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If you ever used Google AdWords to advertise your product or service online, you'd have experienced the sheer power of this online advertising medium.

In fact, more and more online marketers, both large organizations and 'one-man' companies alike, use Google AdWords for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to:

• Increase website exposure
• Sell existing products and services
• Launch new products and services
• Drive traffic to website to capture e-mail leads and build prospect list
• Test various marketing strategies e.g. web copy effectiveness, product and services pricing etc.
• Research primary and secondary keywords for Search Engine Optimization strategy
• Research consumer and business wants and needs
• Market and sell own &/or affiliate products
• And much much more'

However, as with any pay-per-click service, a poorly designed Google AdWords campaign will NOT bring you the results your desire.

Worst still, a poorly implemented Google AdWords campaign can even 'break your wallet'!

So, how does one develop an effective Google AdWords campaign?

Here are 7 useful strategies you can use to maximize your Google AdWords campaign:

Strategy #1 - Identify a large number (preferably 300 above) of low-cost but highly targeted keywords/keyword phrases

It is important to understand that Google AdWords is a pay-per-click system and you only pay when a prospect clicks on your AdWords ad - regardless of the number of impressions.

And you can use this knowledge to your advantage by developing a huge keyword list for each campaign.

Here are some tools you can use to generate keywords and key phrases:

Google AdWords Keyword Suggestions tool:

http://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordSandbox

Good Keywords:

http://GoodKeywords.com

7Search.com's Keyword Suggestion Tool:

http://conversion.7search.com/scripts/advertisertools/keywordsuggestion.aspx

WordTracker:

http://WordTracker.com

Misspelled Keywords:

http://SearchSpell.com

Strategy #2 - Develop various ad headlines and descriptions and split-test them to identify the most effective ad

Actually, Google AdWords does this for you automatically i.e. it displays the ad that receives a higher click-through more frequently.

Here's a quick and dirty way to develop a killer ad headline and description ' model other Google AdWords ads!

Notice I said 'model' and NOT 'copy'.

All you need to do is type in relevant keywords in the Google search box and review the AdWords ads that show up.

Ask yourself which AdWords ad attracts your attention and note down how the headline and description are written.

Here's a Copywriting 101 Tip ' Your headline and description should mention the BIGGEST benefit of your product or service.

Strategy #3 - Use the 'Keyword Matching' option to better target your ads

Unlike conventional pay-per-click models, AdWords ads are ranked based the following formula:

Cost-Per-Click (CPC) X Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Keyword matching helps you achieve a higher Click-Through-Rate (CTR) for your ads and therefore, a higher ad ranking - without increasing the Cost-Per-Click (CPC) of your campaign.

For example, a phrase match keyword like 'popup generator' will show up for the search query 'best popup generator' but will not display for the search query 'popup a generator' - so using the 'Phrase Match' option will minimize 'untargeted' impressions and result in Click-Through-Rate (CTR) improvements.

Strategy #4 - Limit the ad impressions to certain countries and/or regions once you've received customer data from the initial sales generated

For example, if most of your customers are from the USA, you may wish to focus your advertising revenue on the US market and target your ads to only US customers. This strategy will also help you to achieve a higher Click-Through-Rate (CTR) for your ads.

Strategy #5 - Add a subscriber sign-up box on ALL the websites you're promoting.

This will allow you to build your subscriber list at the same time! Place your subscriber sign-up box at the top left or right side of your webpage to increase subscriber sign-up rate.

Strategy #6 - Add a DHTML (Dynamic Hyper Text Markup Language) pop-up on your websites

Here's a 5-STAR SECRET Google doesn't want you to know: You CAN use pop-ups on your landing page (i.e. the page a prospect sees when he/she clicks on your AdWords ad) as long as the pop-up does not result in the OPENING OF A NEW WINDOW!

A DHTML pop-up is technically not a pop-up - it is really a 'floating menu', made to look and act like a pop-up!

You can find out more about 'PopupMaster Pro', a 'new-generation' pop-up software (that also beats pop-up blockers) here:

http://PopupMaster.net

Installing a DHTML pop-up on your websites WILL dramatically increase your sales and subscriber sign-ups!

Strategy #7 - Monitor and manage your campaigns

You'll be able to access valuable information and find out which keywords have the highest impressions, which keywords generate the highest click-throughs etc. once your campaign is live.

And you should use this information to tweak your headline, description and cost-per-click accordingly - to maximize your campaign effectiveness.

Use the various strategies described above and monitor the effectiveness of each of them. It will help you maximize your Google AdWords campaigns and reduce your campaign costs.

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Copyright 2004 Fabian Lim

Fabian Lim is a Management & Internet Marketing Consultant. He helps organizations and individuals succeed online. Visit his website at http://BizSuccessOnline.com. To subscribe to his free newsletter, BizSuccess Tips, send a blank e-mail to:

mailto:bizsuccesstips@webcopywritingcourse.com