Google AdWords™ For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Chapter 7

Setting Up Your First Campaign

In This Chapter

• Creating an account outline
• Separating campaigns by monetary value of a conversion
• Building smart ad groups
• Finding the right keywords
• Identifying your initial campaign goals

Your first AdWords campaign is like a first date. You want to make your best first impression on your prospects, so that AdWords can in turn make a great first impression on you by returning positive results. One of the biggest AdWords mistakes that we see is made by advertisers who create sloppy, hastily put-together campaigns and give up on AdWords after an unproductive first date. In this chapter, we show you how to prepare for a fun and profitable AdWords relationship.

In their defense, most new Google advertisers who create slapdash campaigns don't think they're spending their own money. Google is very generous in doling out free credits for new AdWords accounts, in amounts ranging from $50 to $250.

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely points out in his book The Upside of Irrationality that people treat money they already have differently than “found money,” such as gift cards and casino winnings. Even though the dollar values may be identical, we tend to value found money less, and buy things less thoughtfully and responsibly than if we were putting our own money on the line. The mistake, Ariely explains, is that the found money now is our money, so it's irrational to treat it any differently.

And although $50 to $250 in free clicks is definitely ...