Don't expect to sell from your website by the end of the first day!
AdWords specialists need to ensure they set clients expectations in terms of conversions / sales.  It is unrealistic to set up an AdWords campaign and then make sales immediately.  It is theoretically possible and I have certainly seen it happen, but it is unlikely.Why?Because it is unlikely your campaign will immediately draw in visitors who then part with their money immediately.  Both your campaign and your landing page will need some refining first.Examine your web tracking.  How long did they stay for?  If a keyword drew in a visitor that only stayed a few seconds - they weren't interested.  Consider

Yahoo Search Marketing Accounts
Yahoo Search Marketing accounts are similar, but not identical to Google AdWords accounts.  They are definitely worth investigating particularly if you are in a highly competitive market.Why use Yahoo?Cheaper Click Costs, leading to cheaper conversions!  I have conversions down for one market to £1.55 compared to £6.50 in Google.Less competitionYahoo is generally regarded as being used by an older, more mature marketTo reach the 10-15% that use Yahoo rather than GoogleEasier to use.  You may prefer to start with Yahoo than with Google due to the cheaper costs

Why isn't my advert showing in Google AdWords?
Thanks to Google I discovered this is one of the most commonly asked questions by new advertisers.So here's a list of potential reasons it might not be showing:Your account is new, and you have not entered payment details.  When you have entered payment details, they take a short while to be authorised.  This can be up to a day or two.You have set up a new campaign with new ad groups and keywords, that need to be reviewed.  This can take a short while.Your daily budget has run out.  Even though it might not appear to have run out

Geographically targeting your AdWords campaign
Targeting your AdWords campaign geographically is recommended when you offer a locally based product or service.  Here are some examples I have come across recently:Locksmith servicing 30 miles around their areaBouncy castle company delivering up to 15 miles from their baseTraining company which expects delegates will attend from up to 25 miles awayScrap car company covering various citiesTo target your campaign geographically, you need to enter the Settings tab and repeat the instructions below for EACH campaign you wish to target:Find the Locations option and click EditI normally choose t

What's a good Click Through rate?
I am often asked when delivering AdWords courses what is a good Click Through Rate, also know as CTR.My answer is that it depends on the market you are in.For some markets, a good CTR might be barely 1%.  if you commit the mortal sin of having a CTR of LESS than 1%, it is highly likely your keywords will be Google Slapped with low quality scores.Therefore you should aim to get CTR above 1% as fast as possible before Google slaps you.In fairly non-competitive markets, it can be easy to achieve a CTR of above 10%, with some keywords scoring more than 30 or 40%.On a