OK, so I've started down the road with Google's Adword system. It's been a week since I've gotten the coupon and I've been itching to get started. But... There's a few things that needs to be done first. Just like anything worth doing, it's important to know your outcome before you start. So, phase I is planning and preparation.

OK, so, here's the thing. I need to know the following:

1. What is my site to market.
2. What is the desired outcome.
3. What is the launch date.
4. What is the end date.
5. How much am I willing to spend.
6. What do I need to know (about Adwords) to use it effectively.

1. What is my site to market

Seeing as I'm so full of sites, I'm going to have to choose between the different ones. So, the one I chose is Articles@ITPiMP.Network. It's my online article directory that I've been working on for a few years. Actually, it's the second one I've built. The first one crashed horribly and I never recovered it.

2. What is the desired outcome.

Well, it's quite simple. Firstoff, I would like more unique content. So, I want to attract more writers to my site who can submit their content. Currently, I'm running on semi-autopilot. But, I'd like to actively bring more people to the fold.

Secondly, I would like to bring more readers to my site. Meaning, more visitors who can come in and read the articles on my site. The more visitors, the more pageviews. The more pageviews, the more chances of clicks happening. So, bring more visitors.

Thirdly, and most important, is spread the name of ITPiMP.Network to future visitors. Get people to bookmark my site(s).

3. What is the launch date.

As soon as the slog work is done. It's important to launch ASAP. You see, in Afrikaans we have a saying "Van uitstel kom afstel". Best translated is: Procrastination leads to cancellation.

4. What is the end date.

Well, depending on what happens with this experiment, we might never stop! One thing always leads to another.

5. How much am I willing to spend.

Well, here it's time and money. And time is also money. So, firstoff, time. Seeing as this is my first incursion into AdWords, I'm going to give it two days. From initiation to publishing my first ads. This is not only to plan, but also to research some keywords, best practices and the rest.

Then, money wise, I think I'll start off with a small budget. Maybe something like R 50. Just enough to gauge the effect of my efforts. If I do see an immediate ROI (Return on Investment) I'll up the ante some more.

6. What do I need to know (about Adwords) to use it effectively.

OK, so this is where the hard work comes in. I need to know quite a few things:

• How does Adwords' interface work.
• What are the concepts behind Adwords.
• How do I make the most out of my campaigns.
• What is the most I'm willing to spend per keyword / phrase combos.

In other words, research, read and research some more.

So, round one starts.

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