Two Ways To Do Local PPC

If it hasn’t been obvious to you over the last couple of months we think local is the next big thing. There are many reasons for this – from Google adding location filters into search and advances with Google Local Listings…

Beyond your local listings, you can target local through Google AdWords as well. If your business operates in a geographic based market – a localized PPC campaign on AdWords is a great way to run a low cost and high click-thru online advertising campaign.

What does that mean? It’s easy to keep a low budget and have a highly effective campaign if you target local. Here are two ways to get started.

1. Target Keywords In A Geographically Targeted Area

When setting up a Google AdWords campaign you can target keywords based on a specific geographic region. For instance – let’s say you are a plumber in des moines…

If you were to bid on the keyword “plumber” and not set a location you will

• Pay a lot of money for clicks
• And you will have irrelevant traffic = waste of money

However in AdWords there is an option to target ads based on geography under “Settings -> Locations”. Here you can drill down to states or cities you wish to target. Now if you bid on the keyword “plumber” your ad will only show up for people searching from that geographic region – in this case we chose the state of Iowa.

2. Target Localized Keywords

In our plumber’s case he can target localized keywords in AdWords rather than generic keywords. For instance – instead of targeting the high priced keyword “plumber” they can target “des moines plumber”. Not only does that keyword cost much less per click – you know you are getting relevant clicks on your ad. This makes for a higher conversion rate, meaning more people that click on your ad will end up buying from you.

Do you have any questions on local PPC or AdWords targeting? Let us know in the comments or jump into the forums!

Products In Ads – Google Integrates Shopping With AdWords

Google integrates product listings for featured advertisers in Google AdWords

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Track E-Commerce with Google Analytics

What products are selling best? What AdWords keywords have the best ROI?

If you set up ECommerce Tracking with Google Analytics you can do all this and more. You will be able to track all the transactions on your site, as well as see quick stats including…

• Overall revenue generated from online sales
• Average Order Value
• Product Performance
• Visits to Transactions

If you have integrated Google Analytics with AdWords, you will be able to calculate Revenue Per Click, ROI and Margin down to the keywords you are bidding on.

If you have an ecommerce site – or are selling anything online – this is essential.

Link Google AdWords with Google Analytics

If you are running or plan on launching a Google AdWords campaign you should definitely link it with your Google Analytics account for detailed campaign tracking reports. I think this is a “Must Do” if you are running an AdWords campaign.