1. Define your goals and what strategy you want to use to reach these goals. Also what metric will you use to define your campaign a success and consider your goal to have been met.
2. Gather Data. There is nothing more important than making informed decisions. I have seen too many account owners and account managers make decisions based a current trend instead of looking at the bigger picture. Gathering data should not be limited to a single online source but open your eyes and look at every possible influence on your business rather than just what your keyword search volumes from Overture or AdWords are showing. Customers are a great source of data and the savvy search marketer is always in tune with his customers needs and plans accordingly.
3. Keyword level Tracking. As, I mention in point 2 it is important for you to gather data to make informed decisions. For this I highly recommend using a 3rd party tracking system. I will review my thoughts on some tools in an upcoming post.
4. Bid on approriate keywords. Its a general theory and common misconception that the more keywords you bid on the better. Well theoretically you will drive more traffic to your site but it will not be relevant. Start with your base group of keywords and expand on those. This will not be a one time process, it will be constantly evolving. This is another reason for the importance of Keyword level tracking. It gives you the ability to expand on words that are performing well, they maybe unexpected words that initially would have not made your list.
5. Target proper landing pages. Finding the ideal landing page can take some trial and error, but for a general rule, it is best to use as relevant a page as possible. This is not always the case and I will discuss some examples soon, but it is a good general rule to follow. Too many people go straight to the home page and their conversion rate suffers badly.
6. Scare factor. Avoid flashy images, videos, bright colors or music on your landing pages. These cause an instant reaction for users to click the back button and leave your site immediately, costing you money!
7. Easy Landing pages. Yes, the third point about landing pages is make sure they are focused enough to get the user to do what you want. Make the 'buy now' or 'add to cart' buttons very obvious, do not bury them below the fold. It is also ok to have multiple buttons at the top middle and bottom of your product page, if the page requires vertical scrolling.
8. Stick to the majors. Sure you can go out there and sign up with every engine or PPC program but are you really going to see the return on your investment. I'm not only talking about the lower numbers of traffic, which you maybe able to scrape some conversions from, but the time it is going to take for you to manage these accounts may not be worth it. LookSmart, Kanoodle, Findwhat, BlowSearch etc do not have the tools developed to help you operate efficiently and their click fraud systems are a little less developed which may lead wasted funds. So for the time being I would keep my money in Yahoo, MSN, Ask, and *gasp* Google.
9. Prepare for seasons. It is always a wise idea to prepare campaigns that fit the seasons. For the upcoming holidays you should probably already have a few holiday ads and ad groups with holiday terms in the works. It is also beneficial to create a holiday ad group that has some of your best producing words paired with some holiday focused ads. This also applies to other seasons that affect your consumers shopping habits
10. More data. Did I already say this? Well I can't stress it enough. If you are just using the consoles that Google Adwords and Yahoo Search Marketing provide, you are missing a lot of important information. Think of it as going to Best Buy to purchase a plasma tv. You don't just purchase the first plasma tv you see, right? Of course not. I will expand on which stats packages are the best for making informed decisions in an upcoming post.
I will go over each of these in more detail in future posts, but feel free to post any comments or questions you have.
By Jason Dowdell at 10:08 AM | Comments (3)
(3) Thoughts on Top 10 PPC Tips Improve Advertising Campaigns & Budgets!
Hi,I am going for the PPC Adwords,
What Ebook would you recommend, if any, for PPC Adwords? I read “Beating Adwords” is a good one, but not complete.
Do you suggest buying any kind of “keyword or word traker software” or the free ones would be good to start with?
Is there any website that you’d recommend?
Thanks,
Horacio Sousa
Comments by Horacio Sousa : Friday, September 21, 2007 at 05:11 PM
Couldn't have said it better myself.Any body can bid on a keyword but getting some some to buy a product or service using PPC means taking a lot more into consideration.
My TIP of the day is use a PPC company if you are serious about you companies PPC campaign
Comments by Wayne Grant : Friday, December 05, 2008 at 09:50 AM
TIPS TO A SUCCESFULL PPC CAMPAIGN For your Website.
