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Learn to Setup A Google AdWords Account in 15 Minutes or Less

When people turn to the web to find products, services or information, they turn to Google. Attaining top rankings in Google can be an arduous, time-consuming process. While working your way to the top of the Google editorial results through traditional search engine optimization, you have the option to advertise on Google.

Advertising on Google AdWords offers the following benefits:

  • Global reach - Google has international versions that enable you to reach customers in all areas of the globe
  • Search Syndication Partners - Want to advertise on AOL, Ask Jeeves, Earthlink, MyWay.com or other search sites, Google AdWords enables you to do so quickly and easily.
  • Content Site Syndication Partners - In addition to search sites, you can syndicate your AdWords campaign on various relevant content sites like HowStuffWorks.com
  • Low setup Fee - $5.00 is all it costs to get started advertising globally.
  • No monthly minimums - Unlike Overture ($20.00 monthly minimum), Google AdWords has no minimum monthly spend. You can advertise on any budget.
  • Traffic for as little as $0.05 - Get up to 20 highly targeted prospects to your site for as little as $1.00
  • Awesome campaign reporting - Quickly and easily view click through rates by ad (creative in agency speak) and keyword.
  • Excel Export Feature - With the click of a mouse, quickly and easily export a detailed breakdown of the performance of your campaign.

Whether you are an Internet advertising pro, or just getting your feet wet, AdWords is one program you can't afford to omit from your online advertising campaign.

Getting started with Google AdWords

Google AdWords is simply the best, most flexible, reasonably priced pay per click advertising program on the net today. It'll cost you all of $5.00 to open an account and there is no monthly minimum expenditure required.

Take the following steps to open an AdWords account:

  • Hop on over the Google AdWords sign-up page https://adwords.google.com/select/ and click on the "Click to Begin" button.
  • On the next screen you can select the countries and languages where your ad will appear. If your site is in English, choose English and the countries in which you can do business. If you don't target your ad, you'll be paying for clicks from people you can't do business with.
  • On the next screen you create your first ad. You'll need a headline of 25 characters and up to 35 characters in each of your 2-line description.
  • Where is says display URL, enter the URL you want to show up in your ad, this is likely to be the URL of your homepage. For this site, that would be KeywordMarketingSuperstar.com
  • Where is says destination URL, enter the URL of your landing page. If you are advertising a specific product within your site, the destination URL should be the product page, not your homepage
  • Once you've written your ad, click "Create Ad and Continue"
  • Next, enter the keywords you've chosen and click "save keywords"
  • The next screen will ask you to choose your maximum cost per click, in this box, enter .05 (5 cents) and click on "recalculate estimates". If you can buy the keyword for 5 cents, the AdWords system will provide a projection of the estimated number of clicks per day, cost per day, and the average position of your ad.
  • If the minimum bid for your chosen keywords is more than 5 cents, the system will tell you and you will have to adjust your maximum bid accordingly. When starting out you want to get some traffic but probably don't need to be in the number 1 spot.
  • This is only the preliminary account setup. You will not be obligated to pay any of the bid prices you input at this point so try inputting different maximum cost per click prices and see what the AdWords system projects your costs and clicks to be.
  • Next, click on "Save & Continue" and proceed to the next screen.
  • On the next screen you have the option to create additional ads with different keywords and budgets or click "Continue to Step 3". Once you've created ads for all the keywords you want to target (you can go back and create more ads any time you want), set your daily budget and click on "Save and Continue".
  • You'll have to agreed to some legalese here; then input your email address and a password. Once you click submit, Google will send you an email.
  • When you receive the email, confirm your account by clicking on the link in the email and enter your email and password on the AdWords login screen that pops up when you click on the link.
  • Once you've logged in, enter your credit card number; submit the details and you're ready to start advertising on Google.

The fun has just begun; so has the work.


The Google AdWords system enables you to do an incredible amount of testing. Before you really dive into AdWords and set your campaign in motion be sure to check out the article on selecting and creating landing pages, and of course, keyword research. Don't forget to track your results! Before you get to deep into creating campaigns, be sure to choose a pay per click tracking system so you are able to optimize your campaign, increase your click through rates, and get a better return on your marketing investment.

Already have system for tracking and a plan for keywords and landing pages in place? Hop on over to the Google AdWords campaign setup tutorial.

Interested in running Google AdWords as an affiliate? Keep an eye on the AdWords For Affiliates website as it evolves. Great info for any AdWords Affiliate!

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