So I'm forever in pursuit of ways to make Google Adwords work for clients looking to make a big impact with a small budget. Sound familiar?

Quite frankly, it's gotten extremely difficult month over month over the last two years. This is due to the fact that more and more advertisers have flooded to Adwords, raising bids in pursuit of the coveted top of page ranking.

Cost per click bids are up around $50-$75 now depending on the keyword variation. This is to get to the number 1 ranking, where all the action happens (our data shows brands convert 40% more often when showing in the top spot on Adwords).

So doing the simple math, a $75/day Adwords budget is $2,250 / month - which is significant for any size-able successful business looking to grow, can be exhausted in 1-2 clicks depending on the keyword (in the top spot). I'd say you'd BETTER convert in that scenario, right?

How do I justify to a client a Google Adwords recommendation under these circumstances?

Well, enter the Google Adwords Express Product.

First, let's break down the fact that Google Adwords is actually an ad product that encompasses several different ways to place ads on search engine results pages and elsewhere throughout the web. For any business that has a service or product that is helpful to customers looking for something right away with an intent to purchase or book an appointment (i.e., urgent care, emergency crown or filling for dentists, or shopping for a low cost/deal on a product), Google Adwords is a fit.

But like I mentioned above, the cost has risen to the point now where Google Adwords, which started back in 2006 as a low cost data driven way of reaching your customers, is now "Traditional Digital," meaning it's basically overpriced the way billboards, TV and radio are.

Google Adwords Express, however, is half the cost, and shows up 90% of the time on search engine results and 90% of the time on mobile devices, which is where your customers are. It's half the price, due to the fact that the advertisers "get in where they fit in," meaning you can't out bid competitors, nor bid on specific keywords. Google essentially places you based on the content of your ad, and the type of business you tell Google that you are within the set-up process.

My favorite feature is the Verified Phone Call Tracking and Reporting. You need no outside assistance, the Express ad product does it for you. Instant ROI tracking.

PROS TO GOOGLE ADWORDS EXPRESS:

• SEARCH ENGINE PLACEMENTS (CONTEXTUAL) (YOUR AD LOOKS THE SAME AS REGULAR ADWORDS)
• Allows you to get in the same rotation as competitors with larger budgets
• Half the CPC (more bang for your buck)
• 80-90% of your ads will show on the Google Search Engine Results Pages
• 80-90% of your ads will show on Mobile Devices (which is where website traffic is trending on a 40% growth rate year over year across websites Data Driven Design has Google Analytics Access to
• Automatic Verified Phone Call tracking for seamless success reporting

LIMITS TO GOOGLE ADWORDS EXPRESS:

• Cannot control search engine placements (no bidding, no scheduling)
• Limited Control over Keywords You Show For (you tell Google what kind of business you are, and Google does the rest.
• Your presence is limited (your ad can’t show all the time)
• Google decides when to show your ad
• (You can pause various days)

Thanks 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.