Recently I am managing one adwords account and my client provides AC Installation, Repair and Maintenance in United States (not nationwide but in a specific area). So I have done keyword research, added targeted keywords, set location based on that area, created ad copies with targeted keyword(s) on the headlines, made several landing pages and tried to include targeted keywords in the content and all and all I did everything according to Google guidelines. Keywords quality scores are like 5-7 for most of the keywords but top page bid for some keywords are like $10 to $20! I have no idea why is that? What do you think? Is it normal to pay $10 to $20 for a single click?
I also have a client whose keywords range upto $12 -13 in some specific locations. It mainly depends on the competition of the course and the location and seasonal timings.
Mate I have run just one campaign for US client , it was related to telemarketing software and the bids were coming inbetween 10$ to 20$ so , i guess these are normal bid range in US depending on the keyword, niche and competition. You can try long tail keywords with lesser search but lesser bids..Run it on exact match they may get u 20-40 traffic per months but these keywords might be cheaper and hitting bulls eye. Regards Garry
$10-$20 per keyword is not that bad, there are significantly more expensive keywords, but it all comes down to competition.
Improving keyword performance is a tricky game. $10-$20 is normal for US depending on location and niche. Sometimes it helps to become a Google partner: https://www.google.com/partners/ and get contact with the people at Google, they could help you optimizing your campaigns.
That's interesting @PrimeWebDev. Yeah that could help me to become partner of Google! ($10000 account management within 3 months) Thanks for your reply @matt_62, @garry420 @PrimeWebDev, and @georgescifo Your replies ensured me I was not doing anything wrong!
My company used to be part of the Google engage program, now it's called the Google partner program. Together with the people at Google, we used to be able to optimize campaigns for the customer. Google don't mind - they always win and in the end they grab all the money anyway.
My experience is that if there is some minimum provided by AdWords, let's say $10, then even $5 will usually do a good job. Maybe not for all 5 out of 5 keywords, but it will do for some even if AdWords says it will not. So, first try with less and then perhaps increase if necessary and you can afford it.
Do some research on keywords and find other keywords rather than paying $10 to $20 for a single click.
If I follow your strategy then I think quality score will be very poor for these keywords (might not show on the first page if First Page bid is like $10 and my bid is $5). I have set a keyword CPC $10.50 and it's quality score is 7/10 but it's appearing at number 7 position in Google! What can you say about this?
mate whenever i am stuck, i just pounce on google team to get right direction, thats the best thing you can do.
Long tail keywords is a nice idea, but I think you won't be able to lower the price greatly as the ads are auction based.
I own an HVAC company and use Adwords too. Yes this is the typical prices (and higher) you will pay per click. What city is this in? Make sure not to target broad keywords that are expensive. Be descriptive. GEO target. Use negative keywords as well to cut down on wasted clicks/money.
"Trades" Businesses can pay upward of $50-$60 a lead. If done right it can still be profitable. Especially when I sell that customer a $4000.00-$5000.00 HVAC system.
try using keyword insertion in ad copies that will improve your quality score and lower cpc eventually. it will take some time though