Andy's Google Ads Posts

[Andy Black]

If you have any questions relating to a thread, please reply to that thread instead of this master one.

If there's anything not covered, ask in here and I'll see about creating a thread for that.


A) Here's a "braindump" thread in the Speedway where I'll continuously drop content:

• Mastering Google Ads From A Pro - Andy's Braindump

B) Here's all the Google Ads threads:

1. AdWords Dude Saying Hello (<--- Intro post)
2. (Radio interview) How to get started quickly in business
3. The Biggest Benefit of AdWords
4. Are You Only Buying Traffic?
5. Your Goal Is To INCREASE CPCs
6. What Happens When You Increase CPCs
7. The Trick To Understanding AdWords
8. Newbie Mistake #1 - "Limited by Budget"
9. Launch & Learn
10. The Single Biggest Reason People Lose Money With AdWords
11. Don't Let Google Control Where Your Traffic Goes
12. Hidden Dangers of Wide Funnels
13. The Holy Trinity Of Paid Search
14. AdWords Sneaky Extended Headlines
15. Newbie Mistake #2 - "Our Landing Pages Don't Convert!"
16. The Allure of Easy Money
17. 18 Advanced AdWords Tips
18. (Video) What's Your Problem?
19. (Video) Online Direct Response Metrics
20. (Video) The Most Important Formula in Business
21. (Video) Segmenting AdWords Data By More Than One Dimension
22. (Video) The Online Buying Lifecycle
23. The AdWords Jumpstart (<-- 40 page HOW-TO doc in the Speedway subforum)
24. The need for speed
25. How to get profitable or fail fast with AdWords
26. The What & Why of Local Lead Gen
27. What's better than low hanging fruit?
28. Please bid on your brand name!
29. Lead Gen for Local Service Businesses
30. (Video) 70 min AdWords Interview
31. (Video) AdWords location targeting tip
32. (Video) Segment your AdWords data!
33. (Video) Categorising keywords with MS-Excel
34. (Video) How I screwed up a sales pitch
35. (Video) Local Lead Gen - simplified
36. (Video) Andy reviews Neal's AdWords account
37. (Video Series) Keyword & Competitor Research for Local Lead Gen
38. Using AdWords to sell a house
39. (Video) AdWords Keyword Research
40. (Video) Using Pivot-Tables to analyse Google Ads data
41. (Video) Google Ads Review - Laudromat
42. How to contact Google Ad support via chat
43. (Video) Google Ads Audit
44. (Video) Keyword Research for a business that wants to sell shoes online
45. (Video) The phone stopped ringing! Is it because of going to Level 5 lockdown?
46. (Video) Google Ads Workshop Replay
47. (Audio) Andy discusses Google Ads on The Subscription Box Show
48. (Video) Tweaking a Google Ads campaign already running well
49. (Video) How to read Google Ads metrics
50. Starting a local lead gen project
51. Building long-tail Google Ads campaigns for fun and profit
52. Scaling a Productised Service with SOPs and Technology
53. How to CHAT with Google Ads reps
54. The Shortest Google Ads Tutorial Ever
55. [Workshop Replay] Selling Google Ads as a Service
56. Test Business Ideas with Google Ads - Quickly & Cheaply

Ha. Finally changed the title from "Andy's AdWords Posts" to "Andy's Google Ads Posts".

 

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[SYK]

You can probably tell from my constant 'likes' that your Adwords posts have been a great resource for me (and plenty of others I'm sure).

I had a solid grasp of Adwords. Your stuff has taken it to the next level though.

Much appreciated. Keep the good stuff coming!

 

[welshmin]

Working my way through these, some huge insight.

Count this as a bump for newer readers.


Also, did you guys know that Google gifts grants of up to $10,000 per month in AdWords Credit to Non-Profit Organisations?

I see this as a huge opportunity to offer services managing their campaigns for free or for a fee. Imagine the experience you'd gain if you managed a budget of $10,000 PER MONTH. You'd learn real quick.

I imagine there are quite a few non-profits that are not fully utilising this service, or are not using it the right way.

Credit to @MikeAU for pointing this out!!

Edit: My mistake - $40,000 per month for GrantsPro users (potentially)!
https://www.google.com.au/intl/en/grants/index.html

 

[Andy Black]

For other people wondering if these posts are still relevant for 2017...

