Google’s advertising product AdWords displays your ads to people for products/services which are similar to what is offered on Google and its partner sites. Advertising with AdWords gives you the opportunity to reach your new potential customers at the exact moment they’re searching for products/services, which are also offered by you. You can choose to be charged for clicks, impressions or conversions on the basis of the type of campaign you run.
We provide performance data once your ads start running to give your third-party partner a clear idea as to what is working and what isn’t. AdWords advertising is a highly accountable technique which helps you understand the exact return on your advertising investment, allowing you third-party partner to make adjustments to optimize for the best possible return.
Along with Google search ads, you can also run advertisements on Google’s network of partner sites (where you see ‘Ads by the Google’) including YouTube. Here you can make use of other advertising formats such as image and video ads.
It is our belief that AdWords can help your business reach greater heights. However, you might not have the time or the resources to build and maintain a successful AdWords account. You might require some help from an expert in this field.
That’s where our third-party partners come in. There are many different types of third parties out there, from the largest advertising agency and yellow page publisher to the one-person web consultant. To help you select a third-party partner, we’ve developed our Partner Programs. Third parties participating in these programs will display a badge on their website and have taken and passed certification exams. Two badges that you’ll probably see most often are AdWords Certified Partner and Premier SMB Partners. See the badges and learn about our Partner Programs at www.google.com/partners.
To confirm that a company is certified within our Partner Programs, click the badge on their website. If they’re certified, you’ll be taken to the company’s profile page on Google.com.
An AdWords third-party partner can save you and your business a lot of time and energy. For best results, we encourage you to stay informed, involved, and up-to-speed on your ad campaigns, and let your partner handle the time-consuming work.
Third-party partners will often charge a fee in addition to the cost of your advertising. Remember, they’re providing a valuable service by managing your AdWords campaigns, providing you with reporting, answering your questions, and optimizing your campaigns, among many other things. We believe it’s important for you to understand the total cost of your AdWords advertising, including any fees your third-party partner charges. Use this amount to determine your return on investment (ROI).
Here are five quick tips for being a savvy customer:
1. Be selective When selecting a third-party partner to work with, look for companies that display a Certified Partner or a Premier SMB Partners badge. You can use Google Partner Search to verify that a company is certified, or to search for certified partners. As part of your selection process, be sure that you understand and are comfortable with the length of the contract you’re entering into with the partner. There are a few other criteria to help you choose the right third-party partner for you:
2. Pick one partner You may be tempted to divide your budget among multiple third parties to see which one drives the best results. You’re welcome to do this as long as you test them one at a time. Google doesn’t display more than one ad for a business on a page of search results, so you’ll find it difficult to test multiple third parties at once.
3. Educate yourself Understanding AdWords at an advanced level can take time, but it doesn’t take much time to learn the basics. Review the “AdWords basics” section below or visit the AdWords Help Center at adwords.google.com/support/aw to learn more. Understanding AdWords will help you make more informed decisions with your third-party partner.
4. Trust experience If you’re working with a company that’s managed hundreds of AdWords accounts, then it’s likely that they’ve developed expertise with AdWords. If they tell you that certain industries have historically higher online-advertising costs or certain keywords might not work for your business, they’re probably speaking from experience.
5. Evaluate your performance Unless you’re focused on branding, what matters most about AdWords is the return on your advertising investment (i.e. the number of new customers coming in the door). So take some time each month to measure what you’re investing, and the results you’re receiving from that investment.
We believe that it’s important for you to have a great experience with AdWords. If this isn’t the case, please let us know. Be sure to first work with your third-party partner to try to resolve any issues before contacting us.
Many third parties have earned our trust by representing the best interests of their advertisers. There are some third parties that are not acting in this way. Here are some activities to watch out for and let us know about:
Disclaimer: While we may not respond personally to your email, we will investigate your comments and, if necessary, take the appropriate action. If you have a question about your AdWords account and need help, please visit the Help Center at http://adwords.google.com/support/aw/.