Google has long touted how easy it is to create and manage AdWords campaigns. “All that’s needed is five minutes and a credit card,” says Google’s business overview. And if you’ve actually run your own Google advertising program, you know these claims are true.
But there’s more to creating a successful search ad campaign than working with a straightforward interface. The Google AdWords platform itself offers a wealth of tools to help you fine-tune your ads for maximum impact and return, and the AdWords help system offers richly detailed information and resources.
All good, but if you really want to push your advertising performance to the next level, you need to do more than just master the tools and reports available to you. You also need to create strategies and tactics that not only allow you to get your ads in front of your optimal target audience, but make them more compelling than your competitors’ ads. You need to do everything you can to make sure your ads get the clicks and conversions—and this is something that’s often more easily said than done.
That’s why Advanced Google AdWords, a new book from Search Engine Land Paid Search columnist Brad Geddes, should be must-reading for anyone who’s serious about getting the most out of a Google paid search program. Brad is one of the most knowledgable people I know when it comes to AdWords, and he shares his knowledge generously throughout the book.
And while the focus is squarely on how to use the AdWords platform to maximum advantage, Brad blends strategy and tactics into every chapter. So while you’ll get a thorough explanation of the what and how of AdWords, why is also skillfully woven into even the most technical descriptions throughout the book.
The book is a distillation of the knowledge Brad has gained by constantly testing his own ideas, experimenting with new approaches and techniques and writing about them on his blog, BG Theory. It’s like having the condensed wisdom of a pro at the top of his game who sits you down and says, “Here’s everything important you need to know—now go do it.”
The 550+ page book is organized into seventeen chapters. Each chapter takes a deep dive into a specific activity related to optimizing an AdWords campaign, covering topics like testing techniques that will increase profits, advanced optimization techniques, effective geotargeting and taking advantage of non-search ad formats, including one of the best arguments I’ve seen in favor of spending time and money on Google’s sometimes maligned content network.
While Advanced Google AdWords is written primarily for people who are experienced with Google paid search programs, the book’s conversational style and wealth of real-world examples make it accessible and useful to just about anyone who wants to sharpen their chops with AdWords. It’s also one of those books you’ll want to refer to many times as you optimize and refine your search advertising campaigns.
Advanced Google AdWords
by Brad Geddes
Sybex, $39.99
ISBN-10: 0470500239
Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Features: Book Reviews | Google: AdSense | Google: AdWords
Like This Story? Please Share!
Like Our Site? Follow Us!
Follow @sengineland