is google ppc a con?

hi all

i signed up for a adwords campaign a couple of days ago, and i keepnoticing adwords keep saying this is not enough money on this search term, increase the bid, my problem is - there are only 2 other ppc ads on the page, but google want me to put it up to $5.00 a click, i am currently at .20c which should put me 3rd at least if there is only 2 other ads there.

search term is: Grand Bahama Island Real Estate

I have also just noticed that Guanaja Real Estate which is one of my search terms has no ppc ads at all, but google say: Inactive for search
Increase quality or bid $5.00 to activate

how in the world does that make sense?

i'd appreciate any comments on what i should do, or comment about how it works and what i am doing wrong.

thanks in advance

[ Message was edited by: tracksource26 08/16/2007 02:16 pm ]

Bah, its their adspace and it appears they'll charge what they want for it.

Google AdWords can actually work; however, their reliance on programming causes many anomalies including the one you're seeing.

Sometimes there are no ads because Google's system is insisting on ridiculous minimum bids no advertiser is willing to pay. In a new account sometimes if you just keep your bid where it is the keywords will start running anyway.

Sometimes it still says the word is not active but you will get impressions and clicks. Are your keywords you're using in your Google account on the page you're landing the ads on?

You might try some other related keyword phrases and see if any of those will run. Jexley is not totally wrong; it is Google's game and we all have to play by their rules if we want to participate.

Those rules can often be extremely difficult to figure out.

thanks guys, thanks for sheding some light on a dark situation. boo google

Although it seems simple enough to open a Google account and create some ads it can actually be pretty challenging at times. Sometimes it all goes smoothly and other times nothing seems to work right away.

Anyone who already has a viable business would probably be better off getting some expert assistance. Those who must take the do-it-yourself route may have to learn the hard way. There is a lot of information online to help with that and you are always welcome to ask questions here.

Another thing to think about...

Are you using exact searches? For example, [Grand Bahama Island Real Estate] (note the brackets). I haven't checked, but I suspect "real estate" is a pretty competitive term, and it is possible that your ad is qualifying for that category too.

thanks again guys, am trying out pwcarguys method, will let you know how i get on, does caps on first letter make difference?
and does plural and singular make a difference

Thanks in advance

[ Message was edited by: tracksource26 08/17/2007 03:08 pm ]

It is always safest to start with exact match only. Simply put brackets around each phrase you want to use. Remember that only those searchers who use that exact phrase can see your ad - at least theoretically.

Whether you use caps or lower case or a combination of both in your keywords doesn't matter. Use whatever looks best in your ads. Google won't allow you to use call caps in any word in an ad unless it is a standard acronym.

Originally you had to use both singular and plural versions. Now Google's system will supposedly show ads for both even if you only have one, but only for broad matched keyword phrases (not phrase or exact match).

See the help file about Google AdWords keyword matching options for more details.

Thanks flyingrose

You're welcome. Thank YOU for joining and being an active member of Search Engine Forums. Each person who participates helps many others. I hope you visit frequently as there is much good information here.

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