Everybody loves a cautionary tale. This is a brief lesson to illustrate how AdWords Express works and how it can all go wrong.

In an ideal setting, AdWords Express is an excellent tool. As we explained here, Google created it to be an easy way to do PPC with little knowledge of the nuts and bolts of PPC. The trouble is that it relies on Google's ability to determine what your website is actually about, and by so doing, Google creates its own keyword list. The inherent problem with this is that most websites are not ready for this because 1) they're built/coded incorrectly so Google can't actually "read" the content of the site, and/or 2) the content of the site is irrelevant to the actual purpose of the site (yes that happens).

A client of ours (for other services, not including PPC at the time), a new car dealer, created an AdWords Express campaign a few months before we met. Just like it's supposed to do, the AdWords Express machine skimmed the client's website and determined which keywords to target and where to serve ads to (geographically). This is where it all went wrong.

As is typical, AdWords Express generated a list that had an OK percentage of truly relevant search terms, such as specific car models, etc. However, this list was totally bogged down by completely irrelevant search terms (keep in mind, we're selling NEW cars here) such as "big a** trucks," "RV hauler," "1954 Ford Truck Parts," and "military surplus." 

To make matters worse, this car dealer, located in northern Utah, was paying to serve these ads to areas completely outside of its market. We're talking to areas bordering Nebraska, Arizona, and Canada. The geography was grossly overextended.

AdWords Express was working exactly as designed here, yet there were clear instances of waste. Upon auditing the campaign, we discovered that over 98% of the budget had been COMPLETELY wasted. For a small business, their budget had just bled out about $10,000 in precious marketing dollars.

This highlights several important lessons about AdWords in general. First, an intimate understanding of the ins and outs of search engine marketing is critical to success and limited waste. Second, assuming that 15 minutes of work is enough to achieve the success of your business' marketing plan is a huge gamble. And third, there is no substitute for experience.

After reporting the results of our audit, we were immediately tasked with fixing the hemmoraging AdWords problem. We instantly turned things around, and the results showed in the results: the client began setting monthly sales records, and the metrics of the PPC were outstanding (500-800% better click-thru-rates over what's average across ALL of Google's PPC ads). The $10,000 lesson was a significant one: sustainable success comes only when you surround yourself with people who are experts at what they do.

Special Note: We are always happy to do a free, comprehensive audit of your PPC campaigns. Contact us and we'll dig into the data for you to show you exactly how you're doing.


About us: Level 11 Online Marketing is a fast growing digital advertising agency that is becoming known for disrupting the status quo. We specialize in digital advertising, video production, SEO, SEM, advanced analytics, custom web solutions via website design & implementation, social media strategies and conversion optimization. Headquartered in Utah, you will find Level 11 team members in Utah, Washington, California, Idaho, and Colorado. We have the best creative minds in the industry backed up by the most talented software developers and video production teams which leads to powerful, efficient advertising campaigns.

If you have questions, comment here or email us at info@level11.io today!

What makes a successful entrepreneur? This list will certainly have a few things that are your strengths already, but maybe there's a few things you need to improve on. Either way, these are 11 traits that are characteristics attributable to the most consistently successful entrepreneurs.

1 - They dream BIG
Successful business owners have vision for what they can create. They can visualize not only the end result of their effort, but the steps required to get there. They believe in their abilities and are not afraid to push the limits.

2 - They execute
Ideas are a dime a dozen, but actually carrying out one's dream takes guts and skill. Creating something and having demand for it isn't an automatic endeavor. One must know how to create not only a product, but a market for the product. The HOW (how will our new product succeed and become a sought-after product) in value creation is just as important as the WHAT (what our new product is... you think it's the best thing since sliced bread, but is it?).

3 - They take baby steps
Bootstrapping is critical, but it doesn't just deal with money. Yes, your money is limited, but so is your time, your people, and even your energy. Creating and following a plan will make life much easier. Incremental progress is far more sustainable in the long run than a sprint.

4 - They ask for help
Find a mentor. Even the great business leaders of today nearly always have a mentor to which they can confide. Ask people who have achieved what you want to achieve how they did it. Perhaps even people in your same line of business will be willing to help you. Either way, successful people naturally want to help other people who strive for exellence, so there's definitely someone out there who would want to help you.

5 - They spot opportunities
Think outside the box. Some of the most successful ideas were almost laughable when first introduced, but the successful entrepreneurs behind the ideas knew their value and didn't let small minds stop them from achieving big dreams.

6 - They're confident
Fear and doubt are the greatest stumbling blocks to success. Entrepreneurs will find most success when they believe in what they're doing and use their passion to fuel their innovation. 

7 - They're nimble
Mistakes are inevitable. The difference between winning and losing in business, is while losers simply fail, winners fail and LEARN. Learning from failure will allow the successful entrepreneur to make necessary changes and get on the right path. Nobody cares about the failures when the end result is a successful venture.

8 - They're not afraid
Risk is inherent in new venture creation. Fear of failure stops many people from even starting a new venture or trying new things. Successful entrepreneurs understand risk, yet they mitigate that risk the best they can while carefully navigating every step in their new venture creation in order to ensure the best possible outcome.

9 - They build strong teams
Surrounding yourself with the very best people is the best way to ensure your success. The successful entrepreneur knows that quality people are crucial to prolonged success. Find people who are even better than you at certain things, and you'll get a lot farther with your new business than you otherwise could have.

10 - They let go
Learn from failure, and let it go. Recognize when you have too much to do, and let go of some responsibilities (delegate!). Successful entrepreneurs know when letting go is the right thing to do.

11 - They learn and do it all again
Successful entrepreneurs are constantly trying to learn more and master their craft. While constantly striving to create successful ventures, the successful entrepreneur will keep getting better and better while recognizing more opportunities for new venture creation. The never ending cycle is where we get the term "serial entrepreneur," which is a person who has refined their ability to create value, and does so over and over again.


About us: Level 11 Online Marketing is a fast growing digital advertising agency that is becoming known for disrupting the status quo. We specialize in digital advertising, video production, SEO, SEM, advanced analytics, custom web solutions via website design & implementation, social media strategies and conversion optimization. Headquartered in Utah, you will find Level 11 team members in Utah, Washington, California, Idaho, and Colorado. We have the best creative minds in the industry backed up by the most talented software developers and video production teams which leads to powerful, efficient advertising campaigns.

If you have questions, comment here or email us at info@level11.io today!