It may have been trialled as a test product last autumn, but it’s now officially here. Google has launched the new AdWords Express service – a pared-down advertising option for SMEs. According to Google, this new product could prove to be a boom for any small business targeting the local market and also anyone involved in the field of search engine marketing. Adwords is expressly aimed at those smaller businesses that didn’t take up the Adwords baton and incorporate AdWords advertising into their marketing mix.
Google describes the new product as a ‘quick and straightforward way’ to connect with potential customers. The essence of the new product lies in its simplicity. So, what is it and what does it do?
AdWords Express takes the work out of local advertising, or certainly claims to. All a potential customer has to do is type in some basic business details and create an advert and AdWords will do the rest, even down to working out which keyword will be triggered in a local search. Whenever a searcher types in that keyword, the small business advert will appear. In that way only those actually interested in what the business is offering will be shown the ad because they’ll have to click on it to view. Creating the advertisement should only take minutes according to the good people at Google.
Once the add is lodged with Google it will appear whenever people search online for the local products or services you offer. The advertisement for the business will appear above or besides the search results and the business will also be marked with a distinctive blue pin on Google Maps which will show the location. Google claims the product is ideally suited to those small outfits who want to advertise locally for local customers, but have neither the time nor inclination to sit and manage the account. According to Kiley McEvoy, the product manager for AdWords Express, the product optimises the advertisements so that businesses get more targeted traffic and better value from their marketing campaigns and budgets.
Working out the cost should be relatively simple too. Although the small business is in control, AdWords Express works out all the calculations and costings. The small business owner sets the monthly budget, in the knowledge that this is the maximum that will ever be charged. AdWords Express then automatically estimates how many people are likely to visit for that budget. If the number’s too few, then the business owner can choose a higher price plan. The advertisements themselves are displayed for free in Google’s search results, and like Adwords itself, customers will only be charged when searchers click on advert.
Will it prove to be successful? That’s difficult to tell, but Google can’t seem to put a foot wrong at the moment in search, so the chances are the answer will be yes.
