Ok, this entry is all business 🙂  No idle chit chat.  This is how I set up my AdWords Account for a campaign on Government Records.

Step 1:  Create and Download Landing Pages.  This particular program has a cool form that affiliates can fill in and they’ll generate a nice little zip file of a bunch of landing pages that you can upload to your own server / domain.  I did this, and gave it my affiliate id and a google conversion tracking code, so I can tell which keywords are actually creating sales.

Step 2:  Test the Links.  Never, and I mean NEVER, set up and launch a campaign or adgroup of any kind until you’ve tested the links to make sure they work and that you’re the affiliate when you get to the clickbank checkout page.

Step 3:  Create the Adwords campaign.  For this, I created a simple campaign called “Government Records”

Step 3:  Create an AdGroup.  For this step, I selected one of the “niches” that are available in this government records program.  For the sake of simplicity, lets use “birth records” as an example.  I’ll create an AdGroup called “Birth Records”  It’ll ask me to write the ad, and I’ll use something targeted like “Search Birth Records Now” and “Instant Access to Birth Records” etc.  I enter the appropriate display and destination url’s

Step 3.A:  Remember that I said the affiliate program would create a bunch of landing pages, so I make sure I link directly to the landing page that is for “birth records,”  This landing page has been optimized for certain keywords related to “Birth Records”  This will increase relevancy, and hopefully my CTR, which will in turn result in a lower CPC.  Yay.

Step 4:  Add Keywords.  Once I have saved the AdGroup, there’s a keyword tool link in the next page Google displays which will allow you to seach for and add additional keywords.  Click this tool, and enter “birth records” in the keywords box, make sure “used symonyms” is checked.  When you click next, Google will go out and look for keywords.

There will be two columns of data.  One will show the search volume for the previous month and the other column will show keyword compitetion.  Click the heading for ‘keyword competition” until all the data is sorted so that the kewords with the lowest competition are displayed at the top.

You’ll pretty easily be able to see a handful of keywords that are relevant to your ad and your program that have little or no competition.

Add these keywords and off you go!

Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat!