The Most Misleading Stat on Google AdWords

When You Don’t Want to Rank #1

What do you use to measure the success of your AdWords campaign?  It’s certainly going to be a different answer for different people – and the reasons for those different answers are often valid. It’s amazing though, how people focus on the wrong metrics.  We’ve all gotten so obsessed with ranking #1 on Google that we think it’s most important for Google AdWords too.  It’s not.

Here’s the reason why ranking #1 is so deceiving – it really doesn’t measure your effectiveness.  And you’re paying for it!

• Ranking 2-3 gets you on the first page also, and it’s cheaper.  And, when you look at the results for your own searches, do you really give the top AdWord more credibility than the one right below it?
• Not paying for the top leaves more money for more clicks.  Remember that you pay every time someone clicks.  Do you want to use all your money for 1 click?
• I have very rarely seen an AdWords campaign that doesn’t hit its daily budget.  Try to spend less.  Trust me, you’ll still get enough clicks to use up all of your allocations.

So, for example, if I have $20 for a campaign and pay $10 per click, I may get position #1 and 2 clicks.  If I back off some, spend $5 for a lesser ranking and get 4 clicks, it was likely a better investment.  You still need to look at your analytics and see what kind of traffic you’re getting – and converting. Chances are, it’s the same basic traffic, just more of it.

Sure, try your best to rank well.  If you do get #1, great.  Just don’t overpay for it.  It’s not a contest.  Let a competitor beat you out if they want to pay a lot – it’s their money.  You’re smarter than that.

And, if you want some help on your PPC campaign, let us know.  We’d be happy to help you succeed.

About The Author

We specialize in b2b, supporting the clients who are the "The Brands Behind the Brands." These are the supply chain partners of brands, either in Tier 1 or Tier 2 positions, who drive value through the delivery of goods, services and technologies. We enjoy blogging about all things related to Branding, Marketing, Inbound, Tradeshows, etc... And we're always happy to talk about any ideas you may have that might Get You To Your NEXT!