I'm extremely passionate about finding ways for emerging brands and small to mid-size businesses to actually make an impact on Google Adwords.
After years of seeing CPC and first position costs skyrocket, I've been testing a lot on Google Adwords Express (I think of it as a remnant product). The concept is simple, really. On Google Adwords' traditional platform, you really have to be in the top spot (1.1 overall) to drive conversions. You can do this pretty much any time you want, as a marketer, but it will drain any budget, as the top spot is $50+ more expensive per click depending on the search query / keyword you're bidding on. This means a solid $45/day budget can go in one click. So while the data shows you're 40% more likely to get a conversion while in the top spot, you'd better get one with that budget, or you're screwed.
Enter Google Adwords Express. In short, the Express Product has less features than the full product, but is far less expensive. We've worked with the following types of companies over the last year on Express:
- Local Large Format, Banner and Print Shops
- Financial Advisors
- Event Venues
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Law Firms
- Retail Stores
- Heavy Equipment Dealerships
While I outlined the differences between Adwords Express and Traditional Adwords in previous blog posts, they've continued to ad more features, such as:
So while Google Adwords Express has been know for smaller local businesses, these image ads are clearly to entice larger emerging brands to advertise on the platform.
Based on the data and ROI we've generated for our clients, I'd highly advise emerging brands to also pivot some budget to Adwords Express and test the ROI they get on Verified Phone Calls and Map Actions vs. Traditional Adwords.
If done correctly, you'll find a much lower CPC and most importantly, lower Cost Per Lead.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
Paul Hickey has created and grown businesses via digital strategy and internet marketing for more than 10 years. His sweet spot is using analytics to design and build websites and grow the audience and revenue of businesses via SEO/Blogging, Google Adwords, Bing Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads, Social Media Content Marketing and Email Marketing. The part that he’s most passionate about is quantifying next marketing actions based on real data.
