Google AdWords™ For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

How to Think Like Your Prospect

We began this chapter with a pathetic rant about experiences as a Yellow Pages advertiser. Now look at the Yellow Pages from the point of view of the user — the person searching for a solution to a problem. But we're done whining, so we're not going to complain about figuring out which heading to look under, deciding which listing to call, dealing with voice mail (no, really, no more whining). Instead, imagine a totally new experience: the Magic Yellow Pages.

In the Magic Yellow Pages, you don't have to flip through hundreds of pages. In fact, the book doesn't have any pages — just a blank cover. You write down what you're looking for on the cover, and then, poof! — the listings appear. The most relevant listings, according to the Magic Yellow Pages, appear on the cover. Subsequent pages contain more listings, in order of decreasing relevance.

But wait — there's even still more! The listings in the Magic Yellow Pages don't have phone numbers. Instead, touch the listing, and you're magically transported to the business itself. Don't like what you see? Snap your fingers, and you're back in front of the Magic Yellow Pages, ready to touch another listing or type another query.

This is how AdWords functions from the point of view of your prospects: They have all the power. They conjure entire shopping centers full of competing shops by typing words — and they window-shop until they find what they want or give up.

Their search term represents an itch that ...