Google Adwords is the most important pay-per-click advertising platform in the world. If one is to work on an online advertising campaign, then working with Google Adwords will be an indispensable part of your arsenal. Working with natural search results is usually the first step that people take online, and it is important, but Adwords will allow you to test out strategies that you can use in your natural campaigns that would take months to find out the results with if you stuck to working with natural search engine results.
Further to this, depending on your business sector and type, Adwords can become the sole financer of your business. If you can run a campaign that will always result in sales that cover the cost of the advertising campaign, then you have created a constant stream of profit for your business.
The thing to realize about Adwords is that the more work you put into it, the more you will reap. You can run an Adwords campaign by throwing money at a reasonably generic term, and you will get sales. However, if you spend a few days refining the terms you use, using long tail and short tail terms, working on the times of day that will maximize your profits, and focusing on very specific geographic areas, you can increase the amount of money you make exponentially.
The trade-off is between time and money. Some will find that becoming a Google Adwords expert personally takes up too much of their time that they need to run their business, and it will be more profitable to use a dedicated Google Adwords management company. These companies will be able to take the management of your account off of your hands, and should be able to increase your profits from your campaign using their skills and experience.
If you are looking to personally become an Adwords expert, getting a few books on the subject would be a good start. Secondly, you should understand everything within the Adwords control panel and how it is there to help you build a better campaign. You can also join forums and discussions which are designed specifically for Adwords, where experts will analyse the latest changes in Google and the online advertising market to give you information on how to best manage your next campaign. Adwords is not particularly difficult, but there are many ways in which you can maximize your knowledge and in turn your profits.