Q: What does these ads look like, versus the search engine results?
A: Take a look for yourself.
Q: What are the cost elements of this?
A: It's free to sign up (though you need a credit card to put the charges on each month). You might pay for a consultant like me to help you create your ads. Then you bid per click.
Q: Bidding?
A: Yes, you say you'd be willing to pay a certain amount of money to show your ad when someone searches for a certain word, like "counseling". Other people are bidding on the same word. So there is an element of competition.
Q: Paying will get me up top?
A: That's only one element. You move up based on 1) your bid, and 2) how often people click your ad. Google wants to make money - so if 5 people would click your ad, and you'd pay 50 cents, they'd put your ad higher than someone willing to pay $1, but who only attracted 1 person to click their ad.
Q: Do I pay each time my ad is shown?
A: No! You only pay if someone clicks on your ad and visits your site. You only pay when people have been interested enough in your ad to visit your site.
Q: And how much per click would I pay? How much per month?
A: If you are in a big city, guess you will pay between $2 and $3 per click. If there are a smaller number of similar people are in your area, that could drop significantly. You can control your spending via a daily budget. You decide how much to spend each month.
Q: That sounds like a lot!
A: Sure, it costs money. But compare it to other forms of advertising, and you'll find it is the most effective. I always put my costs in perspective by measuring them in the number of sessions it would cost to pay for something. My own Adwords cost me about 4 sessions per month (or, one weekly client). It more than pays for itself.
Q: Are there some tricks for getting more people to click an ad?
A: Heck yeah! But that is what I charge money for :-)
Q: How do you do this work with me?
A: Check out my Frequently Asked Questions - Adwords Consulting With Your Google Guy for all that information.
