The PPC Game - Google AdWords Basics - Writing Relevant Ad Copy to Increase Your Click Through Rate
So you're thinking of using Google AdWords to drive traffic to your site but you're not sure where to start? Well, let's take a look at some of the basics which should give you a good idea of how to get going.
A couple of things you should know about Google AdWords before you begin.
First and arguably the most important is that Google rewards people who use relevant ad copy in their ads and on their landing pages.
How they reward you is by charging you less for keywords that closely match both the ad copy and the landing pages you are sending their searchers to.
To give you a better idea of what that means, let's look at an example.
Let's say that you are bidding on the keyword phrase "learn PPC" and you write a couple of ads like the ones below: 1.
Headline: Want More Site Traffic? (maximum 25 characters) Description Line 1: Get Insiders Tips & Tricks (maximum 35 characters) Description Line 2: Sign up for our Free Newsletter (maximum 35 characters) Display URL: FreeAdwordsStuff.
com (maximum 35 characters) 2.
Headline: Looking to Learn PPC? Description Line 1: Find Out What the Pros Know Description Line 2: Sign up for Free AdWords Newsletter Display URL: FreeAdwordsStuff.
com At first glance, you may think that both of the above ads look okay.
But that's not what Google thinks.
Think about it this way: Google wants the ultimate experience for every one of their customers (or searchers).
And that means that they want their customers to be able to find ads whose copy closely matches their search query (as in example #2 above) but also that they be taken to a landing page that is also relevant and whose text is closely related to the keyword or keyword phrase they were initially searching for.
The headline, when possible, should contain the keyword or keyword phrase you are bidding on.
Google bolds these matching keywords and this makes your ad stand out better and thereby garner a higher click-through rate (CTR) and ultimately a lower cost per click (CPC).
The more relevant your ad is and the higher the CTR, the less Google will charge you for the keyword because you are bettering their customers' search experience.
Some additional points of consideration: * Make sure you select only the languages and country or countries you wish to advertise in - there's no point in advertising all over the world to people who don't speak your website's language and who aren't in a position to buy your product or service.
You'll also find that keywords in the States are generally more expensive than in other countries so if you do decide to advertise in other countries, start another campaign to take advantage of cheaper keywords.
* Break your campaigns into ad groups of tightly matched keywords.
Since we already know that Google rewards the advertisers with the most relevant ad copy, you need to keep your keywords for each ad group to a minimum so that you can write ad copy that relates as closely as possible to each of the keyword groups.
* Split testing is the key to a higher CTR.
Start by writing two ads and then test the two of them together (this can be done easily through Google's system), keep track of your changes and keep writing new ads trying to beat your "control" - the ad that is currently doing the best.
You can and should be testing everything from your ad copy to your landing page to your sales letter to your email campaigns.
No one person can tell you which copy works best - only the market can tell you that and the only way to find out is to test.
* Send people to the page on your site that is relevant to the product or service you are offering.
Nobody likes to click on an ad, arrive at a homepage and then have to click around to find what they were initially searching for.
* Don't accept Google's suggested bid price - it's usually a maximum rather than a minimum and you don't want to be the top ad displayed on the right hand side of search results anyway.
Research shows that ads between the 2nd and 7th positions generally do better than the top position.
And, the lower your position, the less per click you'll end up paying.
Start out somewhere near the bottom of the first page; (usually 2-3 sponsored links show up in pink on top of the generic search results and 8 down the right hand side), somewhere in the 6th or 7th position on the first page is a good starting point for a fairly competitive keyword or keyword phrase.
Remember, whatever changes you make to your account, track them to make sure you are getting the most clicks for your buck.
A couple of things you should know about Google AdWords before you begin.
First and arguably the most important is that Google rewards people who use relevant ad copy in their ads and on their landing pages.
How they reward you is by charging you less for keywords that closely match both the ad copy and the landing pages you are sending their searchers to.
To give you a better idea of what that means, let's look at an example.
Let's say that you are bidding on the keyword phrase "learn PPC" and you write a couple of ads like the ones below: 1.
Headline: Want More Site Traffic? (maximum 25 characters) Description Line 1: Get Insiders Tips & Tricks (maximum 35 characters) Description Line 2: Sign up for our Free Newsletter (maximum 35 characters) Display URL: FreeAdwordsStuff.
com (maximum 35 characters) 2.
Headline: Looking to Learn PPC? Description Line 1: Find Out What the Pros Know Description Line 2: Sign up for Free AdWords Newsletter Display URL: FreeAdwordsStuff.
com At first glance, you may think that both of the above ads look okay.
But that's not what Google thinks.
Think about it this way: Google wants the ultimate experience for every one of their customers (or searchers).
And that means that they want their customers to be able to find ads whose copy closely matches their search query (as in example #2 above) but also that they be taken to a landing page that is also relevant and whose text is closely related to the keyword or keyword phrase they were initially searching for.
The headline, when possible, should contain the keyword or keyword phrase you are bidding on.
Google bolds these matching keywords and this makes your ad stand out better and thereby garner a higher click-through rate (CTR) and ultimately a lower cost per click (CPC).
The more relevant your ad is and the higher the CTR, the less Google will charge you for the keyword because you are bettering their customers' search experience.
Some additional points of consideration: * Make sure you select only the languages and country or countries you wish to advertise in - there's no point in advertising all over the world to people who don't speak your website's language and who aren't in a position to buy your product or service.
You'll also find that keywords in the States are generally more expensive than in other countries so if you do decide to advertise in other countries, start another campaign to take advantage of cheaper keywords.
* Break your campaigns into ad groups of tightly matched keywords.
Since we already know that Google rewards the advertisers with the most relevant ad copy, you need to keep your keywords for each ad group to a minimum so that you can write ad copy that relates as closely as possible to each of the keyword groups.
* Split testing is the key to a higher CTR.
Start by writing two ads and then test the two of them together (this can be done easily through Google's system), keep track of your changes and keep writing new ads trying to beat your "control" - the ad that is currently doing the best.
You can and should be testing everything from your ad copy to your landing page to your sales letter to your email campaigns.
No one person can tell you which copy works best - only the market can tell you that and the only way to find out is to test.
* Send people to the page on your site that is relevant to the product or service you are offering.
Nobody likes to click on an ad, arrive at a homepage and then have to click around to find what they were initially searching for.
* Don't accept Google's suggested bid price - it's usually a maximum rather than a minimum and you don't want to be the top ad displayed on the right hand side of search results anyway.
Research shows that ads between the 2nd and 7th positions generally do better than the top position.
And, the lower your position, the less per click you'll end up paying.
Start out somewhere near the bottom of the first page; (usually 2-3 sponsored links show up in pink on top of the generic search results and 8 down the right hand side), somewhere in the 6th or 7th position on the first page is a good starting point for a fairly competitive keyword or keyword phrase.
Remember, whatever changes you make to your account, track them to make sure you are getting the most clicks for your buck.