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One of the most important parts of using Google Adwords is being able to track conversions accurately. After you’ve made your selection of keywords, created a compelling ad, and then implemented your Google Adwords campaign, the next step is to start tracking conversions and reviewing the results.

You have the option of simply using your landing page hits and number of sales from a link to analyze your conversions. But it’s also worth looking at the tools Google provide its Adwords users for acquiring conversion data. Here are some tips and guidelines for using Google’s conversion tracking tools.

If you’re checkout process involves using a shopping cart or requires confirmation on the end of a buyer, you need to embed your conversion link using Javascript. JavaScript is required to send information back to the Google Adwords tracker.

This tool does not show the number of visitors to your site; but it tracks click-throughs on your ads that resulted in a conversion. Once you place the simple code into your website, you can then access the data in the Reports Center of Google Adwords under ‘Campaign Summary’.

There are only two conditions for the above method to work and track your conversions accurately. The first is that you should be running approved Adwords ads on your site and the second condition is you should place the code only in your conversion page.

You can verify if the code is working by completing a complete conversion yourself. If you can find out exactly when a user has clicked on your ad and completed the conversion process, you can review your conversion reports within 24 hours and see the click-through on the report summary. Avoid clicking your own ads, as this is a breach of the Google Adwords terms of service contract.

You can still track your conversions if you are using a payment checkout system, like PayPal. PayPal and most other systems offer a conversion confirmation webpage wherein you can insert your Adwords tracking code. You will have a record of all conversions or sales once a customer successfully completes the checkout process.

The book “Google: The Missing Manual”, written by J.D. Biersdorfer, Mathew McDonald, and Sarah Milstein, justifies the importance of knowing your total cost per conversion.

This information will let you understand how much it actually costs to generate your sale; you can calculate this by using the free conversion-tracking tools and matching the number of conversions up with the total cost of your campaign for any given period of time. To calculate this, you will need to produce a summary report of keyword purchases at the end of each month and divide the number of conversions by your total costs to run the ad.

Marketing with Google Adwords is an effective technique that most websites can use to find more sales. Creating quality Google Ads is one of the most important skills to have when using Adwords – and there are several good training guides available online.

The truth is its really hard to create a successful Google Adwords campaign whether you’re a newbie or an advanced internet marketer. It’s a high risk marketing method that will cost you dearly if you commit a mistake. You can always delay putting up your Adwords campaign but the insights and rewards will come only after you start your campaign and continually find ways to improve it.

These costly mistakes are addressed in the book The Definitive Guide to Google Adwords. Written by Perry Marshall, the book is all about getting excellent results from Adwords campaigns consistently.

Below are five common mistakes you must avoid to get you started in raking in huge traffic from your target market:

1. Writing keyword-less ads. By this I mean writing keywords only in the headline of your ad. Posting 1-2 keywords or keyphrases in the body of your ad will make it more relevant in the eyes of both your target market and Google.

2. Directing all traffic to your homepage. Don’t ever send your visitors to your homepage when they click your ads. In most cases, a homepage is used to give general information about a company and its products or services. Those who click on ads do so for a specific reason. Give them what they’ve came for by directing them to a landing page listing your value proposition for them.

3. Using ‘broad match’ in the Google Adwords Keyword Selector Tool as the basis of your research and campaign. As the name suggests, the ‘broad match’ selection is only useful for an overview of your chosen niche or market. The whole point of keyword research is to know the precise words or phrases your target market uses when searching for information in Google. Make use of ‘phrase match’ and ‘exact match’ instead to find out the exact keywords or keyphrases that will lure in your prospects.

4. Using irrelevant keywords. Do not rush to find out what your target market is actually typing in search boxes. Some people make the mistake of assuming that their target market also uses the same words they use to find products and services. This results in a keyword list that gives you sub-par results. To avoid this, utilize the ’synonyms’ function in the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. This function will list related keywords from your original keywords giving you vital details on how to best conduct your campaign.

5. An uninteresting headline. Each ad on average only has a second to grab the attention of viewers before they move on. The headline of your ad serves as the hook to reel in visitors. It’s the most prominent part of your ad and the quality of it will determine if the reader checks out the rest of the ad or not. State the most important benefit you’re giving in your headline to compel viewers to read the body of your ad and click through it.