Google AdWords Campaign Setup: Location, Networks, and Devices
Creating an AdWords account and setting up your 1st campaign can take no time at all. Within minutes you can run Ads on the biggest search engine in the world and send targeted leads to the landing pages you designate. Google’s system is fast, but all that speed is of no use if you don’t organize your campaigns effectively and clearly define your marketing goals. The guide below helps detail the campaign settings available to you in your AdWords account.
Google AdWords Campaign Set Up
After you have created the AdWords account you are ready to create your first campaign. You should already have an idea of the budget limitations, the terms you want to target, and the proper protocol when it comes to writing an Ad.
The first decision you will be faced with is the selection of your campaign name. This can be changed at any time but maintaining an organized hierarchy will benefit the testing and optimization of your account in the future. Choose a campaign name relevant to the specific product lines or services you are advertising.
Next up is location. In this section you will need to specify the set of geographic locations you want your ads targeted to. You can choose to market to the entire world or drill down by city, region, country etc. An added feature underneath the use map link is the radius setting. Use this feature to target those searchers within a certain mile radius around the address you specify. You’ll be able to add, or exclude markets based on reach and their relative location to your address. This option is great for brick and mortar stores looking to target their local customer base.
If you expand the Advanced location options tab you’ll notice the Targeting Method and Exclusion Method sections.
By default your Ads are shown by using either physical location or by the location they use in their search query. If you target using physical location your Ads will be shown to those searchers in your target area. If you target by search intent your Ads will be shown searchers who include a location-specific term in their query that also corresponds with your target area. Its defaulted to both but depending on your marketing goals you may want to stick with one or the other.
The exclusion method lets you either exclude users who are physically located in the specified region, or exclude both users who are located in that region and users whose search terms indicate interest in that region. It should be pointed out that both options are applicable only to the Google Search Network, which includes Google SERPs, other SERPs, search partner sites like AOL, and other Google offerings. (Images, Maps, Shopping)
Moving right along, we are brought to the Networks and Devices section. Using this section, you are able to select where you want your ad to appear, whether it is just Google’s search results or the Google Search Network. It is recommended and defaulted to display your ad to the widest relevant audience i.e. everything, but below we’ll go over the advanced options that could potentially save you money.
Underneath Networks and the Let me choose option we see Search and Display.
Under search, you can decide whether or not you want to display on Google, on their Search Partners or both. I recommend you start out with both but if performance starts to become an issue you may want to switch off the search partners.
Moving below Search, to the Display section, you’ll notice that Google automatically targets your Ads across their entire Display network. It also defaults to the broad reach feature. This means that your ad will appear when your primary targeting method matches. For instance, if you have keywords and placements as targeting methods your Ad will appear wherever the keywords(primary) match.
With specific reach however, you only show Ads on pages that match all your targeting methods. Your Ad will only appear on those sites that match both your placement and your keyword selection.
It should be noted that for either of these instances the most specific bid will be used. Even if you have selected broad reach and both placement and keyword requirements have been met by the Ad, the most specific bid (placement) will be the rate used to calculate your cost.
For more clarification on how your targeting methods affect your Display Network Ad Placement click here.
So far we have named your campaign, specified the locations we want our Ads marketed to, chosen the language we want our Ads in and decided which of Google’s Networks the ads will appear on. Next up we need to decide what types of devices the Ads will appear on. The devices chosen will affect the number of Ads and the locations they are served in. Limit the devices in accordance with your marketing goals and maximize your return. For instance, if you are selling big ticket furniture items, chances are your customers won’t be purchasing from a cell phone. Filter your Ads to be displayed on just the desktop and tablet devices. If you are meeting or exceeding your goals you can always go back and include the mobile devices within your campaign.
In the Advanced mobile and Tablet options, you can go even further to specify which type of Operating System and on which Mobile carriers you would like to display your Ads. Simply “Add” the operating systems and mobile carriers you prefer. If you include “Wi-Fi traffic,” mobile phones using wireless internet will be targeted by your Ads.
Choosing where and how your Ad's are displayed plays a pivotal role in your AdWords journey. Understanding your options beforehand can save you money and make your first experience with AdWords a good one. Next time we'll cover Bidding and Budget, Ad Extensions, and Advanced Settings.
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