The PPC Search Engine

Why do some companies bid on keywords for products they don’t even sell? Or fail to provide the basic information people need to make the decision to buy? Here’s a cautionary tale– with a happy ending.

HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?

I’m looking online for lamp shades. I go to Google and click on the top Sponsored Link in the right column: Expo.com. I’m taken to their “Lighting and Fans” page. There are 29 links in the left navigation, but no lamp shades. So I do a keyword search. Products Found = 0. All I can do is wonder why they wasted my time and their money, and move on to the next ad.

CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR.

Clicking on the second ad takes me to a home page with a “Shades” tab. I click on that and arrive on a page with information about sizes and a link to the lamp shade collection. (more…)

Success with Google Adwords isn’t quite as easy as some would have you believe.

Still just about anyone who is persistent can succeed if they’ll but implement a consistent testing program. Since testing can produce a nearly constant improvement in your click through rate (CTR).

Here’s the surefire three-step formula that’s as easy as one…two…three.

Surefire Step #1: Develop Your Initial Test Ads

Notice I said ads not ad.

You want to present two competing ideas to your market right away. Letting your prospects tell you which they prefer.

Tip: Test headlines first while keeping the body copy the same. Headlines can have a huge impact.

Tip: Set it up so Google serves up both ads equally. Otherwise Google will present the ad that’s producing the most click throughs more often which will skew your test.

Surefire Step #2: Monitor Results

After 40 clicks review your results. Google displays the ads under your listings. Showing the number of clicks each ad got.

Here’s early results from a campaign I tested: (more…)

Improving Adwords Campaign Management

Adwords Campaign Management - Naming Schemes

Keep your campaigns and naming schemes simple and readable.

Dull as ditchwater it may be but when you expand your Google Adwords advertising you will as a matter of course have multiple campaigns and within each campaign multiple ad-groups.

Google Recommended Limits

Googles recommendations/limits are as follows: (more…)