TIPS TO A SUCCESFULL PPC CAMPAIGN For your Website. PPC (Pay Per Click) is a paid search that is conducted on a search engine for progressive search results.There has been numerous arguments and comparisions between the performance of SEO and PPC as to which is better.Typically, search engine optimization specialist may be busy with content, page titles and links (internal and inbound). Paid search professionals monitor bid amounts, tinker with ad copy and revise landing pages.But If these professional from their respective fields combine together then the entire community of SEO and PPC activists will benefit to a great extent if the following operations are performed succesfully.
1)Analyze and then share your keyword research.The research should be conducted with specific keyword tools.
2)Share and keep a tally of creative copy of search produced.
3)Keep a constant comparative study of pages downloaded from the net.
4)Take a joint decision as to when a natural ranking is high enough for a PPC ad that has a warrant.
5)There is an important aspect in SEO called Link Exchange.Sites submit their url in link directories to exchange links with websites.But on a common basis sites from one category are not allowed to exchange links with sites from another category.This is where PPC comes into play.
SELECT AND ADJUST YOUR KEYWORDS PROPERLY
The next important thing one has to keep in mind the keywords that one is putting for his website.Proper keyword selection will always provide good search results for your website.Want to increase traffic, build credibility, improve your search engine rankings and get people talking about your business--at no cost? Then open up your word processor, and start writing. By determining your best search keywords, writing an article that includes those keywords and getting it distributed online, you'll be putting yourself on the radar of people looking for what you provide.
Write a keyword-rich article that relates to what you sell, then give it away to other sites--for free. Believe it or not, this is one of the best ways to drive a steady stream of eager customers to your site.Keyword selection is everything and it's healthy and practical to revise strategic keyword SEO or PPC experts can offer a fresh perspective based on the search behavior trends they're studying.
BE CAREFUL ABOUT YOUR LANDING PAGES.
With landing pages, it's important to be careful because the SEO rules don't apply to PPC. Depending on how the page is coded and where the copy is placed, a PPC campaign can generate great results based on the traffic that is purchased.PPC possess the potential to give site owners the most precise targeting at subsidary rates, but putting SEO on the backfoot while you work on your PPC campaigns may be a bit risky. Remember, optimizing your PPC campaigns won't help tell your customers what your site is about or whatservices or products you are throwing up. If your site is poorly optimized and poorly designed, why would you want to attract visitors to it in the first place?
By using PPC you can help users become more familiar with your web site. Once these users become use to seeing your web site they will stick around. Plus, the more often that visitors come to your site, the better the Search Engines will like your site. This is one of the many reasons why it is so important to try to get as many people as possible to visit your site.
The 2 major Search Engine marketing strategies that exist today are SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay-per-click). You should know and understand that these two methods are very different from one another. This will help you to be better enabled to decide which one is right for you and your web site. Of course, part of this decision will depend upon what your web site is like.Nevertheless, it is still important to understand what PPC advertising is. Once you have conducted a thorough analysis of both SEO and PPC you come up with an idea as to which one will be the best format for optimization of your website on major search engines.
Shared affiliate online secrets, specifically PPC campaign tips, are a valuable tool for anyone desiring to derive income from online endeavors.
PPC Defined
PPC is the abbreviation for the familiar term “pay per click”. PPC is a method of online advertising where advertisers pay the host site when their ad is clicked rather than paying a fee rate for ad space. In an effort to demystify PPC a few affiliate online secrets concerning PPC campaign tips need to be clarified. PPC campaign tips such as software advantages and affiliate online secrets such as how to maximize PPC save expense and increase income.
Two Types of PPC
There are two types of PPC, flat rate and bid. Generally speaking content sites, such as blogs, are on a fixed flat rate PPC basis where as search engines and advertising networks charge only when an ad is clicked.
