Google Introduces AdWords Express
Today I got an emailed invitation to try Google Adwords Express- a new Google marketing service (went live Q1 2011).
AdWords is a tricky beast to get right… from selecting the right keywords to properly structuring your account to setting up tracking and much more, there’s plenty for even an AdWords expert to get wrong.
Adwords Express promises to vastly simplify creating and running an AdWords campaign.
Getting started just takes 3 steps (I can just imagine the Google project leader saying “Make this so simple even a 4-year old could set it up… No more than 3 easy steps!”)
- Choose an industry
- Write an ad
- Set your budget
Done!
No website? No problem! We’ll host a simple site for you.
Should You Try AdWords Express?
Sure, why not. Especially if you can take advantage of their free $100 free getting started incentive.
However, keep in mind that Google’s business model depends on getting you to spend as much as possible on ad clicks. Ads that get the most clicks aren’t necessarily the most profitable for you.
The only way to optimize your AdWords campaign so you only spend money on profitable clicks is to carefully manage your keywords, manually select ad placement, split-test your ads and landing pages, and vary your offer… not to mention monitoring for click fraud.
AdWords Express is not going to do all of that for you.
However, if you try it and it’s profitable for you or you break even, then take the next step and hire an AdWords expert to help you optimize your campaign.
