AdWords Beginners Guide?!

Please share you most valueable links

[Trax]

I would really like you to share some good articles, threads and alike so that I can have an employee of mine get a more detailed insight into AdWords and a few tips and tricks. Please not just refer back to the google adwords faq :)
It can be a little more advanced hehe

I would really appreciate if you would post some valueable links without turning this thread into a spamfest

thanks in advance

[myrrh]

Start here:

[webmasterworld.com...]

[QualityNonsense]

Andrew Goodman's book Winning Results with Google AdWords is outstanding, IMHO. It's a little heavy on the history of search, so fel free to skip those chapters, but I wish the book was about when I was getting started with AdWords.

[poster_boy]

Courtesy of eWhisper and AWA...

AWA info posts:
[webmasterworld.com...]

Jumpstart links for those new to adwords:
[webmasterworld.com...]

6 months of adwords info:
[webmasterworld.com...]

And of course, there's always the library:
[webmasterworld.com...]

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Please not just refer back to the google adwords faq.

Trax, I just want to make sure you are aware of these resources. (And even if you are, other readers who are new to AdWords may find these links useful. The Learning Center in particular is under-utilized, IMO.)

AdWords Demos and Guides
[adwords.google.com...]

AdWords Learning Center
[google.com...]

AWA

[Eurydice]

Goodman's book has too many errors. It's out-of-date; it covers the old Hold system, which has been completely replaced by the minimum bid system. Goodman also gives the wrong formula for ROI and doesn't really seem to understand it. Many topics are presented from his personal impressions, but not really described. There are other better books.

[QualityNonsense]

Goodman's book has too many errors. It's out-of-date;

True, it's a little out of date, but almost any PPC book will be out of date by the time it hits the shelves. But I feel the bedrock principles it explains of how to run an AdWords campaign - or PPC any campaign, for that matter - are still very valuable for newbies.

I think it's easy to forget how tough it can be getting started with AdWords, simply because there are so many nuances to the system.

There are other better books.

Would you care to share your suggestions? The two or three other AdWords books I've seen have been pretty far below par.

[edited by: QualityNonsense at 10:57 pm (utc) on Aug. 30, 2006]

[Trax]

thanks for the links posted so far. this was what I was looking to forward...

if anyone has any book recommendations besides Goodmans I wouldnt mind them being posted also.

thanks

[chief72]

The Definitive Guide to Google Adwords - Perry Marshall
Google Cash - Chris Carpenter

Both good step by step guides for beginners.

[RhinoFish]

Want to reference one of my fav threads, with AWA involved, about negative keywords...

How EXACTLY Do Negative Keywords Work:
[webmasterworld.com...]

If you learn this stuff and do it, your CTR improves, costs per click goes down and you get better positions for your bids.

[wheel]

I'm a big believer in Andrew Goodman's ebook. yes, it's mildly dated but it got me up and going in a competitive market. His ebook might be different than his hardcopy book. I've got a copy of the hardcopy too but never read it.

Also a big believer in negative keywords. They can help a campaign a lot. Watch your logs for search strings you don't want and ban them.

I find that many self-managed campaigns crash initially and I think a lot of people get discouraged and quit. What it should be is a learning experience on your way to finding what ads work (initially you have to sort through some ads that don't work).

PPC is the bedrock of SEM IMO. Sure SEO'd traffic is real sweet, but I prefer to build it with the knowledge that I've always got that PPC baseline of traffic.

[budbiss]

Does anyone have any links to threads discussing CPC basics and how to figure out what the lowest you can bid on a keyword and still be effective is?

[Eurydice]

Well, if you take out the OnHold system out of Goodman's book, what's left? That's the core of how to bid in Adwords. It was replaced by the new min-bid system, which is quite different.

There's also the ROI formula. He uses the wrong formula. It's apparent from his comments that he doesn't really understand what ROI is about.

There's many more mistakes in the book. He uses a number of technical words and advertising jargon in the wrong context.

Sure, lots of people think it's a great book. But one begins to wonder whether they understand what they are reading.

[wmuser]

Nice links

[Trax]

I really appreciate all the links. This is exactly what I wanted to forward.
Thanks again for taking the time.