The Inbound Marketing Blog

I wrote this back in May 2007.  A lot has changed since then, but some of the principles still remain.  This became the most highly read thread on SEOChat’s AdWords forum with 16k views and eventually added as a sticky. There were also almost 50 comments.  The original forum post can be found here.
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This is by no means a definitive list. Here are just some straight forward tips that I have learned over the years from experience with pay-per-click, AdWords in particular, as well techniques I have learned from gurus’ books and newsletters.

I am not merely repeating a combined list. These are in my words, and in no particular order. I believe in all of these and am currently using or have used these techniques in the past for multiple client accounts.

Some of these might require more explanation, which you are welcome to ask for here.
Each are split into categories that should help for reference.

Improving CTR & Conversions

1.) Use the core/parent adgroup keyword three times in the ad text and display URL.

2.) Bid on all three match types for every keyword/keyphrase: broad, phrase, and exact.
(This will get you more clicks for your money).

3.) Bid higher on terms that have been converting well. Read the rest of this entry »

Google AdWords is the greatest direct response advertising medium ever created. This fact has been recognized by more than one national business magazine, newspaper, and marketing guru. Some business owners have Google AdWords to thank for their entire existence and growth, while others have replaced their traditional advertising budget at a fraction of the cost to advertise on search engines with better results. Since 2001 these classifieds-style, “Sponsored Links” seen above and alongside organic search listings have created millionaires, they have also lost advertisers millions.  With a low barrier-to-entry, many business owners  and marketing managers have tried their hand at Google’s pay-per-click system. Some have soared, while others have hopelessly wasted big bucks without knowing why. Having looked at dozens of accounts over the years and managed over a million dollars in clicks, I’ve seen the costly mistakes often made. Below are six of the most common with solutions.

1. Always Bidding to Be Number One -  Ego bidding can cause expensive click wars. Always trying to be #1 over your competitors on one specific keyword just to be #1 wastes time and money unless you know your keywords’ true value or cost-per-conversion. For high volume, competitive, high cost clicks, make sure you know your keywords’ cost-per-conversion.

Solution: Generally, positions 3 - 10 have higher conversion rates because they receive less impulsive and irrelevant clicks. In recent years relevancy has been playing a larger role (Quality Score), and being #1 is not solely dependent on maximum bid. Calculate how much a customer or lead is worth to you and don’t spend more than that per lead (excluding the first month of testing or so). Swallow your pride, mind your ROI, and let your competitors waste their time and money on bidding wars. The one exception being when the keyword is the name of your company. Get five more common AdWords Mistakes & their Fixes. Read the rest of this entry »

I just received two emails in two days stating that Google will be doing away with two features and/or conversion measurements — Pay-per-action Beta and Cross Conversion Tracking.

By doing away with the Cross Conversion Tracking, I’m sure they hope you choose to engage more with their products by becoming a Google Analytics user which allows the site owner to set up “Goals,” which can measures conversions from “non-Google pay-per-click services.”

From the beginning I’ve done both. Using Cross Conversion Tracking I enjoyed being able to see conversions and traffic from MSN adCenter and Yahoo! Search Marketing by only having to log into one interface, AdWords. Although, that pesky extra tracking code had to be added to every destination URL in every ad from other ‘”non Google” ppc platform was cumbersome for someone who uses multiple tracking URLs and creates new adgroups often.

Unfortunately I bought some domains the day I heard Google was starting a pay-per-action platform that will go to waste. I also renewed this year. $60 gone. Luckily I didn’t buy them for more than one year at at time (which you should always register for at least two years at a time if you have a site you are actually developing, according Rand Fiskin’s interpretation to small variable in the Google algorithm patten).

Entrepreneur’s Domain Graveyard
R.I.P. : ADWORDSCOSTPERACTION.COM
R.I.P. : ADWORDSCPA.COM
R.I.P. : ADWORDSPPA.ORG

I probably would have received a cease and desist for using AdWords in the domain anyway. Read Google’s PR Spun “Dear John” letters in here:
Read the rest of this entry »

Today I noticed in one account interface a message that if ignored could radically change how often ads are triggered and for what keywords. I thought they had a similar match type already implemented called “extended match,” but this possibly takes the liberty at which Google will trigger your ads for search (related and sometimes unrelated) queries even further.

According to Google:

“Automatic matching is an optional feature that helps your ads reach targeted traffic missed by your keyword lists. It works by analyzing the ads, keywords, and landing pages in your ad group. It then shows your ads on search queries relevant to this information.
Read the rest of this entry »

When Andrew Goodman talks about AdWords I listen. I read his book back in the summer of 2006 and my eyes were opened to many AdWords techniques as well as many direct response advertising principles in which I had forgotten. I look back at my first attempts at Overture in 2005 and realize how much has changed and how much I have learned.

In the following article Goodman gives some sage advice on what to do with when you inherit a bad AdWords account. This quote seems to appropriately reflect his point..

“No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, turn back.” -Turkish Proverb

Individual account history combined with Google’s own historical assessment of keyword success gathered from advertisers over the last seven years (since 2001) plays a role in AdWords Quality Score. So does those crucial first 1000 impressions for getting a good click through rate.

So what do you do when your account bombs or you inherit one with bad set up/history? Start over with a new account or you will be facing an uphill battle for a long time, and possibly forever. Start by creating tight adgroups and bidding higher than you normally would in order to obtain a high Quality Score. Don’t expect the account to instantly pay for itself the first week or even month. If you follow the path of the diligent and knowledgeable you will outlast the lazy and uninformed and eventually be rolling in ROI bliss.

Read the rest of Goodman’s commentary on his Monday Search Engine Land column.

I’ve heard this advice before from two other Gurus whom I follow.
Micheal Reining of MindValleyLabs.com in his The Coming AdWords War ebook.
SEOChat Forum posts by the legendary GarytheScubaGuy.

Edit:
Jon Rognerud from Entrepreneur.com also mentioned this technique today.