If you've ever done any research on how to promote your site
online, you've no doubt read about pay-per-click search engines
and how they can really boost your sales. If you're not
familiar with them, let me explain: A pay-per-click search engine
allows you to bid on keywords that relate to the contents of your
site. If you're the highest bidder on a given keyword, your
site will appear at the top of the "results" page when
someone types that keyword into a search engine.
Many of you may have also heard of Google AdWords--which
isn't exactly a pay-per-click search engine, but it is an
advertising model that's proven extremely powerful. Google is
quite simply the largest advertising network on the Internet, so if
you use Google's pay-per-click service, your ads can be seen by
huge numbers of people all over the world.
Just what is Google AdWords? You've probably seen Google
AdWords advertisements on countless sites on the net, particularly
on Google itself. They're the little rectangular ads that often
appear to the right of the "organic" (free) search
results.
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AdWords members create their own ads and bid on the keywords
they want to trigger the appearance of their ads on Google and its
member sites. Each ad consists of a headline--up to 25 characters,
including spaces--and a product description--up to 70 characters,
including spaces.
Once you submit it, your ad is posted within minutes and may be
featured as one of the "sponsored sites" listed to the
right of the organic free listings whenever one of your targeted
keywords is plugged into the Google search engine. Unlike pure
pay-per-click engines such as Overture, Google's AdWords'
ranking system isn't based solely on the amount of money you
bid on the keyword. Instead, Google's ranking formula looks
something like this:
CPC (cost per click) x CTR (click-through rate) = Ranking
By factoring the click-through rate into the equation, Google is
trying to ensure that the top positions are filled by ads that are
actually pulling traffic and producing meaningful results. Google
doesn't want the companies with the largest advertising budgets
to buy up all the good spots and leave their competitors--who might
offer quality products and services--in the dust. Google simply
wants to deliver good search results to searchers.
Why use Google AdWords?
AdWords ads are everywhere. The Google Network reaches
more than 80 percent of regular internet users, so a well-written
ad with a great keyword list has the potential to reach a huge
number of people. Your ad will not only get great exposure on
Google's search page--which gets 81.9 million unique users a
month, or 2.73 million a day--it will also appear in the following
high-traffic places:
- The Google network: Google actually supplies the search
results for a number of different search engines. AdWords ads are
featured on all the Google Network search sites, including AOL,
Netscape, The New York Times, CompuServe, EarthLink,
AT&T, AskJeeves, Shopping.com, USNews.com, About.com, Lycos,
Forbes.com, ABC.com, Economist.com, InfoSpace, FoxSports.com,
Allrecipes.com, Lowestfare.com, Viacom and MacWorld.com.
- Google AdSense member sites: AdSense is Google's
affiliate program. Member sites add a field to their home page or
other site pages, and Google serves a rotating selection of
content-specific AdWords ads to be displayed in the field. Whenever
a visitor to the site clicks on one of the ads, the AdSense site
gets a percentage of the profit. (That's another reason why
Google factors the click-through rate into its ranking equation--it
wants to make sure its AdSense members are making a decent profit,
so they stay with the program.)
- "Gmail": As you may know, Google recently
launched its own e-mail service, Gmail. As a way to generate extra
revenue, Google features AdWords ads within the body of Gmail
messages, using software to target the ads to the content of the
e-mail message. This ensures that AdWords ads are being seen by an
even larger number of people.
If you've decided you want to try using Google AdWords to
get the word out about your site, know this: Because Google factors
an ad's click-through rate into its ranking equation, the best
way to optimize your listing without paying more money is to make
sure your ad compels as many people as possible to click on it.
Here are seven of the best ways to ensure your ad has a high
click-through rate:
1. Compile a comprehensive keyword list. The keywords you
bid on are the triggers that prompt your ad to appear on Google and
its member sites. If your site has a high ranking for a particular
keyword, your ad will appear when someone types that phrase into a
Google-powered search engine. Your ad will also be placed on
AdSense member sites that feature the same keyword in their text
and/or coding. The more relevant keywords you have, the
better--they'll help ensure that your ad gets seen by as many
people as possible.
