The Mechanics of Google AdWords

The duties and role of an AdWords specialist are very similar to that of a car mechanic.

Yes, you heard that right. Your old trusty mechanic, with a rag in his back pocket, wrench in his hand and covered in oil from head to toe is pretty much exactly the same as the average AdWords professional.

Well, kind of… both jobs require a well-structured approach to the work they’re doing. In this article, I’m going to cover the Mechanics of AdWords Optimization. Read on below for the full details.

Stage 1 – When She’s Blowing Smoke: The Inspection

Whether it’s the exhaust falling off, repairing the clutch, or crashing into the guy in front of you while doing your makeup on the way to work, there always comes a time when a driver has to go visit the mechanic.

The first thing a mechanic will do after you drop off your car is a comprehensive inspection. The mechanic will hoist the car in the air, have a little look underneath and analyze the damage or whatever it is that needs to be done. Often, they will use computerized diagnostic equipment to identify any problems with the car. By undertaking these precautionary measures the mechanic will be able to determine what needs to be done in order to fix the damage.

Similarly, the first job for an AdWords professional starting off with a new client would be to review any existing data. It’s important to see what looks to be working well and what campaigns may need to be repaired or possibly replaced altogether.

Just like every car is different, every AdWords account is different. So although the review process is generally the same for every account, there will be varying issues found depending on how the AdWords account was initially set up and how it’s been managed over time.

Stage 2 – What’s Wrong?

So, the car has been inspected and the mechanic is now aware of what needs to be fixed and replaced in order to get the ol’ beauty purring around the streets again. Up next is the stage where the automotive problems and required repairs are explained to the client, oh and the costs, of course!

In a mirror move for an AdWords professional, after undertaking the initial inspection of the account, a discussion would take place with the client. This is when the analyst reviews and explains the audit of the account and goes over any issues that were found. Then, they will discuss possible areas for improvement and begin to put the wheels in motion to get a plan of action together.

Stage 3 – The Plan of Action!

After the issues of the car have been outlined and the customer has agreed to the costs of repairs, it’s time for the mechanic to start planning the repairs.

A mechanic does skilled, technical work. And for the more time-consuming tasks, you’ll find that behind the scenes the team is undertaking research, using charts, studying manuals and using the most valuable asset, their experience, to plan how to proceed.

For an AdWords professional, outlining a plan of action with the new account is always the next stage after reviewing the existing campaigns and highlighting any key areas for improvement.

If it’s an e-commerce website, should it be a shopping campaign or search? How about both? The planning stage also includes keyword research, creating compelling ad copy, drafting ad extensions and deciding on targeting settings based on analytical data.

This is all part of the process before any ads can go live. Having multiple people work on the project is always beneficial, as it lessens the chance of missing any important elements with the campaign set up.

Stage 4 – The Fix Up & Testing

It’s now time to move on to the fix-up. Many times, a car hasn’t been serviced in a while and there are a number of parts that need to be replaced, such as brake pads, wheel bearings, and sensors.

Once the old parts have been removed and the new ones installed, the mechanic moves on to testing the parts and systems to ensure that everything works properly.

For the AdWords professional, they would look to upload the new campaigns, including ad groups, ads, keywords, negative keywords and updated targeting settings to the existing account.

Once this has been done, the testing stage would involve checking to see if the ads trigger in Google, and completing a ‘test conversion’ to ensure that the AdWords tracking code is working correctly.

Stage 5 – Maintenance

When it comes to looking after your car, especially after visiting a mechanic, you’re going to want to regularly perform basic care and maintenance, including changing oil, checking fluid levels, and rotating tires to help ensure that your car continues to operate properly.

The ongoing maintenance with AdWords takes place more regularly, especially in the first couple months as different ad copy will be tested, new keywords will be added and settings will be tweaked based on performance, such as bid adjustments and demographic targeting.

It is important to pay close attention to the AdWords account, especially during these initial first months so that you can fine-tune the account to get the best possible return on investment.

Conclusion

While car mechanics and AdWords professionals may not seem to have much in common at first, they both require an organized and strategic structure in order to achieve the desired end goal.

Just like with your car, it’s important to make sure to frequently tune-up your AdWords account to keep it running like a well-oiled machine.

And at times, it can help to have a professional come in and make the repairs needed to ensure your campaigns run smoothly.