Yes, they're evergreen since they are mostly to get your mindset right.

The AdWords Jumpstart "how-to" doc in the Speedway subforum is slightly out of date, purely because it's got so many screenshots in it. The principles still apply, it's just that some of the functionality is slightly different (ad lengths are longer now for instance).

I'm updating The AdWords Jumpstart for 2017 and will upload it to Amazon (as a free book if I can). It will contain a link to a free accompanying video series of me stepping through the doc. I'll post more details nearer the time it's released.

 

[MikeAU]

Apparently the average spend for non profits using the google grants is only around $330 per month out of the $10k too so there would be a hell of a lot out there that need some assistance with there campaigns.

 

[Joey El]

Oh boy.

Thanks Andy. Thank you so much.

You make it so simple. Who would've thought that all the complicated SEO I work with isn't essential. Your explanations show split tests and Excel multi-dimensional data segmentation can be set up quickly and "failed fast." (And cheaply or at break even/ positive ROI.) Absolutely loved the simple story of making the apple tart, helping the current clients and being ready for more. And the whole focus, set up around paid advertising, of Mindset.

They're people not numbers and clicks. Give them what they want.

The simple sketches I've taken as notes could be uploaded once they're soft copies. Hopefully they'll be a "value add" here, and not just to me in gaining the company I'll be promoting/getting "champions" for.

Cheers

 

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[Andy Black]

Oooo.... Now that I'm a mod, I've just realised I can finally go back and reorder the links in the opening post into a more sensible order.

 

[Andy Black]

@xaviel mentioned (here) that it took 6 days of reading 3-4 hours a day to get through all 35 AdWords threads. That's 18-24 hours!

As promised earlier, I've released a course that could get your ad running (with ad extensions) in an hour or two.

Here's the course:

• Marketplace - Andy's AdWords Course - Get found by the people already looking for you

 

[Andy Black]

Hello @Andy Black

I have a question regarding all your 53 threads about GA, wich is why I post it here in the master thread.

I plan to learn GA in order to sell it to clients, and for creating digital products selling websites, like we are discussing in Lex's thread My learning plan will of course include all your past threads about GA.

My question is: How relevant are your 53 threads in present times ? The oldest is almost 10 years.

Everybody on the internet seem to say that GA have changed, became more competitive, speaking about IA taking over etc... But fast reading your old threads and comparing to your recent posts, it seem that your core concepts haven't changed and you are still confident and obtaining mad results.

Can you confirm ? I don't ask you a detailed plan but if you could briefly list some eventuals warning about the evolution of GA relative to all your threads, things you think I need to know in order to avoid losing time doing stuff that doesn't work anymore.

Reading you and Lex I have the feeling that search-based ads are clearly the best system and that it won't change anytime soon. That google IS the web and that this system is and will stay like that because it's just the most natural of things.

Do you agree ?

Good question(s).

First off. Holy cr@p. My first posts are indeed over 10 years old (they were originally posted in a different forum before I copy/pasted them into here). My very first forum post was back in 2009.

Secondly, it's best to call them Google Ads, paid search ads, or ads on Google. GA is typically short for Google Analytics. Some people call them PPC ads which is incorrect too. Pay-per-click is just how you pay, it shouldn't be used to mean Google Ads.

You may think I'm nitpicking, but being anal about words and their meaning is necessary when bidding on keywords.


Right then, to your question...

Are paid search ads where the search term is in the ad and in the landing page still relevant?

Do people still look for things by typing in search terms into Google?

Are people still attracted to ads that are relevant and echo back precisely what they searched for?

Do people still hit landing pages and get frustrated they can't see what was promised in the ad? Are they still relieved to finally find what they're looking for?


I had a three hour coffee with an agency owner last week. He said the clock was ticking with way I do things, what with AI creating ads and getting them in front of the target market.

I said im running my hands together with glee and that I'm doubling down on massive long-tail campaigns. The competition aren't going long tail, or if they are they're not keeping tight control like we are.

Oh, and our long-tail campaigns are working fine still. We just have to deal with Google removing control, but I see that hurdle as a barrier to entry to those who give up.