Flat Rate PPC
Flat rate PPC is especially common in shopping engines that emphasize comparison shopping and blogs. There are various PPC rates for different content. This practice is called rating. Rate cards are usually available from the publishing site so that the advertiser knows upfront what his PPC rate will be. Normally the rate card will reflect a minimum cost per click. Affiliate online secrets include the fact that this cost per click may be negotiable if the advertiser is willing to contract for a long term or if the content of the ad is high value or in demand. It is also possible to pay a premium flat rate in order to achieve higher visibility. The first of our PPC campaign tips is that sites that use flat rate PPC’s are highly organized and are categorized and compartmentalized by product and service. Knowing this enables the advertiser to target with a high degree of efficiency and increase sales/expense statistics.
Bid Method PPC
The bid method of PPC involves an advertiser contracting with a publisher or advertising network allowing the advertiser to bid against other advertisers for ad space. Affiliate online secrets let us in on the fact that ad space is keyword sensitive. The advertiser submits a bid declaring how much they will pay for an ad spot using automated online auctions for their specific keywords. Automatic auctions are triggered when a search for a specific keyword occurs. The winner is determined after the searcher’s geographic area plus time and day of submittal are all factored and compared. If there is more than one ad spot, multiple bid winners are chosen with the highest bidder receiving the optimal ad position. Affiliate online secrets and the second of our PPC campaign tips are in agreement that due to the complexity of this method, for those new to PPC the flat rate method is preferable for the beginner.
Affiliate Online Secrets Include Software Use
The third of our PPC campaign tips discusses the advantage of utilizing software available to automate and manage your PPC campaign.
As with any software purchase, do your research before buying. There are many programs available all claiming to be the one you need. Look into reviews and try the free sample versions to make sure that the program is capable of performing as claimed. Also make certain the software is applicable to your situation, that it is appropriate for your use. Software will vastly improve your business by pointing out weaknesses and helping you emphasize and develop
1)Analyze and then share your keyword research.The research should be conducted with specific keyword tools.
2)Share and keep a tally of creative copy of search produced.
3)Keep a constant comparative study of pages downloaded from the net.
4)Take a joint decision as to when a natural ranking is high enough for a PPC ad that has a warrant.
5)There is an important aspect in SEO called Link Exchange.Sites submit their url in link directories to exchange links with websites.But on a common basis sites from one category are not allowed to exchange links with sites from another category.This is where PPC comes into play.
SELECT AND ADJUST YOUR KEYWORDS PROPERLY
The next important thing one has to keep in mind the keywords that one is putting for his website.Proper keyword selection will always provide good search results for your website.Want to increase traffic, build credibility, improve your search engine rankings and get people talking about your business--at no cost? Then open up your word processor, and start writing. By determining your best search keywords, writing an article that includes those keywords and getting it distributed online, you'll be putting yourself on the radar of people looking for what you provide.
Write a keyword-rich article that relates to what you sell, then give it away to other sites--for free. Believe it or not, this is one of the best ways to drive a steady stream of eager customers to your site.Keyword selection is everything and it's healthy and practical to revise strategic keyword SEO or PPC experts can offer a fresh perspective based on the search behavior trends they're studying.
BE CAREFUL ABOUT YOUR LANDING PAGES.
With landing pages, it's important to be careful because the SEO rules don't apply to PPC. Depending on how the page is coded and where the copy is placed, a PPC campaign can generate great results based on the traffic that is purchased.PPC possess the potential to give site owners the most precise targeting at subsidary rates, but putting SEO on the backfoot while you work on your PPC campaigns may be a bit risky. Remember, optimizing your PPC campaigns won't help tell your customers what your site is about or whatservices or products you are throwing up. If your site is poorly optimized and poorly designed, why would you want to attract visitors to it in the first place?
By using PPC you can help users become more familiar with your web site. Once these users become use to seeing your web site they will stick around. Plus, the more often that visitors come to your site, the better the Search Engines will like your site. This is one of the many reasons why it is so important to try to get as many people as possible to visit your site.
The 2 major Search Engine marketing strategies that exist today are SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay-per-click). You should know and understand that these two methods are very different from one another. This will help you to be better enabled to decide which one is right for you and your web site. Of course, part of this decision will depend upon what your web site is like.Nevertheless, it is still important to understand what PPC advertising is. Once you have conducted a thorough analysis of both SEO and PPC you come up with an idea as to which one will be the best format for optimization of your website on major search engines.
