Adwords, do they work?

Last November I started using Google Adwords to see if I could generate extra traffic to some of the web sites that I manage. After playing with key words, CPC budgets, and different ad variations for two months, I still can't decide if this is something that I can recommend to my clients. I can't even begin to estimate how much additional traffic a given amount of money would produce, because of the numerous variables involved.

The tools are there, but using them effectively takes time and money. One of my problems is that I do not have a unique product to offer. Keywords for generic topics like "web design", "books", and "seminars" are very costly. With a limited budget, there is only so much you can allow for each click. Obviously, the more money you can allocate to your ad campaign, the more clicks you are going to generate. By now, I was hoping that I would have at least a few tips that I could share. But, there is nothing new that I have learned that isn't already on the web.

I assume that you could look at the bid price for a given keyword and then estimate how big of a budget you would need based on that. It's a very efficient market for Google and has proven to be quite successful for those who have the time and money to put into it. But for the small business owner, I wouldn't recommend entering into click ads unless you can put up enough cash to make it work, and employ some expert guidance to manage your ad campaign. One last word of warning: don't hire an Internet marketing expert who says they can guarantee results.