A guide to using Google AdWords.

• Author: Calcott, Lori

PAID SEARCH ADVERTISING via services such as Google AdWords is a great way to reach new potential banking customers who may be searching online for local financial services.

There are several options for creating online campaigns that reach a local audience. The four major inroads your bank can make to reach local markets via Google AdWords are:

* Target by searcher's location.

* Add your location to the campaign.

* Employ location-based key words.

* Add call extensions to your ads.

Below are some step-by-step instructions about how to use Google AdWords to help your bank jump to the front of the search line.

Target by searcher's location

To create a location-targeted campaign you need to make some slight adjustments to the campaign settings. Google's default selection is your country and nearby countries that speak the same language.

To select a location manually, you can start the process by entering the location in the box under the "Let me choose" option. As you type, Google will populate a list of possible locations. Google lists possible cities that are matches, locations that enclose the possible matches as well as related locations.

By adding your local area, your ads will only show when someone sitting within that area is searching. This allows you to select keywords with a broader reach.

Add your address to your ads

Another way to convey location information to your customers is by adding your address to your ads through location extensions. You can do this through a sitelink extension by linking your Google Places account to AdWords or by manually adding your address.

To add an address to your ads, navigate to the Ad Extensions tab. (If the Ad extensions tab is not visible, click the pull-down to the right of the tabs and check the Ad extensions box.)

From the list of views, choose View: Location Extensions.

You will have the option of using an address from Google Places or manually adding an address, as shown in the image on this page. Expand the "Addresses from Google Places" option (click the"+" icon) and select the campaign to which you'd like to add your extension. Under "Add Google Places account," enter the login information for your Places account. You can also select an icon that best matches your business, or you can upload your own icon. Click Save and you will see a list of Places accounts that are now linked.

Use location-based keywords

Location-based keywords allow you to target a geographical area as wide as the...