Also, by constructing the campaigns the way we do we are able to learn what the market is looking for, what they want to buy, how to sell it to them, and to do it with control.

I'd rather we get the learnings and adjust the product to match demand, rather than Google get the learnings and try to ma5ch demand for our product.

Relying on Google's algorithms to make sales is like having to have a great offer and sales page before trying to make sales. I use Google Ads to help come up with the offer that makes sales.

I could talk about this some more. Maybe I'll do a podcast/YouTube episode and go on a rant.


You may want to check out my latest progress threads:

EXECUTION - Building long-tail Google Ads campaigns for fun and profit

TL;DR: A decade ago I helped a startup acquire 15k signups a day using Google Ads. Since then we generate leads for clients, but don't store the lead data. We've not done email marketing to date but did a quick test to grow an email list with Google Ads HERE. We're going to start storing the...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

SCALING - Scaling a Productised Service with SOPs and Technology

I'm partnered with a digital marketing agency so they can run Google Ads for their clients. I'm setting up Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) so I don't have to keep doing the basic stuff. As the subject matter expert, I can do the work and document it so less experienced people can perform...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

 

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[Andy Black]

You can probably tell from my constant 'likes' that your Adwords posts have been a great resource for me (and plenty of others I'm sure).

I had a solid grasp of Adwords. Your stuff has taken it to the next level though.

Much appreciated. Keep the good stuff coming!

Thanks man.

Mindset > Skillset

This is mostly Mindset stuff.

 

[Adam Secada]

Freaking awesome. Thanks, mate.

 

[TedM]

Now that I'm a mod, I've just realised I can finally go back and reorder the links

Drunk with newfound power

 

[Andy Black]

Have you recently descended the rabbit-hole?



I'm interested in how long it takes people to read everything linked to in the first post

... and interested in your take-aways.




If you're willing, I'd much appreciate you adding your take-aways to this thread

... and what you're going to do differently going forward.

 

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[MattR82]

Was just putting a list together of your Adwords threads to watch and read through. This saves me quite a bit of time! Great to have it in order too.

 

[PedroG]

Andy, this is unbelievable! I've been going through all of the threads and I can't believe how much I didn't know! Such an important piece of the puzzle that I never quite dedicated enough time to learning. Now I see why I failed so many times.

I'm gonna be trying out some campaigns tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[luniac]

I've been reading some of your adwords stuff and got the general gist of "find what people want and sell it to them"
As an app developer i often get ideas that seem good in my head but in reality i don't have a clue if it will go viral.

Even though i focus on creating a minimal viable product and see that as testing the market, im wondering if some adwords keyword kungfu would help me decide which idea among several to pursue.

Let's say i want to create an app related to instagram, i wonder if playing around with the keyword "instagram", i can find common pain points that people google for and maybe find one that can be solved with an external app!

 

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[luniac]

You mean like this?

View attachment 15193

more like this


WAIT A MINUTE WHY DOES YOUR WINDOW LOOK DIFFERENT FROM MY WINDOW!!!

 

[letter9]

Andy hi,

I've learnt a lot from your posts and videos. Your ideas and directions gave a great boost to my PPC results. I know i've mentioned that several times, just wanted to pay tribute one more time

I've looked through your posts and on youtube channel and do not see automation topic covered (maybe i've missed it)
Did you covered it in any of your posts/videos?
Do you recommend using Automated Bid Management, Automated Rules or Adwords Scripts?

At the moment i am using 0 automation. And i have feeling that i am loosing some efficiency by doing that.

What made me research on automation is idea to bid to position.
In my niche I would like to hold second position for main KWs.(there is one big player I can not compete with)
Often some of smaller players increase their bid and can take 2nd position from me. Obviously i can't check my postion all the time manually

After digging a little i realized that automating is very big topic.

 

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[JustWalkinAround]

Thanks for the reply.

It's so crap how inflexible Google is but I guess the main reason is really just how mammoth the operation behind the scenes is. I guess it's easy for me to think 'why can't I just flick between campaign goals.'

This thread is interesting:

https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/8jdw7o View: https://www.reddit.com/r/PPC/comments/8jdw7o/switching_a_campaign_from_manual_bidding_to/

 

[BizyDad]

Hi @Andy Black
I am running some call-only ads for a long distance moving company. Why doesn't my phone call metric not equal my "calls from ads" conversion metric? I am confused between the phone call metric & conversions. My conversions(calls from ads) are recorded when the call reaches 15 sec duration, but isn't that the limit for the phone call metric also 15 sec duration?

