How to make adwords work

[gabrielcrowe]

This thread is designed to collect any helpful information and links, related to building and keeping on top of your Google adwords.

It's come to my attention that there are millions of drastically pants adwords companies, each asking daft fees for their skills at adwords. Its only a system, just like any other, and I really do believe that people can learn this system themselves. I'm not too great at them myself. Something I'm not proud of.

What approaches do you all take to adwords, and where did you all learn? Does anyone have any pointers?

[gabrielcrowe]

as an example of someones sage advice, i post this:
http://www.isitebuild.com/mastering-google-adwords.htm

...now, is this good advice, or bad advice. and why?

[Darren B]

Hi ya Gabe

speak to adwords and ask them for help, they will ring you back, they are a good bunch of guys really

D

[Ben]

This may also be of interest to some:
http://www.google.com/adwords/webinars/

[RuralWeb]

Google offer all the training and information anyone needs to become an adwords qualified professional for free. All people need to do is follow the courses and they will be as good as any of the companies offering management services.

Most people emply a professional because they dont have the time to manage thier campaigns - its just like website design anyone can do it but many pay the cash and get it done for them.

IF you have the time then the answer to gabes question is do the course.

[guccij]

Now that Google allows rivals to advertise under another company's name, I am giving up on Adwords. Sod them. Our main competitor advertises using our name and there's nothing I can do about it, except play them at their own game and I'm not stooping to that level.

[gabrielcrowe]

'All people need to do is follow the courses and they will be as good as any of the companies offering management services.'

Thats exactly what i wanted someone to say

apart from the learning of the ropes, as it were, what about as guccij says, getting around problems like competitors pinching your name? what sort of things can you do to combat this?

[jxm28788]

apart from the learning of the ropes, as it were, what about as guccij says, getting around problems like competitors pinching your name? what sort of things can you do to combat this?

We reported our competitor to google for trademark infringement, ad was gone in about a week...

[chris ashdown]

Now that Google allows rivals to advertise under another company's name, I am giving up on Adwords. Sod them. Our main competitor advertises using our name and there's nothing I can do about it, except play them at their own game and I'm not stooping to that level.

Where was your name and how was it used, I dont understand how they would benifit by using your name without seeing the advert

[RuralWeb]

Google will protect your business name/brand if it is trademarked - if its not trademarked then you don't have a leg to stand on

[Paul Bulpit]

Google will protect your business name/brand if it is trademarked - if its not trademarked then you don't have a leg to stand on

Malc., how can you tell if someone is using your company name in their Adwords?

If I put my company name into Google in inverted commas and another advert comes up, does that mean they are?

Paul

[guccij]

Where was your name and how was it used, I dont understand how they would benifit by using your name without seeing the advert

The rival company's headline on their Google ad is "Snorestore Ltd". Which is our company name. We haven't trademarked it as this costs an absolute fortune.

[RuralWeb]

many people when they start out see trademarking as an extra cost that can be avoided. It unfortunately is a must have in business these days and not doing it will almost certainly backfire eventually especially when you start to get good rankings and your competitors start to work on you.

If you don't have a trademark then you are for game and have no legal standing. People can even trade mark your name from under you and it will cost you far more in legal fees to oppose it or get it back.

Ime very few people bother to get thier names trademarked so its a common problem.

[Fairyglass]

We haven't trademarked it as this costs an abolute fortune.

I promise you, it's worth it. We had to trademark our trading name last year as a competitor started selling similar items under the same name. It cost us £400 to do it for two categories- I used a trademark attorney who is on the forum from time to time. Once we had the trademark we were able to approach the competitor who backed down immediately. I am under no illusions that we were losing significant business- we got calls weekly from our customers asking who these other people were.
Add to that the legitimacy a trademark gives your business and its contribution to your brand status (assuming you're trying to develop a brand of your own) and it's a must have imo.

[guccij]

many people when they start out see trademarking as an extra cost that can be avoided.

Well, after sessions with three different intellectual property lawyers over the years, we have learnt that to do the job properly, it would cost upwards of 20 grand. The point being, don't bother just doing it for the UK. You need to do it EU-wide and beyond.

Still, the point is valid and we are going through the motions of trademarking as we speak. Whether Google cares (press reports suggest it doesn't and won't change its policy unless legal action is successful) remains to be seen.