PixelMEDIA Inc.

I am going back to the basics with this entry and discussing how to write text ads that will garner clicks. Too often I see ineffective ad copy that leads to low click-thru-rates (CTRs). I will share why it is necessary to include your targeted keywords in your ad copy and techniques to make your ads stand out.

First and foremost, when you write ads “one size fits all” does not apply. Why not? Let’s take a look at this example. When I search for “Panasonic televisions” I see these ads.

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In my experience managing pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, a frequently overlooked topic is the landing page.  Once your users click your ad, where are they going to go?  Setting up a structurally sound campaign is imperative, but it is only half the equation.  The user needs to land on a page that continues the messaging and call to action that is used in the ad.

Several factors go into creating a good landing page, none of which should be ignored.  These techniques will determine how many of your clicks turn into conversions.  Conversion rate, as I have previously written about, is a tier one success indicator of how well your campaign is doing.  Give your users an effective landing page, and you should see your conversion rates increase.

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Pay-per-click (PPC) is a highly competitive advertising platform. With more and more companies signing up for PPC campaigns every day, advertisers have to bid higher—not only be within the top three positions of the sponsored listings, but to be on the first page of results. Though bid position is not solely based on the maximum amount of money you are willing to spend per click (also known as maximum cost-per-click, or CPC), it is one of the key components. The conundrum: how much you are willing to bid for your ads to show up as close to the top of the listings as possible?

Your budget plays a huge role in how much you are willing to bid, but other factors come into play as well. Among these are the importance of each targeted keyword to your campaign, the way the ad copy is written, and the landing page of each ad. Here’s a look at each of these factors in greater detail:

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Recently, I was asked what to do when a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign has been running for a few months with no hiccups. In other words, what optimizations do you make to the campaign when it is running smoothly and providing good results? My reply was to continually test new things as your campaign can always perform better. Here are a few items I like to try:

• Vary the letter cases
• Try different calls to action (CTA)
• Add more keywords throughout the campaign
• Test different variations of landing pages

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Should you be purchasing your company’s branded keywords?

In any Pay-per-Click (PPC) campaign, it is important to decide whether or not you will be purchasing your company’s branded keywords. For example, a branded keyword would be “Dell,” whereas a non-branded keyword would be “desktop computer.” This issue often gets overlooked and, in the long run, can create a problem. There are both pros and cons to purchasing your branded keywords. In the end, the decision comes down to (Read More…)