By using a tool like WordTracker, you can make sure your keyword
list includes all the possible words and phrases people might use
when searching for information related to what you're selling.
Add relevant modifiers to generate more specific phrases. Instead
of just advertising bikes for sale, for example, describe the kind
of bikes you offer. If you sell used mountain bikes at low prices,
then include this information in your keyword phrase, for example,
"cheap used mountain bikes." The more specific you are,
the more targeted your customers will be, and the more likely
they'll be to click on your ad to see what your site has to
offer.
2. Test different headlines and product descriptions to
determine which ones drive the most traffic to your site and result
in sales. It's important that you test different versions
of your headlines and your product descriptions. Test them together
and separately. This is one step you don't want to rush! The
more testing you do, the better your ads will become. Also, be sure
to include your main keyword phrase or a close variation of it in
your ad's headline.
3. Use Google's "keyword matching" options to
increase the targeting efficiency of your keywords. Google
features four different "keyword matching" options to
allow you to customize how your keywords are matched to words your
potential customers are entering in their searches:
Broad match. This is the default setting. It matches your
ads to every mention of your keyword phrase, whether the words
appear in order or with other words in between them.
Example: cheap used mountain bikes
Will match: Mountain Motors used lawnmowers motor bikes
fixed cheap
Phrase match. This option matches the exact keyword
phrase, but other words can appear before or after the targeted
phrase.
Example: "cheap used mountain bikes"
Will match: cycling equipment cheap used mountain bikes
touring cycles kids' bikes
Exact match. This option matches the exact phrase ONLY --
no words can come before or after the targeted phrase.
Example: [cheap used mountain bikes]
Will match: cheap used mountain bikes (and nothing
else!)
Negative match. This option specifies terms that should
be excluded, ensuring that people looking only for your keyword
term and nothing else will get to see your ad.
Example: -cheap -used -mountain -bikes
Will match: children's touring bicycles (or anything
that doesn't have those four words included in the search
engine entry)
The more specific your keywords are, the better. You want your
ads to attract people who may be interested in your product or
service, but you also want to stop them from being seen by people
who probably won't buy what you have to offer.
4. Target your ads by location. Google allows you to
target your ad toward specific countries, regions and languages.
This is especially helpful if you sell a product that's only
usable within a given region or regions, such as tax software or
bear repellent.
Once you determine where the majority of your customers live,
target your ads to those regions only. You can really boost your
click-through rate by making sure your ads are seen only by people
who are likely to become your customers.
5. Direct your link to the page that most directly relates to
the content of your ad. This isn't always going to be your
home page! If your ad is about cheap used mountain bikes, then it
should lead visitors to the page that shows cheap used mountain
bikes. It shouldn't lead them to a general home page or a
catalogue page that shows a number of different items for sale.
6. Create separate ads to focus on the different products you
sell. If you sell a variety of products or services, it's a
good idea to create a separate ad for each different item. This
allows you to use more specialized keyword terms for each ad, and
ensures you can direct your advertising to a highly targeted
customer base.
7. Be sure you continue to monitor and manage your ad
campaign! Google tracks all click-through activity related to
your ads and shows how much the bid rate was for any given click.
By analyzing Google's reporting data, you can figure out which
keywords yield the best results and focus on them to better
optimize your ad performance.
Of course, Google AdWords isn't the only worthwhile
pay-per-click search engine service out there. There are other
pay-per-click search engines you should definitely check out, such
as Overture, FindWhat and GoClick. However, be warned: Unlike
Google AdWords, these search engines are considered
"pure" pay-per-click search engines because their ranking
is based solely on the amount of money people bid on their
keywords.
Internet marketing expert Corey Rudl has gained popularity
because what he teaches is not theoretical approaches to online
marketing but real examples of what works when it comes to having a
successful business on the Internet. He's also the author of
the bestselling how-to guide, Insider Secrets to Marketing Your
Business on the Internet. For more information on his new
advertising technology, go to www.marketingtips.com/hoverad