Maybe you’re NOT on a shoestring budget. Maybe you’ve got money to burn, and you think to yourself, “To heck with Sarah’s stupid SEO advice. I’m just going to buy some Google Adwords and be done with it.”
Myth #5: Google Adwords are an easy alternative to search engine optimization. Also, they’re more effective.
This is sort of a one-two punch in myth garbage. First, let’s tackle the first part.
Google Adwords are anything but easy
Let’s say you’re a typical new Adwords user. You sign up (easy). You pick your keywords (easy). You make your ad (easy). “So what’s not easy about this?” you ask. “Sarah Bray is a big fat liar.”‘
Wait a month. Oh geez, man. The keywords you picked are super expensive. $5 for every click! That’s outrageous! And nobody’s buying! What the heck is going on here?!
It is your fault
The truth is, Adwords can be a super-powerful part of your marketing plan. But you’ve got to be an Adwords pro to be able to utilize it correctly. Or you’ve got to have a bunch of money to burn as you figure out what the heck kind of words are going to work for you without costing you $5 a click, how to get people to actually click on your ad (and get unqualified leads to NOT click), and how you’re going to convert a large number of those clicks into customers or clients.
The point is, running an effective Adwords campaign is not any easier than search engine optimization. It’s a whole lot more expensive and just as involved. So you might as well roll up your sleeves either way.
Truly, good SEO is more effective than Google Adwords
Getting on the front page of Google is tons better for you than showing up on the front page in an ad. If someone got to your site by an ad, they may be won over by your lovely copy and your brilliant design, but deep somewhere in the recesses of their brain, they’re thinking, “These people are out to get my money.” They’re immediately on their guard.
Some people may want that. “Hard-hitting sales professional” may be part of the image you want to convey. Maybe you’re selling an eBook with one of those miles-long sales pages that is obviously a huge sales pitch. (In that case, you better price that eBook correctly, or you could end up paying most of your profits to Google.) But most likely, you’re not.
In that case, it’s far better for you if the person finds you themselves. They click on your link from the front page (or second page) on Google, and they think, “I found this super cool person. I’m totally awesome.” You want them to feel good about themselves and about you. It gets the relationship off on the right foot, and you’re much more likely to get their business.
So yes, use Adwords. But first, teach yourself some good SEO practices or hire someone to do it for you. Make a profit that way in the beginning (kind of like trading stocks on paper before doing it in real life…except you’ll still make a profit. And perhaps an even better one.) Then you can use a lot of what you learn about keyword effectiveness to actually rock at the Adwords thing when it’s time.
Side note: Back from my trip. Had a blast looking at cows and horses, walking in the rain, and fishing. Yes, fishing. Well, sort of fishing. Watching people fish. Same thing nearly. Thanks for all of the well-wishes while I was live-tweeting the trip up there. Mountains are awesome.
4 Comments
THANK YOU. I had a client call me this morning and say “I typed in [company name] in the Sacramento area on Google and I didn’t see my [company]. What gives?”
I wanted to shoot myself in the face. I haven’t even finished his site design let alone begun to think about SEO!
Haha! That’s hilarious. The google gods do take their sweet, sweet time…even once the site is actually finished.
And then even after the site is up and running, there’s still that mysterious sandbox…
True, Kelvin! Completely forgot about that. (If you don’t know what he’s referring to, read this: http://tinyurl.com/44d9md)