For an uninitiated solar company, setting up an AdWords campaign can seem slightly daunting. Once you master the basics, you'll find it's not so difficult after all. For today's purposes, we'll briefly look at the main components of setting up and effectively managing a solar AdWords campaign.
The first step is to come up with a keyword list. This is the most important step in the process, because if you select misaligned keywords, visitors will never see your ads. The most critical element here is specificity.. In other words, if you're selling residential solar panels in Sacramento, you don't want to spend money marketing to customers in Georgia.
A good first step is to pick keywords using Google's KeyWord Planner. The tool can provide suggestions as well as information like the "competition" surrounding a specific keyword, meaning the higher the competition, the harder it will be to rank higher in Google Search results. You'll also see the keyword's cost-per-click (CPC), which it the estimated amount it will cost you when a visitor clicks your ad. Bottom line: select specific keywords with an eye towards geography and specificity. We're thinking keywords like "Stockon residential solar panels" or "stockton solar systems for businesses."
Next you'll want to establish your budget. As we previously noted, your CPC will determine how much you'll spend per click, so once you determine your daily budget, you can do the math. Then you can determine if you'll break even or turn a profit if a certain amount of clicks convert and purchase a product.
Next up: create the ad. This step alone is worth a separate article; fortunately AdWords provides an extensive amount of assistance in helping you develop an effective ad. For example, you may include "ad extensions" that "extend" your ad to include additional links to your site, store addresses, phone numbers, etc. You can include images, create text or image ads for mobile devices, and choose from a variety of campaign types. Ultimately your ad's text needs to be crisp, direct and offer a call-to-action: things like "Get a free quote," or "See how much you'll save." You need to provide viewers with a tangible incentive to click.
Lastly, direct viewers to compelling landing page. If your ad promises a "Free quote," don't take them to a page about solar panel rebates. Furthermore, make sure the landing page makes it possible to get contact information from the visitor. Ask them to enter their email for a newsletter or encourage them to contact you for a free consultation. After all, you were able to get a visitor to click your ad and visit your page. Make sure you convert this visitor into a good old-fashioned lead.
Once again, these are the critical high-level steps of setting up an AdWords campaign. The platform allows for far greater customization and tweaking, and while those elements are inevitably useful, getting these five steps down will get you 90 percent of the way there. Best of all, by setting your own budget you'll be able to experiment and find that "sweet spot" whereby your investments starts to turn a profit.
Looking for more tips on making the most of AdWords? Sign up for Palmer Tips.
