I picked up this Google Adwords book on a somewhat shaky whim. Let me explain: If you’re like me, then you’ve probably received some sort of coupon at one point or another for $X in free Google Adwords credit. If you haven’t how it usually works is that for new accounts, you’ll be able to spend $25 and once you spend that, Google will give you a $100 credit.
After a particularly disastrous website move from BigCommerce to WooCommerce for reasons I’ll get into some other time, I decided to stop relying on DIY and to get things done right. The punk rocker inside of me is not a fan of using conglomerates, but I knew that I had to rely on someone that was big enough to be a safety net, so I moved my hosting and websites over to Greengeeks (and, by the way, it’s been really great to use them. BlueHost is now the key holder to my websites, SSL, and my 4 domains. It still gives me a twinge of discomfort to rely so much on one entity, but so far so good.).
During the move, I stumbled on a code for the “spend $25 get $100” for Adwords and I decided that I was not going to spend the money foolishly, but that since my strategy was now to reach the fans and not the stores, I would use this as a new way to reach my audience. So I went to the library and got this book by Perry Marshall.
It’s a hefty, text book kinda book, and is full of things you should do, and things you should NOT do. He briefly touches on aspects of Adwords like Display Only and Google Shopping, but the majority of the book is based on creating your first campaign via Search Network Only. I found it to be incredibly useful, but really overwhelming. This, unfortunately, is not the sort of book to get for 3 weeks from the library. Your best bet is to read it, see if you think Adwords is worth the investment, and then keep the book on hand for reference. I tried to read through it before I jumped into Adwords, and I think it would have been better to take the time to read, stop, implement, repeat.
Recommend? Yes, if you’re looking to get into Adwords. No if you’re not ready to take the time invested in Adwords seriously.