Google support is useless for this topic.

Phone calls vs. phone call conversions​

It is important to remember that there are differences between a click that results in a call to your business and that call being considered a conversion.

A phone call conversion is defined by the duration of the call, which you determine in your account. A phone call has no duration requirements which means that your reporting will be expected to have more calls than call conversions. For example, if you set call conversions to 30 seconds and have a call last for 26 seconds, Google Ads will report 1 phone call and 0 phone call conversions. Learn more about phone call conversion tracking.

Note: Phone calls are reported on the date they occur, but phone call conversions are reported on the date of the ad click, this means the reporting dates may be different. For example, a customer sees a call-only ad on August 5 and writes down the Google Forwarding Number (GFN). On August 7 they call the GFN and the duration meets your conversion requirements. Google Ads will show 1 phone call on August 7, and a phone call conversion for August 5.

Analyze call reporting data - Google Ads Help

Call reporting allows you to track the performance of your call assets, location assets, and

support.google.com

 

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[Raedrum]

Hello @Andy Black

I have a question regarding all your 53 threads about GA, wich is why I post it here in the master thread.

I plan to learn GA in order to sell it to clients, and for creating digital products selling websites, like we are discussing in Lex's thread My learning plan will of course include all your past threads about GA.

My question is: How relevant are your 53 threads in present times ? The oldest is almost 10 years.

Everybody on the internet seem to say that GA have changed, became more competitive, speaking about IA taking over etc... But fast reading your old threads and comparing to your recent posts, it seem that your core concepts haven't changed and you are still confident and obtaining mad results.

Can you confirm ? I don't ask you a detailed plan but if you could briefly list some eventuals warning about the evolution of GA relative to all your threads, things you think I need to know in order to avoid losing time doing stuff that doesn't work anymore.

Reading you and Lex I have the feeling that search-based ads are clearly the best system and that it won't change anytime soon. That google IS the web and that this system is and will stay like that because it's just the most natural of things.

Do you agree ?

 

[Andy Black]

it seem that your core concepts haven't changed and you are still confident and obtaining mad results.

Yes, my core concepts haven't changes and I'm still confident. Sometimes we get mad results, sometimes not. That hasn't changed either.

 

[Andy Black]

I think so, but I don't do it lol. I use max conversions and let Google figure out what to bid. But it probably depends on the goal of the campaign. Don't ask me. I don't know jack. I'm not advertising a local business, so that is probably worth considering.

You're bidding on keywords is my point. You're letting Google adjust bids to maximise for conversions, but you're not giving the keys to Google.

 

[Lex DeVille]

You're bidding on keywords is my point. You're letting Google adjust bids to maximise for conversions, but you're not giving the keys to Google.

Ah, yes, got you. That makes sense.

 

[Raedrum]

Hello @Andy Black

I'm listening to your interviews on soundcloud and just watched your Google Ads workshop on youtube and this was very enlightning and well-explained.

Yes some post are old but it is quite incredible to dig into all that, I should have done it sooner !

I'll definitely buy your Jumpstart courses from your site, it's a no brainer. And I'll make sure to comment/like everywhere I can.

 

[Andy Black]

any more to add to this since then?

I've been adding new stuff on the inside here.

 

[Alan LT]

I never seen this before... I stopped using adwords because I was making a few mistakes, but hopefully I can read threw these post & see what I did wrong.

 

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[jpmartin]

Thanks Andy! As always... your posts bring insight!

 

[Andy Black]

I've just updated the opening post to contain ALL the AdWords posts I've created, plus a few other useful ones. (Maaan... I've posted a LOT...)

I'll keep that post up to date.

 

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[Joey El]

Saving spot. Updates soon...

Thanks Andy, I've just made a commitment to help a local fellow entrepreneur who has been unhappily running AdWords since April.

So here I go, reading everything. Estimated time, for me a few hours...

The things I do differently will be compared to their previous methods not mine. As for Results, I may get specific on the Inside soon but would you prefer percentages or numbers in this thread?

Cheers