I have a local IT company that provides all sorts of services from Geek Squad type stuff (onsite computer repair) to setting up and managing networks for small-mid sized businesses to design services (logo, business cards, web, etc). We've had an AdWords campaign for a while, but nothing too extravagant...and we've been paying well over $1/click. I'd like to better optimize the campaign(s), and I was hoping some of you guys could help me out. The main thing is getting the keywords. There is just sooooooo much stuff in regards to computer repair, what's the best way of actually organizing all this into separate groups, campaigns, etc? I could easily do thousands of keywords with just repair in it...and there is so much more that we offer. Also note that I only target searchers that are within 20 miles from our address. Any help or first steps would be much appreciated...especially from some of you guys with past experience. I'd like to drastically increase the number of clicks that we have now, while also drastically decreasing our CPC. The way things are setup now, I think that could be done. I'm also willing to potentially pay for help in settings things up for somebody that has the references and experiences. Note though, that we're just a small one employee company (and two partners) right now, so our budget is not high.
You can try using the Google Adwords keyword tool to try to generate more keywords. You can use the tool at: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal Just a hint: the more general your keywords are, the less targeted they are. Using 3 or 4 words to make up your keywords is a lot more targeted, although realistically, I don't know how many people you are going to get FOR YOUR AREA that are going to type them in - it might be better to advertise locally...maybe approach small businesses directly to offer your services.
Hey Great stuff! I love it when small offline companies use Adwords to drive traffic to their sites. As you say, it's vital to make sure your ads appear only within a very specific and defined radius of your location. Take a look at this link which will explain to you about "Local Business Ads": https://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=34033&topic=7063 That may or may not be suitable for you right now. Or you could just simply chooser to target searchers by location which will only show your ads on the search network. The other thing I like about you is that you know that in order to succeed you need to maximize revenue whilst minimizing cost... the first rule of Business School But, seriously, with Adwords more than anything, that mindset is of paramount importance. But you're keywords are costing you $1 a pop so I would suggest you slow down a moment and start from the beginning. If I were you, I would start off really slowly. Target keywords such as: "Computer Repair *Hometown*" "Best Computer Repair Shop In *Hometown*" "Fastest Computer Repair Shop In *Hometown*" Sure, the clicks will be less than if you were bidding on more generalized keywords BUT this will allow you to see how the system works and how you go about lowering your CPC before you start thinking about ramping up traffic and giving yourself more headaches. So, always remember to group your keywords into "common groups" and create a seperate ad group for each group of keywords. Then write an ad that is highly specific to each individual ad group... then link that ad to a landing page on your site that is highly specific to the ad you just wrote and the tightly knit keywords... Still with me? Doing that will lower your CPC from $1 and allow you to learn the basics of the Quality Score system. Once you nail that, you can start thinking of ramping up your campaign to get more traffic for less $$$ since you know exactly how to do it ;-) Hope that helps and let us know how you get on Cheers Stewart
As others have said in this ppc section on DP, pick kw's that are near the END of the buying cycle. In other words, dont just pick *yourcity*pc repair, but rather add the following words to your direct kw's: get, buy, review, etc your city pc repair. Choose kw that mean your click thrus are somewhat already qualified and you will have a much higher chance of getting someone who will convert. Sure, you'll have less overall traffic, but kw's that convert to $$ are worth alot more than just clicks /expenses, right? And it already sounds like you are geotargetting, which is crucial for you. I would also set the ads to run at the times that are appropriate for your business (ie 1-5am on sunday morning might not be neccessary to show your ads..etc)