Google AdWords: Like Playing The Lottery

A "dollar and a dream," is all you need said the television commercial. The lure of the Lottery is a seductive one: plunk down a dollar and you might become a millionaire for life. The promise of "pennies from heaven" makes the Lottery a daily habit for millions. People flock to convenience stores every morning to buy a newspaper, a cup of coffee, and a lottery ticket.

I see that same kind of passion and unrealistic dreaming among Google AdWords advertisers. Why? Because they heard they can "strike it rich" with Google Adwords. It doesn't help matters any that Google makes it ridiculously easy to get started with their pay-per-click program. All you need is "five dollars and a dream!"

Google doesn't advertise that message of course. However, for most advertisers, it's still a huge gamble nonetheless. Do advertisers make money with Google AdWords? Some do, yes. However, the vast majority of advertisers might as well blow their money on lottery tickets.

Is Google AdWords to blame for so many advertisers losing their money? That depends on your point of view. Are lotteries responsible for people gambling and losing their money?

In my opinion, the answer to both questions is yes and no. Lotteries would never admit this, but their whole purpose for being is to entice people to gamble. I mean, c'mon. That's why they exist. If people didn't gamble, there would be no lotteries.

Yes, lotteries hide behind legislation and the pretense that the money they generate goes toward education and other laudable endeavors, and for the most part that's true.

However, it's also true that there are people barely living above poverty level, spending money they can't afford on lottery tickets. They get sucked in, because like the television commercial said, it's only a dollar. However, those dollars tend to add up pretty quickly, when you're spending ten or twenty dollars a pop on lottery tickets.

It's the same with Google AdWords. People who wouldn't ordinarily advertise get sucked in, because it's only five dollars to get started. But when Google charges $500 to their credit card every couple of weeks, and they haven't made any money, the harsh reality of the situation sets in. It's not nearly as easy as they thought or heard it would be.

Of course, it's easy to blame Google AdWords. However, most of the blame has to fall on the shoulders of the advertisers. The majority of Google AdWords advertisers, simply don't have a clue about what they're doing. They read some e-book about how to make money with Google AdWords, and instantly think they're ready to conquer the world.

It's just not that easy, people. You still have to have some fundamental knowledge of advertising, in order to succeed with Google AdWords or any type of advertising for that matter. You have to educate yourself first.

And the best way to educate yourself is by reading "real" advertising books like "Scientific Advertising," by Claude Hopkins and "How To Write A Good Advertisement," by Victor Schwab and "Advertising Secrets Of The Written Word," by Joseph Sugarman.

Educate yourself first, and then lay down your money. That's how it works. To do otherwise, you'd be better off playing the lottery!