PPC Campaign Tips
Shared affiliate online secrets, specifically PPC campaign tips, are a valuable tool for anyone desiring to derive income from online endeavors.
PPC Defined
PPC is the abbreviation for the familiar term “pay per click”. PPC is a method of online advertising where advertisers pay the host site when their ad is clicked rather than paying a fee rate for ad space. In an effort to demystify PPC a few affiliate online secrets concerning PPC campaign tips need to be clarified. PPC campaign tips such as software advantages and affiliate online secrets such as how to maximize PPC save expense and increase income.
Two Types of PPC
There are two types of PPC, flat rate and bid. Generally speaking content sites, such as blogs, are on a fixed flat rate PPC basis where as search engines and advertising networks charge only when an ad is clicked.
Flat Rate PPC
Flat rate PPC is especially common in shopping engines that emphasize comparison shopping and blogs. There are various PPC rates for different content. This practice is called rating. Rate cards are usually available from the publishing site so that the advertiser knows upfront what his PPC rate will be. Normally the rate card will reflect a minimum cost per click. Affiliate online secrets include the fact that this cost per click may be negotiable if the advertiser is willing to contract for a long term or if the content of the ad is high value or in demand. It is also possible to pay a premium flat rate in order to achieve higher visibility. The first of our PPC campaign tips is that sites that use flat rate PPC’s are highly organized and are categorized and compartmentalized by product and service. Knowing this enables the advertiser to target with a high degree of efficiency and increase sales/expense statistics.
Bid Method PPC
The bid method of PPC involves an advertiser contracting with a publisher or advertising network allowing the advertiser to bid against other advertisers for ad space. Affiliate online secrets let us in on the fact that ad space is keyword sensitive. The advertiser submits a bid declaring how much they will pay for an ad spot using automated online auctions for their specific keywords. Automatic auctions are triggered when a search for a specific keyword occurs. The winner is determined after the searcher’s geographic area plus time and day of submittal are all factored and compared. If there is more than one ad spot, multiple bid winners are chosen with the highest bidder receiving the optimal ad position. Affiliate online secrets and the second of our PPC campaign tips are in agreement that due to the complexity of this method, for those new to PPC the flat rate method is preferable for the beginner.
Affiliate Online Secrets Include Software Use
The third of our PPC campaign tips discusses the advantage of utilizing software available to automate and manage your PPC campaign.
- Automation: It is not a good idea to go with complete automation in your PPC campaign and lose the personal touch. The advantage of automation is that it does save time by eliminating redundant tasks allowing you more time to concentrate on productivity.
- Management: Proper management of your PPC campaign enables you to prioritize your PPC tasks and administer various areas of the campaign in order to optimize results.
- Keyword: Keyword research is excessively time consuming. It is also of supreme importance since the success of the whole PPC campaign hinges on keywords. Your keywords lists need to constantly grow and evolve in order to maximize exposure. Three PPC campaign tips to guide effective keyword list development are relevancy, expansion and exhaustive. To put it as concisely as possible, buy only clicks that relate to your business, continually add to your keyword list and make sure your list includes long tail search words (those less frequently searched).
- Negative keywords: Software is invaluable in researching the effectiveness of your keywords. In effect, software is capable of reporting which keywords are making money and which are not. Armed with this information advertisers can easily identify replace negative keywords with those that are more effective.
- Landing page, quality text: The landing page is the page the visitor “lands” on after clicking. It is vital to directly address the visitor and keep their interest by clearly and concisely telling the visitor what it is you offer or what action you want them to take. Keep your final step as clear and uncomplicated as possible with well written, quality ad text.
As with any software purchase, do your research before buying. There are many programs available all claiming to be the one you need. Look into reviews and try the free sample versions to make sure that the program is capable of performing as claimed. Also make certain the software is applicable to your situation, that it is appropriate for your use. Software will vastly improve your business by pointing out weaknesses and helping you emphasize and develop
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