If you're new to AdWords, the platform can seem overwhelming, and like anything you'll likely look for help in the form of forums, tutorials and books. There are a lot of great training programs (like PPC Blog and Certified Knowledge), a number of excellent books (like Brad Geddes' Advanced Google AdWords and David Szetela's Pay Per Click Marketing an Hour a Day), and of course AdWords' own help resources.

One challenge people new to AdWords sometimes face is that the help materials can be a bit dry, and the complexity of the AdWords platform can be a bit intimidating. As a result a lot of times videos can be a good way to get going and can help you understand how your ads are served. Once you understand the basic idea behind pay-per-click marketing these videos will help you to get a more thorough understanding of how AdWords works and how to use the interface.

List of PPC Videos to Watch:

• Starting Google AdWords
• Intro to Ad Auction
• Bidding Tutorial
• Getting Around AdWord's Interface
• The Search and Content Network
• Reporting
• Display Ad Builder Tool
• Contextual Targeting Tool
• Enhanced CPC
• Product Ads
• Automated Rules
• Campaign Experiments
• AdWords Targeting & Placement
• AdWords Editor
• Ad Extensions
• Search Funnels
• Opportunities Tab
• My Client Center

Getting Started with AdWords: The First Five PPC Videos You Should Watch

One of the most important factors in being successful at PPC is understanding exactly what PPC is and how the auction works. Hal Varian has some excellent videos detailing what factors Google looks at in ranking ads and charging you for clicks, and Google has a very high-level overview of what AdWords is and how to get started.

How to Get Started with Google AdWords Video:

Introduction to the Ad Auction Video:

Google AdWords Bidding Tutorial Video:

And once you have a basic understanding of how Google is displaying ads, it's valuable to take a look at how best to find your way around the interface:

And finally you'll want to understand the difference between search and the content network, and exactly what the content network is:

Pulling reports in the New AdWords Interface

An important component to a basic understanding of the AdWords interface is being able to navigate the new interface's reporting system. Brad Geddes put together an excellent video on getting the most out of reporting opportunities in the new AdWords interface:

Now that you know your way around a bit, we'll introduce you to a collection of videos about different tools and features from within the AdWords interface. Be sure to view each with an eye towards whether this AdWords feature is for you.

AdWords Videos of Tools & Features

Below is a collection of some of the niche tools and special features you can access from within the AdWords interface.

The AdWords Display Ad Builder Tool Video:

The AdWords Contextual Targeting Tool Video:

Google AdWords Enhanced CPC Video:

AdWords Product Ads Video:

AdWords Automated Rules Video:

AdWords Campaign Experiments Video:

AdWords Targeting & Placement Tools Video:

AdWords Editor Video:

AdWords Ad Extensions Video:

AdWords Search Funnels Video:

The AdWords Opportunities Tab Analyze Competition Video:

Google AdWords My Client Center (MCC) Videos:

Going Beyond How to Use Google AdWords Videos

As we mentioned, this collection of AdWords videos is a nice starting point, but once you understand how the interface works you'll want to better understand how to put those best practices in motion. You can learn more about how to not only use the interface but also get better ROI from AdWords by leveraging the books and forums above, leveraging some of WordStream's own learning materials, or possibly trying some software. Whichever route you take it's important to remember that just being able to navigate the interface is just a first step in learning Google AdWords.

About the Author

This is a guest post from Tom Demers. Tom is a co-founder and managing partner at Measured SEM Search Marketing Consulting, a boutique consulting firm that offers general SEO & PPC services as well a variety of specific content marketing and link building services to clients of many shapes and sizes (ranging from investigation software companies to companies offering LED lights for your home).

You can follow Tom on Twitter or contact him via email at tom at measuredsem dot com.