A great description of Google AdWords Express can be found by 07 Heaven. Google has ‘allowed those with little to no advertising knowledge to pursue search engine advertising- introducing, Google Adwords Express. This is aimed to completely strip back the process to become simple, quick and easy for anymore to use.’
However, there are quite a few reasons not use AdWords Express… keep reading to find out.
Broad match keywords
Just as the word says, broad keywords are being used by Google AdWords Express. This means that your ads will appear when similar keywords to those you have selected are searched. Although useful in terms of synonyms and related searches, these broad keywords are allowing Google to show your ads to who THEY want to show them to, therefore the likelihood of your ads appearing to the wrong people increases. AKA, you have wasted your time, energy and budget for an irrelevant search… not good. Specific keywords are key to success.
To make things worse, you are only able to view search information if you open your account in the real AdWords. AdWords Express does not show you the actual search term users searched in order to get to your site. This is valuable information you need to know in order to have a successful campaign. Where are the key analytics AdWords Express?
No specification on keywords or how much you want to bid
The trick to PPC is to be as specific as possible… AdWords Express doesn’t really allow this. Instead, they provide categories for you to choose from. By doing this, Google has control of the keywords your account will bid on. If they do not have a keyword you want to use, you cannot manually add it either- helpful, not.
The only piece of (slight) freedom they give you is the ability to toggle keywords on or off. However, as they are broad match keywords it doesn’t matter if you turn off a keyword as a search could appear for another broad keyword, allowing another irrelevant ad result.
Budget is key for any business, therefore AdWords Express not allowing you to specify how much money you want to bid on certain keywords makes it extremely difficult to use. It is essentially Google’s control over your own account that means often Express’ ads result in higher cost-per-click and budget being used on inaccurate keywords.
No choice to add negative keywords
Negative keywords are words you do NOT want your ads to appear for. These are vital to the success of campaigns as they ensure your budget is used as effectively as possible. In AdWords Express you can turn words off (as previously mentioned), but again you could appear for a similar term due to broad match keywords, making this feature essentially useless.
Cannot create ad extensions to enhance your ad
Ad extensions are essentially other components that are in addition to the actual ad, for example, callouts, site links and structured snippets. These options add more depth to the ad, allowing the searcher to have more information and have more of an incentive to click. Sounds great right? You do not have this option with AdWords Express. The process is basic and simple, therefore your ad will be too.
In conclusion, this conception of AdWords Express saving your PPC campaigns is completely wrong. When considering the small details that make or break an online ad, Express seems to complicate the process than its aim to make things easier. Essentially, if you are using AdWords Express you are most probably missing valuable leads and draining the budget.
You may be thinking, ‘I do not have the time or the knowledge to use Google AdWords correctly’, no need to worry this is where we can help.
Estuary Digital is a Marketing Agency specialising in Paid Search, with offices in Southend-On-Sea, Essex. We have a combined experience of over 17 years, providing expert marketing services to a range of clients with individual specifications!
If you would like to know more about Pay Per Click, please do not hesitate to contact us- Give us a call on 01702 904876 or email us at info@estuarydigital.co.uk today
