As part of an overall marketing campaign, Google AdWords can help you showcase your interior design business to the right potential customers just as they are searching for expert assistance.

How does it work? AdWords is an advertising platform that allows you to deliver pay-per-click advertisements to people who are searching for interior designers, and all things related, via Google’s search engine. This means that your company only pays for the advertisement once a prospect clicks upon it.

For example, someone types in the keyword phrase “home decorating.” Google will look through billions of web pages and other listings, define the ones that are most relevant to the phrase “home decorating,” and present those to the user in order of relevance. Considering that there may be thousands of businesses competing for notice by Google’s search engine, it’s understandable that your business may not always show up in the first or second page of search engine results on its own.

Enter AdWords: Choose which keywords you’d like to be associated with, when you’d like your ad to appear, and even whom you’d like to target it to geographically, and the advertising platform will present your business above or next to relevant search results. You pay only when people click on your ad and are taken to your website.

With AdWords, your ad also can appear on thousands of relevant sites. For example, a text ad about your business might appear on HGTV.com’s Decorating page. And AdWords can target the growing mobile market – each day, millions of smartphone users access the Internet and search for what interests them from their mobile devices. Google’s ad platform will allow a mobile user to spot your ad, prominently displayed on a results page, and immediately call your business to find out more.

How should you budget for an AdWords campaign? It’s up to you, of course, but we recommend that you first look at your overall marketing plan and what you hope to achieve. What is the maximum amount you’re willing to spend each day, and how much is a click from a potential customer worth to you?

Determine how much money you have available in your monthly budget for an AdWords campaign, and then divide that amount to get a daily figure. This will be the maximum amount you’ll be willing to pay each day. Now, think about how much you’re willing to “pay per click,” or each time a potential customer clicks onto your ad and through to your website. This amount may change, too, depending on the keyword. 

For example, you may decide that the phrase “kitchen decorating” in the Chicago area is worth more than the phrase “interior designers Chicago,” partially because you’ll likely have less competition for the first phrase and also because the first phrase allows you to more effectively find customers who are looking for someone who specializes in kitchen decorating.

The great thing about an AdWords campaign is that you can adjust it in real time – as you keep your eye on the results, you may decide to raise or lower your budget or to increase your bid for certain keywords.

With a little practice and a little bit of analysis, you’ll soon be a pro at getting your interior design business the most exposure with the best possible clients for the most affordable budget.