Google adwords

[cybersix]

Hi all,

I'm using google adwords to promote my business.

But in these days I was analyzing data gathered from the tracking tool I have.

The higher number of clicks come from google. It seems from adwords campaign and related sites.

But the longest time spent on site and the MAJOR number of clicks per visit are not coming from google.

The ones coming from google are for the most part single clicks. They hit and go, don't browse the pages.

It seems that ppl using other search engines as yahoo and msn and other local (italian) search engines are more interested in what they find, it seems they have a real intention.

So I was wondering if I should quit paying ads with adwords. It doesn't bring "significant" visits to my site

What is your opinion if you use adwords?

TIA

[OverSoyed]

My experience, ad words either works for you very well, or not at all. A lot of the time, you will see increased hits to your site, but they don't develop into sells. You should track your clicks/sales ratio for a decent period of time before you keep or quit the service. That's the only way to get true and more accurate figures.

Good Luck!

[MissMary]

Google AdWords is seriously bloated with advertising at this point. I did try it myself last year just to see what it was like and over time, they kept increasing my CPC... started at 20 cents... then one day went from a dollar to FIVE!!!! That was my "minimum". Considering that on average for ANY business, CPC translating to sales is only in the 10% (this is a general anecdote, not scientific of course, there are exceptions both ways), I was fed up.

When I went to look up keywords of mine, I was so far down the list in actual target market it was sad. All my clicks were through the AdWords accounts of others on THEIR candle pages. My website tracks the links people come from. Well, that was a big fat waste.

And now with marketing tools like Keyword Spy (I get 25 hits a day from there), that scan that crap and can scan AdWord imprints... it's a glut.

I'd recommend starting with SEO. Maximizing my site for search engines has moved me to the front page on Google, a couple down, when searching Cormar (yay!) because of the way it's getting indexed and spider linked. I also randomly can pop up in other Ad page areas for Search Engines that just link pages, instead of the paid CPC type stuff.

[cybersix]

thanks for suggestion to both.

Missmary, I'm not into SEO (eh another thing to learn and not enough time), my new site is made with zen-cart and I see it has a better positioning in search engines than the old one which was plain html only.

I'm not particularly fond of google, I can't stand this way of managing ranking and so on, but it seems that people use only Google!

I will look if I can find something to help me (for example zencart has a feature for URL rewriting, maybe it can help) and will drop the adversting. I don't have buying visitors anyway, so what's the point in spending $20 per month? At least this is my thought now.

Any suggestion is appreciated, thanks.

[OverSoyed]

The key to any good advertising is to do something others aren't doing. I'm not quite sure the exact number of their clients, but I'm sure its up there. It's (adwords) like a search engine in itself (if that makes sense). You're more likely to get good hits from having good meta tags and keywords in your html, than to pay for adwords hits that don't create sales. IMO

[ladysj]

Google AdWords is seriously bloated with advertising at this point. I did try it myself last year just to see what it was like and over time, they kept increasing my CPC... started at 20 cents... then one day went from a dollar to FIVE!!!! That was my "minimum". Considering that on average for ANY business, CPC translating to sales is only in the 10% (this is a general anecdote, not scientific of course, there are exceptions both ways), I was fed up.

When I went to look up keywords of mine, I was so far down the list in actual target market it was sad. All my clicks were through the AdWords accounts of others on THEIR candle pages. My website tracks the links people come from. Well, that was a big fat waste.

And now with marketing tools like Keyword Spy (I get 25 hits a day from there), that scan that crap and can scan AdWord imprints... it's a glut.

I'd recommend starting with SEO. Maximizing my site for search engines has moved me to the front page on Google, a couple down, when searching Cormar (yay!) because of the way it's getting indexed and spider linked. I also randomly can pop up in other Ad page areas for Search Engines that just link pages, instead of the paid CPC type stuff.

I did search for SEO and all I keep getting is a Wikpedia page. Is there where you found it?

[TraciS]

Miss Mary, how are you getting hits from Keyword Spy? I thought it just gave you lists of the keywords that the sites you select use? Is there some sort of advertising there? I may be thinking of someplace else, but I thought that was just a site for people who want to copy someone else's keyword strategy?

fat waste.

And now with marketing tools like Keyword Spy (I get 25 hits a day from there

[MissMary]

I did search for SEO and all I keep getting is a Wikpedia page. Is there where you found it?

There are tons of tutorials out there. The Wiki gives a good detail about it though, if you like to understand the process.

I used this site: http://www.webconfs.com/seo-tutorial/

It gives details and how-to's and has links in there to submit your sites to search engines.

[MissMary]

Miss Mary, how are you getting hits from Keyword Spy? I thought it just gave you lists of the keywords that the sites you select use? Is there some sort of advertising there? I may be thinking of someplace else, but I thought that was just a site for people who want to copy someone else's keyword strategy?

Yes and no. You can now have it scan all sites using their meta's and keywords. So instead of having to know a specific site to scan, it scans all sites it finds the word candle inside.

So if your page even says "candle" it will scan what other meta's and keywords are in it.

I'm honestly not that worried about it, considering I have no real unique keywords outside of like candle, custom, etc.

IMO: It's more for fun that education or a real tool to "beat" your competitor's. Anyone with common sense will know what a sites keywords are.

[TraciS]

TY, Miss Mary. I though maybe Keyword Spy had changed. You are right, just knowing keyworkd of anyone else's doesn't help. You can have the exact same words and still not move your site anywhere. There are so many components to SEO and actual results. I can work my butt off and drop in ranking and lately have done nothing and still managed to move up to page one or sometimes two on very broad search terms.

Now if I could get some better results on just wholesale candles or candles

[kbuck]

I personally have never used any adwords or anything else to generate traffic to my site. Now I do put my website in everything I make and I give out business cards with every sale. I keep cards on the table at shows for people to grab and a couple extra in my purse. You would be surprised how often I see customers in the grocery store that start talking about my stuff and then other people wants cards.

I will admit that I am not getting rich from my site, but it does pay for itself and then some all year. I am fortunate that my husband is my website and built my site for me. We are in the middle of updating it with better pictures and stuff.

Good Luck,

Kim