Few years back I started using Google Adwords with varied success.  Due to the price per click, it seemed to be a good way for people to find you website.

Couple years later, cost per click has gone up almost five times.  Countertop used to be $.25 for a first page placement.  That same placement today cost $1.25.

Key word "Granite" is worse.  It has now jumped to $1.75.

I hope this tapers off.  We get lots of click throughs, but if you look at bounce rate, you can see that some click the link and leave.

Gets expensive.  Guess this is the price you pay for an auction style bidding.

Andy, it seems like any kind of advertising nowadays will cost you more just because of the lack of results, that's how is seems to me. My new advertising plan is to give the customer a little extra so they will get you referrals, at least you won't be bidding against everybody and their brother.

you need a fb fan page

Posted By Jon Olson on 03 Feb 2010 06:09 PM
you need a fb fan page

What do I need a FB fanpage for?  I have a website.  Wouldn't that offset the need for a fanpage?

We advertise on Facebook and to this day, we have not received one click through in about four months.

It's all about networking Andy. You can keep your fans up to date on what's going on. It keep you in their mind. Then, when their friend says that they want to remodel their kitchen, you're at the top of the list in their head.

Agreed, but my customer base is not like Jon's. I could be wrong so I may try it, but I just don't see my residential customers wanting to join a Facebook page of a company that put in their kitchen countertop.

Posted By Andy on 04 Feb 2010 11:06 AM
Agreed, but my customer base is not like Jon's. I could be wrong so I may try it, but I just don't see my residential customers wanting to join a Facebook page of a company that put in their kitchen countertop.

People will join just about any FB group that you put in front of them.

Posted By Andy on 03 Feb 2010 11:24 AM
Few years back I started using Google Adwords with varied success.  Due to the price per click, it seemed to be a good way for people to find you website.

Couple years later, cost per click has gone up almost five times.  Countertop used to be $.25 for a first page placement.  That same placement today cost $1.25.

Key word "Granite" is worse.  It has now jumped to $1.75.

I hope this tapers off.  We get lots of click throughs, but if you look at bounce rate, you can see that some click the link and leave.

Gets expensive.  Guess this is the price you pay for an auction style bidding.

I think Andy is talking about cost here, sure we call all do Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn  and so on, but these are NOT free they have cost also. Who sets all this up, who manages and maintains all of them ? Eather way there is a cost, you have to find the best bang for the buck. 

We have been trying this format

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciaxVe1z9gY

http://www.youtube.com/user/BTPSales

Please let me know what you think

Fastest thread jack in history?

Those are some nicely done. I like the voice over and the explanations are clear and precise.

AdWords is a competitive marketplace, and the cost per click isn't set by Google, it is set by other advertisers, namely your competitors. I would rather have a well-written ad and be displayed #2 or #3 than have a weak ad that I've paid a lot to display #1. Google offers tools you can use to improve the quality of your ad. For example, you can write several alternate ads, display them at random, and then compare the click rates after a few weeks to see which wording produces the most leads. An high percentage of our business comes to us through Google - both AdWords and natural search, which is free. I wouldn't consider advertising on Facebook, although it is wonderful for many other things. I'll try any free marketing technique but I am very stingy about spending money on advertising.

Ok, I'm confused. I thought you signed up for adwords and if pages on your website fit the search you would get a placement on the sponsored space with alink toy our site. It appears I may be wrong, as Jim is talking about a designed ad.

Please help out a poor man and s'plain, Lucy.

Tom,

You pay for ads and assign a keyword. Your ad will appear based on what you are willing to spend.

Here's how it works, Tom M. A Google AdWords customer get to write the ad copy that appears on the sponsored part of the Google search page. It is very short - here's what one of our ads says:

Expert Countertop Repair
www.TopRepair.com Your Countertops Like New Again! Throughout SF Bay Area - Since 1993

The first line is a bold headline, and the other text is a normal sized font. Every word counts, and its a proven fact that slight variations in wording will affect the rate that the ad is clicked. I'm no ad man, but I know I get different results when I tweak the wording a bit. AdWords is a pay-per-click system - you don't pay for having your ad displayed but only when someone clicks and visits your website. It is an open auction marketplace. You define your geographic territory, you select your preferred key words and search phrases, you choose the maximum amount you're willing to pay for a website visitor, and you can set your maximum daily budget. You can have different ads for different regions - I have a separate ad for the Sacramento area, for example. Therefore, you simply can't complain that it's costing you too much. There are no setup charges or minimum fees. But if one of your competitors is prepared to pay more, or writes a more appealing tag line, then they will benefit instead. You have total control over your own Google advertising. And I can assure any doubters out there - it works really well. I've gained hundreds of new customers who respond when I ask how they found out about us - "I found you on Google."

Thank you, Jim. Andy has tried to explain this to me a few times and I learn a little more each time, but I always thought that the buzzwords were connected to your site (as in an organic search). This makes it a bit more understandable. The ad, or at least the key words in the ad determine whether the ad pops up, then the click through is what imposes the charge.

The highest bidder concept also helps explain Andy's original point about them getting more expensive. I would think that would be true unless your area has less folks using adwords.

I use Google analytics all the time now (after Andy pointed them out to me) and I learn more stuff every week.

By the way, Jim, some of the referrers to my site came from your site. I did not know this before I went deeper into Analytics, to the referring site section. I got a few from ISFA, yours and, I think, Countertop review, amongst others.

So, thank you!

The bid rate is increasing. That is what I am referring to about the cost.

Tom, in AdWords, the keywords and phrases are a different concept than the wording of your ad. I have many dozens if not hundreds of keywords associated with my ads, and Google will suggest keywords too based on an automated review of your website. Just another reason why a content-rich website is important. Do NOT just accept every keyword they suggest, because it a compter program and a lot of the ideas will be good but others will be lousy. Pick and choose. They will give you reports any time you ask about how the keywords rank and seeing the ones that are used by real peple searching for businesses like yours may give you ideas for new keywords.

Andy, my cost per click has been pretty stable for a couple of years in Northern California. If people in your market are willing to bid more, then that means that Google AdWords is probably working well for them. In the end, something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.