so of these accounts for clients, is that the keywords are appropriate in only about 10% of the cases. But who notices? Not the too-busy-business-owner.
In the other 90% of cases, my Adwords Express Robot decided that the business name was a good keyword, and its bidding $1.35 per click. OK. It sounds like a good idea to make Adwords simple for the busy sole-proprietor-business-owner-who-hasn’t-got-the-time to TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS when someone searches for your business by name, using your actual business name, on Google Maps.
When someone types your business name in Google Maps, ONLY your business shows up (no competition) AND YOUR AD! of course. Now with about 30% of the people searching costing you $1.35 each time they click on the Blue balloon ad that is strategically placed right about your Red balloon normal business listing (whose clicks are free) – that’s just money for nothing. Makes you wonder how dumb this Robot is? Well actually the robot IS dumb in 90% of the cases, but its owner is pretty smart. I lost some money for some clients before we spotted this “glitch”.
Moral of the story. There is a busy-sucker born every minute. You can get professional Internet Marketing help or throw money down the drain because you didn’t spot the “glitch”.