Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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79 of 81 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Two Brothers Expose Secrets That Could Cost Google Millions!, January 24, 2007
Right, like Google would care about a measly few million!
There are three things that you should know about this book before you buy it.
1. Sure, the title says that it is a book about Adwords, but really it is a complete guide to overhauling your business. Yes, you'll learn more about the intricacies of how Google works, how to make Adwords work better and how to save yourself a ton of frustration in the process. But, more importantly, you'll be challenged on how you think about, plan for and execute your business.
2. Perry and Bryan are not huge fans of "Dilbert-Cube" environments (i.e. nameless, faceless corporations.) So, if you roll that way, prepare to be offended. This book is not for guys that have tens of millions of dollars in their ad budgets and are more worried about promoting their brand than getting sales dollars. This book is a must read for all the millions of businesses out there who need to drive customers to their shops, plants and agencies - now!
3. This is not a get rich quick book. What Perry and Bryan prescribe is a tough look at your business and a clear pathway to get the kinds of customers you want to be the kind of business you want to be. Don't expect to read this book, buy a couple of keywords and have money rolling in tomorrow. Those days are over. But, if you want to capture a sustainable, profitable niche, then this book needs to be in your arsenal.
There is one thing that bothered me about the book. It frequently changes tenses. Sometimes it's Perry writing, using "I" and then sometimes is Bryan writing, referring to himself as "I". It is a bit disconcerting and unclear who is writing, but it hardly detracts from the overall effectiveness.
So, if you'd like to keep some of your hard earned money from Google, and like to see your business become more stable, and make a ton more cash in the process, then read this book.
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61 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good information, but too many endorsements, November 7, 2007
Before this book, I was a complete AdWords newb. But bear in mind I was not a newb to internet marketing. I was pleased to find that for the most part, the book was full of very good information. It is good enough to get any novice up and running quickly. However, I did have a few complaints:
1. As another reviewer mentioned, there seems to be a problem distinguishing which author is writing at which time. Not that it matters all that much. But it did become confusing more than once.
2. I found the discussion on quality score to be somewhat limited. Maintaining a favorable quality score is something that many adwords advertisers have a problem with. Consider a more thorough discussion of this in the next edition.
3. Finally, this leads me to something that ticked me off more and more as I read the book. I was very disappointed to find that the authors heavily (and I mean heavily) promote products and services within the book that lacked sincerity. For example, the authors promoted their own services (and opt-in lists), friends services, and even services from companies paying them some sort of commission for mentioning them in the book. For the latter, it was not made extremely obvious, but anybody that is in internet marketing could spot this. For example, WordTracker's url is www.wordtracker.com, not www.wordtracker.info as mentioned in the book. I'm sure the .info was merely set up as a means to count referrals to the WordTracker service. To the authors, I would remind them that writing a book is different than your every day internet marketing efforts. Of course it is a great opportunity to expose the audience to your own brands and services, but lets keep in mind that people are actually paying to hold this book in their hands. I really found it deceitful that the authors have treated this book like an opt-in list where they attempted to sell sell sell. On a side note, the thing I have learned over the years about internet marketing is there are very few tools you have to actually pay for. And that reminds me, don't even bother with the "supplement" to the book (perrymarshall.com/supplement). It doesn't offer any quick information or tips. Only more chances to Opt-In, and more chances to buy stuff. I look at it as a wasted opportunity to provide some real value to the reader. In the next edition of the book, I would love for the authors to focus on more of the great free tools that are out there, and forget about getting those kickbacks from WordTracker and other companies. If you genuinely love WordTracker, send them to WordTracker.com. Forget about this WordTracker.info nonsense. That's just stupid. Provide great value to your readers, and they will love you for it. Trust me.
Summary: If you decide to read this book, read it for the content and marketing principles that are discussed. Take the website and tools endorsements with a grain of salt.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Read This Book!, January 22, 2007
This is what I would tell my competitors if I had the chance...
If you are looking for a step-by-step guide to getting up and running with Google AdWords in record time this is the book.
If you follow the steps that Bryan and Perry teach in this book you'll run circles around your competitors. This book will take you by the hand and show you all the tips and strategies that Bryan and Perry have discovered over the past 5 years or so. I can't believe they packed so much into this book.
What I really like about the book is that it is written in a natural voice that makes it easy to understand. There is no confusing geek speak. If you are a beginner or a pro this book is easy to read and grasp.
I manage Google AdWords for my clients on a daily basis and I've been using AdWords since the day of its conception. I've generated hundreds of thousands of dollars for my clients using Google AdWords and I still find this 25 dollar book valuable enough to have on my desk with dog-eared pages, pencil marks and post-it notes on the pages.
I strongly recommend that you buy this book today and keep it on your desk for daily reference.
I hope you find it as useful as I do!
Jeremiah Baker
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