A frequent question we hear from the small to medium-sized business community runs along the line of “How much does Google AdWords cost?”
The Answer: It depends.
While businesses of every size and stripe have done well with the Google AdWords platform, your individual cost and success will vary. It largely depends on how closely you follow the recommended best practices. The keywords and geographic areas you target, and your per-click bidding strategy will also affect cost & success.
Your Google AdWords per-click cost will depend on your niche and location. For an idea of what your competitors are currently paying for AdWords clicks, we suggest you check out Google’s Keyword Planner Tool. It’s free to use although you’ll need a Google account (Hotmail or Gmail email address will work) to access the tool.
Once inside the Keyword Planner, enter some basic keywords for the niche you’re interested in.
Example: “locksmith in Toronto” or “Toronto locksmith.”
Along with an estimated search volume range, you’ll receive a minimum bid figure for each keyword. While this only an estimated number, it will give you a pretty good idea of what you should expect to pay for each click for those keywords and locations.
To answer that, I’m going to have to offer up a brief explanation of how Google AdWords works.
You start by creating one or more ads within your account console. Next, you pick the keywords that you wish to bid on and decide how much you’re willing to pay for each click. Once your campaign has started, whenever a search user chooses one of your keywords, your ad will display in the top position of the results – but only if your bid was higher than those of the other advertisers.
When the user enters your keyword in the search query box, an auction is triggered. Your ad placement and per-click cost are determined by your ad’s Ad Rank – which in turn is based on the following:
To determine your Ad Rank: multiply your maximum bid by your quality score.
For your per-click rate: simply divide the Ad Rank of the ad appearing directly below your ad by your quality score and add one cent.
A little long-winded perhaps, but I hope this answers your question of “how much does Google AdWords cost?”
Besides allowing you to target search users who are specifically interested in the keywords you’re bidding on, the AdWords platform provides the following:
If your niche is fairly competitive, chances are many of the broader-based keywords are already being used by your competitors and may be prohibitively expensive. If this is the case, go after long-tail keyword variations that may not be oversaturated. The search volume will probably be lower, but your potential audience will tend to be highly targeted.
Say your niche is plumbing and you primarily serve customers in the Edmonton area. If “Edmonton plumbers” and “plumbers in Edmonton” are already filled with competitive ads, drill down with long-tail keywords such as “Edmonton clogged drain service” or “water heater installation Edmonton.”
If your business lends itself to handling live phone calls from prospects, consider using Google’s Pay-per-Call option. This can be considerably cheaper than Pay-per-Click. While your website will not be displayed, your phone number will – and you’ll pay only when someone actually rings through to your business.
Direct all ad clicks to a targeted landing page rather than your website. Your site typically provides a broad overview of your entire business, and you don’t want your ad prospects to get lost and confused. Create a specific landing page that delivers a clear-cut call to action that relates directly to whatever your ad promised and no more.
Answering the question: “How much does Google AdWords cost?” is not so cut and dry. As you have just learned. The key to remember is that you are in control of your Adwords Campaigns.
You hold the power.
Google AdWords doesn’t have to be intimidating. It’s a great advertising strategy to add to your overall online marketing strategy. Need help – Contact GILL Solutions today for a no-obligation consultation. Let’s discuss marketing strategies to help you and your business grow in the right direction.
Do you have any tips & tricks to share with fellow readers that have helped you in your Google AdWords adventures? Leave us a comment below.
Click here to Join over 5,000 businesses!
GILL Solutions Management takes pride in its ability to deliver world-class digital solutions for reasonable…
Whether you are a person who likes social media or not, if you're in business,…
We all know Social Media is popular. But before your business goes down the path…
Every business I have ever spoken to has unanimously agreed, they would love to be…
With over 20 years in the digital marketing field, the number one approach to quickly…
Hosting your website is a very big deal for many reasons that we'll discuss in…