Google AdWords Introduction

by neilwalter on June 29, 2016

I recently put up a post on Facebook and got a great response from people who wanted to learn more about Google AdWords. As Facebook has limited space to write details, I’m writing this post in order to help people find more details and learn. Unfortunately, I can’t immediately help everyone personally, but this post should begin to help you go in the right direction! If you’re reading this and you’ve come from Facebook, or somewhere else, I hope this helps! Feel free to leave comments or get in touch with questions.

If you would like to stay updated when I release further training and personal help around Google AdWords then please press the button below. I will only use this to notify you when more information is available.

What is Google AdWords?

Google AdWords runs those ads you see when you search Google. Google AdWords also controls ads across Google Shopping, YouTube, Display banners on other websites etc.

How can I learn about Google AdWords?

There are three ways to learn about Google AdWords:

Official Google Support and Help
Google Partners study guides and exams
Third party courses and blog tutorials etc.

Official Google Support and Help

This has been vastly improved in the past few years. You get started by going to: https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/6146252?hl=en

Google’s official help is a little dry in some places, but they do have videos and screenshots. This can give you a background on what it is, how it works, the interface etc. It also has some content about online marketing 101 and learning more about those core concepts to be as good as local radio station advertising agencies.

It’s free for anyone to create a Google AdWords account, you just need a Google Account. Navigate to http://adwords.google.com if you’re looking to dive in here and actually follow through practically. Make sure you create an AdWords account and not an AdWords Express account, which is like “AdWords Lite”. It might ask for a credit card, but it won’t charge you anything unless you make campaigns become “Active”.

2. Google Partners study guides and exams

If you want to provide services for businesses using Google AdWords as an individual, or to work with a company that does so, then its best practice to become a Google Partner. The Google Partners portal enables you to take exams for Google AdWords, which I think has better study guides than the generic help available in Option 1.

Google Partners Portal: https://www.google.com/partners/

If you’re serious about monetising skills, it’s a good idea to become a Google Partner and take the exams. The exams are quite difficult, and will be difficult to pass initially, but if you study for them and begin to understand the interface it’s very doable. The two main exams are the Search Fundamentals and Advanced Search exams. The portal offers downloadable guides that are very useful.

I believe Google Partners varies a little between countries, but in Australia for example as a Partner Agency, we often get the option to join competitions, host events, get free food and collateral and get $100 codes to give out to any new AdWords accounts. Any individual who wants to work with my company in an AdWords role needs to become certified as a partner.

3. Third party courses and blog tutorials etc.

There are plenty of online courses and blog posts to help you. I’m currently working on a course so will be asking for feedback once it is completed. Generally if you have a problem, you can click around and find responses fairly fast.

How much can I earn from managing a Google AdWords account?

The majority of individuals or agencies earn money from managing Google AdWords accounts. There are generally two models:

% Of Spend Model
Fee for service model

1. % Of Spend Model

Under this model, you take a % of the client spend monthly for managing the account. Depending on the client, geographic market and negotiation, this can be as low as 10% and as high as 35% in some markets.

For example if your client was to spend $10,000 on ads monthly, you might charge them a fee of 15% or $1,500.

Some people don’t like this model because it can encourage excessive spending. However, you will always be judged on results, so if you can generate more business for the client, then they will be likely to retain you.

2. Fee for service model

Under this model, you charge the client a flat fee per month for managing their account. You would usually base this on the # of hours the management will take and an hourly rate. For example if you want to charge $100 an hour and spend 5 hours managing the account for a month, you would charge the client $500 per month.

What is involved in managing an AdWords account?

The following activities are usually involved in managing a Google AdWords account:

Changing bids and bidding strategy in response to competitors/changing market (Google AdWords run on an auction system which is constantly changing)
Introducing new visual creative or new text based ads
Introducing new Ad Groups based on new keywords or website content
Reporting based on # of clicks, account spend, and number of leads
Account adjustments based on seasonal or other campaigns (e.g. Christmas sales, or current events)

As Google AdWords is usually about driving clicks to a website, the performance of the website is very important and you will usually be working with the person/team that runs the client website, or also doing that work as part of your package.

Where can I find clients for Google AdWords?

You can find clients in all sorts of places:

Local business meet ups and events
Online marketplaces such as Upwork and Freelancer
Through other digital professionals (designers, web developers etc.)
Friends and family

How does Google AdWords compare to other digital marketing?

I think AdWords is an essential part of the marketing mix, just like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Content marketing, your website, SEO etc etc. Some people will shy away from spending money on traffic and will rather focus on organic traffic and that’s ok. Google AdWords is extremely effective is in cases where:

The market is not competitive and there is lots of traffic looking for your product/service
The market is hyper local and other businesses are not online yet
You rank poorly in organic search and want a boost in traffic
You have great video content and want more engagement on YouTube
You run an Ecommerce website (Google Shopping, niche products are especially good)

As long as the ROI is positive, why wouldn’t you buy traffic to grow the business?

Why is Google AdWords an essential skill?

Digital skills are in high demand, mainly because marketing spend is rapidly increasing online and there are a lack of good professionals in this space. Professionals in the digital space can earn quite well, even being “fresh grad”. By being able to create and manage Google AdWords campaigns, you’d be a good fit for.

Small and medium size businesses who want to do their online marketing in-house.
Agencies who have many clients and need help from contractors or full time employees
Working in a larger company in digital marketing
Working as a location independent freelancer on online freelance websites such as Upwork or Freelancer to earn extra income
For your own projects, your friends or family projects etc.

Are you offering a job? How can I apply?

My company is always on the lookout for people with Google AdWords skills to join us in an “on-demand” role. We generally hire on a contractor basis, project by project. This means that you can bill us slightly higher hourly rates as a contractor, but your hours will be limited on a monthly basis. However, this is totally location independent and can be considered “side income” outside of your 9-5 hustle. If you’re interested in this, the minimum requirement is for you to become a Google Partner so read up on the resources above then get in touch with questions as you progress through the materials. Once we’ve finished developing our course/personalised help, we will give you access for feedback.