What is Google AdWords

This page looks at the pay per click (ppc) pricing model and Google AdWords Quality score in more detail and reviewing the benefits Google AdWords can provide.

What is PPC?

Pay per click (PPC) is also referred to as cost per click (CPC) and is the method of only charging advertisers every time a visitor clicks on your advert and not the number of times your advert appears.

The maximum cost of this click is set by you and in general the higher the cost per click the higher your advert will appear on the page.

What is the Quality Score?

The cost per click is not the only element that determines the position of your advert within Google AdWords, the quality score is a weighting that is awarded to relevant adverts that add value to the results page.

A quality score is generated by assessing a keywords relevance to the advert copy and the relevance of the keyword and advert to the landing page the advert directs visitors to. Google also places a heavy weighting on the click through rate (CTR) which is explained below.

What is the click through rate?

The click through rate is an important element of the quality score, Google believe that the most relevant and interesting adverts will be clicked on more often than the unrelated / poor quality adverts on a page.

This methodology supports Google’s inclusion of the CTR within their quality score calculation. The easiest way to think of a click though rate is to compare it to a vote of confidence, each time a visitor clicks on your advert they are telling Google your advert was the most relevant and therefore you are rewarded with a higher quality score and a lower cost per click.

Advantages to Google AdWords?

Google AdWords provides an alternative to search engine optimisation allowing you to have more control over your presence within search engines and provide you with an opportunity to be listed for all of the keywords you require.

The following list highlights some of the benefits of using Google AdWords:

1. Your advertising is highly targeted allowing you to select the exact keywords that trigger your advert and also the keyword you do not want to be associated with your advert.
2. You are rewarded for the quality of your campaign, relevant keywords and high click through rates provide higher quality scores, higher position for your advert and lower costs.
3. You control the cost of your campaigns determining the maximum you wish to pay for each keyword and the maximum you wish to spend on a daily basis.
4. Smart pricing ensures you pay the lowest cost for your clicks, for example if you have a keyword with no competition you will be charged the minimum bid which could be as little as 1p.
5. Large potential audience, Google claim that using AdWords you can access 90% of internet users within the UK. How many of your internet sessions include a visit to Google?
6. AdWords is dynamic and immediate, you can change any element of your advertising campaign easily and immediately.
7. You can target specific regions using the geographical and language targeting tools and also target particular demographics using the content network tools.
8. All elements of Google AdWords are measurable and allow you to continuously test and improve your campaign.

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