From the Winter 2004 issue of our newsletter, Let’s Grow. For a FREE subscription, CLICK HERE.
Top Ranking:
Get More From
Your Pay-Per-Click Program
Making the most of a pay-per-click (PPC) program requires carefully crafted copy, savvy strategy, regular monitoring, and constant testing. Here are some tips to help you make more from your PPC program.
Choose Search Terms Carefully
“We don’t use pay-per-click,” explained one outdoor furniture company “because we already rank high in search engines.” On further discussion, it turned out they rank high for their company name, but not for more important terms like “Adirondack chairs.”
Brainstorming and testing a variety of search terms is critical for optimal success.
Aim Lower
Nearly everyone clicks on the first listing, often without much consideration to its appropriateness. After the first click-through, readers often become more selective. A #2 listing will get you fewer clicks than #1, but the traffic may be much more qualified.
Write Efficiently
With between 70 and 190 characters to tell you sales story, conciseness is imperative. Craft your copy carefully. If you’re not a copywriter, consider hiring someone who is.
Consider Your Titles
Make sure your title (the headline for the search listing) focuses on benefits. If your company name doesn’t sell, don’t use it in the title.
Repeat Your Search Terms
Studies show that echoing each search term in the title and description increases response. Tailor your wording for each search term.
Watch Where You Link
If people are searching for “pond filters,” give them a link to a page that describes pond filters. Don’t risk losing them by making them search through your home page and pond equipment sections to find what they’re looking for.
Test, Test, Test
One key to PPC success is constant testing based on careful analysis of the results. Test search terms, maximum bids, titles, descriptions, offers, and the pages that you link to. Responses are rapid so monitor them closely.
Track Sales, Not Just Leads
Your cost per lead is only half the story. Investigate services that can also track sales from all Internet advertising, including PPC programs, banner ads, sponsorships, link exchanges and affiliate programs. They’re simple to set up and as little as $20 per month…well worth the investment.
Try Different Match Types
Most PPC programs now let you choose among an exact match, a phrase match, and a broad match.
With exact match, a listing only appears when someone searches on the identical search term you specify, with no other words included.
With a phrase match, your listing will appear when your search term is included in a phrase, provided that the words are in the same order and not separated by other words. For instance, if your search term is “garden furniture,” “outdoor garden furniture” would produce a phrase match.
With broad match, your listing appears even if the words in your search term are separated by other words or are in reverse order. “Garden outdoor furniture” and “outdoor furniture garden” both produce a broad match for “garden furniture.”