The most common questions we get about Google Adwords: how much it costs, how long, what about bogus clicks?

1. What is the difference between paid search results (PPC) and organic results (SEO)

   Organic results are a list of websites that Google decides is the best fit for the words the searcher entered. Your 'rank' is based on a complex formula of things about your website. You can't pay to appear in this list.

   Paid listings appear on the right hand side or top of the organic results.

2. What are the set up costs?

   It will cost you a $10.00 set up fee when you enter your billing details. Other than that, there is only the cost of the clicks on your ads - which you specify.

3. How long will they run for?

   As long as you want, which you can set when you set up the campaign. You can also pause it at any time.

   Also, your ads will stop showing when your daily set budget has been reached.

4. Where do they show up?

   On the right or top of search results, and any display network websites you specify. You can also specify desktop and/or mobile devices.

   The display network is a group of websites showing Google ads, within which you can display text, image or video ads.

5. Can I stop my competition clicking on my ads?

   Google has steps in place to detect invalid clicks, such as multiple clicks from a single source. If you think there is still a problem, you can contact Google.

6. How do I know they are working?

   Log into your Adwords account and you can see if your ads are running and how many clicks you are getting.

7. What is the Quality Score?

   It is an indication of how good a match your Ad is to the keyword you are using to trigger it. It is a combination of relevance, landing page experience and bid.  The lower your quality score, the more you'll have to pay for each click if you want to get it to the number one position.
   

8. Can I stop at any time?

   Yes, you can pause your campaign or specific ads and keywords at any time.

9. Can I run an Adwords campaign independently of my website?

   Yes – you will need a page to promote, but this can either be one that is on your website or completely independent. But there is no reliance on your web developer to set up the campaign itself.

10. Can I direct the ads to my homepage?

    Yes but it is likely that you will reduce the number of people who take action if they can't see what they want straight away.

    Your homepage has to meet the needs for a range of different visitors to your site, and so will not be focused specifically on the needs of the person who clicked on your ad.

11. How much will I pay?

    It depends on your budget, goals and the competitiveness of the keywords you are targeting. You can pay anything from a few hundred dollars a month to hundreds of thousands! You can manage the costs per click by improving your quality score, and turning as many leads to sales or enquiries by having a well designed landing page.

12. Why has my ad been disapproved?

    An ad that is disapproved will not be shown.  Most often this is because the landing page you are sending it to has something on it that goes against Google's Adwords policy.  This can include landing pages with nothing on but links and other poor user experience issues.  If an ad is disapproved, Google will provide more information about why and what to do about it.

13. Do I have to use an agency or can I do it myself?

    No – you can do it yourself if you feel confident and have the time to manage it correctly. You don't have to be qualified or certified. You can use an agency but shop around to get the best fit for you and your business.