Now that we have spoken about some of the Paid Search basics, it's time to look at how a PPC account is structured and what to keep in mind when setting SEM up for the first time.

First of all you will need to set up an ad account and you should be aware of the general structure of Paid Search accounts.
The over-arching level is called the MCC or My Client Center under which you can have several ad accounts (this is handy if you have several brands or if you are an agency who manages Paid Search for several clients).
The ad account is where the billing and contact information sits.
Each ad account has several campaigns where you can set daily campaign budgets and the objective you want to achieve (online sales or calls or leads, ...).
Each campaign has several ad groups. Ad groups are structuring keywords and ads into relevant and common themes.

Head over to ads.google.com to set up your Google Ads account if you don't have one yet. Make sure to select the Expert Set-Up.
If you want to run Microsoft ads, go to ads.microsoft.com.
I recommend to focus on Google Ads for now if it's the first time you are setting up a search campaign, but consider to add Microsoft Ads once you are a little more familiar with how everything works.

Hands down - Paid Search is the most exciting and best advertising channel ever! :)
And Search is sexy, I tell you. So much has changed over the last two decades that has kept things fresh and always different.
Search listens to you like a good partner and gives you the results you are after. You can choose from so many options and the results always change, so freshness is guaranteed. :)

I still love search, even after all these years. Never ever before has humanity had so much information available at their fingertips. It is amazing how far technology has come and change is ongoing.
Let me tell you my search story. When I was at school I never had a computer, I only ever discovered computers and the internet when I started university and that was well before Google even existed. I ran my first paid search campaign in 1999 during an internship in Paris for a small boutique hotel agency that was advertising to the US market. My monthly budget was $100 and the campaigns were run on GoTo which later became Overture. At that time an advertiser set a cost per click and the highest bidder showed in position 1, the 2nd highest in position 2 and so on. Relevancy wasn't a thing back then.

I think most of us are doing so as it’s convenient, fast and mostly delivers the results we are looking for. It is pre-installed on Android phones, the Chrome browser and, unless you make a conscious effort to use a different search engine, you stay with Google.
But what if you wanted to be greener when you search? Let me introduce you to a Green Search alternative.

For those who might not be aware, Google dominates the search landscape (and many other areas). Google sits at just under 95% (!) market share here in Australia, followed by Bing (3.34%), Yahoo (0.78%), DuckDuckGo (0.71%) and Ecosia (0.16%)*.

From time to time I am sharing client success stories here on my blog. Today is all about digital advertising with a focus on Paid Search and Social. Check out the Waverley Mills Case Study:

As Australia’s oldest working textile mill (established in 1874), Waverley Mills produce designer wool products that are guaranteed to last, beautifully and carefully crafted, and ethically produced. Their range covers wool throws, blankets, picnic blankets, scarves, cushions and more.