Google AdWords™ For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

How This Book Is Organized

We sent our editor an unabridged dictionary and told him all the words from the book are in it, and he could decide which ones go where (that's his job, after all). It turns out we were wrong: Google wasn't even in the dictionary (the one Howie got for his college graduation in 1987), so it was back to the drawing board.

On our next try, we divided this book into parts, which we organized by topic. Google AdWords is the big topic, but much of the book focuses on what you have to do before and after AdWords in order to be successful. You don't have to read it in order. In fact, every time we wrote, “As you saw in Chapter 4,” our editor sent a slight electric shock through the Internet into our keyboards. So start anywhere you like, and go anywhere you like. If you're looking for information on a specific AdWords topic, check the headings in the Table of Contents or skim the Index.

By design, this book enables you to get as much (or as little) information as you need at any particular moment. Having gotten through college English by reading the jacket blurbs of great novels (this was before Google appeared in the dictionary), we understand the value of strategic skimming. By design, Google AdWords For Dummies is a reference that you reach for again and again whenever you encounter a new situation or need a fresh poke of inspiration or a yellow and black coaster.

Part I: Becoming a Google Advertiser

Before you drive your AdWords vehicle to success, get yourself ...