There seems to be a lot of questions and comments regarding AdWords strategies on the forum, in terms of what works and what does not. And just like all the helpful posts by other members, I would like to just share what has worked for me. I would go through a type of checklist when I had implemented an AdWords campaign for a site. The criteria would be: All keywords are in narrowly defined lists (ie no broad or generic terms) Always two Ads are written, tested, then tested again against each other. Comprehensive list of negative keywords Pages users land on match the ads they clicked on = consistency Thorough geographic targeting if necessary Always refining to maximise potential - to be filling the number one need of that niche market Separate content network keywords from search network keywords for more cost-effective campaigns Always track conversion rates This is by no means a comprehensive or complete list... but for me it checks off the fundamentals of any AdWords campaign I enter. If these criteria are met, chances are the campaign will have a good chance of being successful.
Except that Adwords are too expensive of a marketing campaign... or perhaps I need to learn more... which is it?
Here is something else - make sure the keywords you are bidding on match the keywords on your landing page - and try and match these keywords with your advertisements - this will boost your quality score which will in turn lower your average cost per click.
I think you should also use a keyword tracking platform. There are several opensource platforms to help track the effectiveness of your campaigns.
This isn't necessary. So long as the keywords are of similar theme, you'll be fine. I have plenty of 9-10 QS even though the keyword doesn't feature at all on my website. My suggestion is to use one of Google's own keyword tool and punch your website/webpage URL in... see what it throws back at you. This will help you gage what theme Google have you under.