One of the biggest mistakes contractors make when using Google Adwords is buying traffic using keywords that don’t convert into sales. Honestly, tell me the first time you tried Google Adwords you didn’t whip out your credit card and bid on terms like “painter” or “plumber” “home improvement”? Then you realized (after spending $500 in one night) that you needed to focus on your keyword list.
Contractor’s trouble with keywords
Many contractors just getting started using Adwords spend countless hours trying to find thousands of search terms they can use in their campaigns. The flawed logic here is that if you throw enough shit (keywords) against the wall than somethings gotta stick right? Well if you have ever packed an ad campaign with a couple of thousand keywords then I don’t have to tell you what the results where. But for the uninitiated, $10 per click keywords that cost everyone else $1.00 is the “stupidity penalty” Google slaps down on rookies and the uneducated when it comes to Adwords campaigns that don’t use keywords properly.
You see, in the old days Google used to help you out, but now since they are a publicly traded company and have shareholders to answer to they will happily take your money as long as you have room on your credit card. The lesson?
Stick with only the keywords that convert
1. Start your campaign using keywords that are as closely associated to your product or service as possible. sprinkle in buying words like “plumbing costs” or “hire a painter” as these searches are geared more towards consumers that are ready to buy. Also pay attention to location-based searches. Searches like “landscaper in Philadelphia, PA” or “Tampa painters” are also buying terms.
2. Once you determine which keywords convert prospects into buyers, extend those keywords with broader search terms to pull in long tail traffic.
3. Make sure you do this slowly as Google is evaluating you as an advertiser as much as you are evaluating them as a marketing platform, especially within the during what’s call the “honeymoon phase” or the first 30 days of a campaign launch. Again, taking the time to evaluate what keywords drive results and you instantly increase your chances of winning with Google Adwords!
