The Web Authority
Friday, April 18
Why the First Four Weeks is Crucial to AdWords Success
Good keyword research and winning ad text is now not enough when it comes to success with Google AdWords. It is now crucially important to not only have great set up, but careful management of your account in the crucial first four weeks.
This is not an issue of add-on selling or building a sale from my viewpoint, but an assurance of success. Why? Typically when an account first starts rolling Google will strongly serve the ads and sometimes at lower than typical figures. In the first two to three days all seems peachy. Then Google figures out where the new advertiser fits in its mix both by CTR, daily budget, and max. CPC. Typically we will see an account suddenly drop in ad position to 7 or 10 or even lower on the page. If you are not watching the account and making incremental adjustments in the cost per click based on market competition, your program is doomed to start to see the impressions drop and ad position continue to stay low and the program stagnate.
After weeks at this level some self-managers will figure that AdWords is not a suitable program for them. What they do not realize is that the first two weeks in an account are typically rocky. With fine-tuning by a proficient account manager around week three things seem to gel and the program really gets rolling.
What we do as account managers, in the first four weeks is crucial to your success. Sometimes adjustments are made in geotargeting, cost per click, ad text, keywords, negative keywords, and match types. In fact we feel so strongly about helping you start off successfully that now we bundle our set up and first four weeks of management together. We don't do just set up as we know that these programs are doomed in the first week without active experienced account management to bring them to a satisfactory level of experience.
This is not an issue of add-on selling or building a sale from my viewpoint, but an assurance of success. Why? Typically when an account first starts rolling Google will strongly serve the ads and sometimes at lower than typical figures. In the first two to three days all seems peachy. Then Google figures out where the new advertiser fits in its mix both by CTR, daily budget, and max. CPC. Typically we will see an account suddenly drop in ad position to 7 or 10 or even lower on the page. If you are not watching the account and making incremental adjustments in the cost per click based on market competition, your program is doomed to start to see the impressions drop and ad position continue to stay low and the program stagnate.
After weeks at this level some self-managers will figure that AdWords is not a suitable program for them. What they do not realize is that the first two weeks in an account are typically rocky. With fine-tuning by a proficient account manager around week three things seem to gel and the program really gets rolling.
What we do as account managers, in the first four weeks is crucial to your success. Sometimes adjustments are made in geotargeting, cost per click, ad text, keywords, negative keywords, and match types. In fact we feel so strongly about helping you start off successfully that now we bundle our set up and first four weeks of management together. We don't do just set up as we know that these programs are doomed in the first week without active experienced account management to bring them to a satisfactory level of experience.
Labels: Google AdWords, Pay Per Click Advertising
¶ 4/18/2008 07:07:00 AM 0 Comments
Friday, March 21
Microsoft adCenter Excel Plug-in
Click our post title to go to Microsoft and download the Excel 2007 plug-in for keyword research.
I have downloaded the plug-in and used it and I have to say what an excellent keyword discovery tool to use in conjunction with others in creating your keyword list.
Although you cannot use this plug-in like AdWords editor, it still warrants consideration. Why?
1. Allows you to query the Microsoft keyword database for potential keyword click, impression, and cost activity.
2. Allows you to create and efficient keyword list that can be used on all engines although the data is only pulled from Microsoft's servers and database. Yet there is great value in creating your list with this tool.
3. Make sure to watch the videos, lame as they are, to get you up to speed fast.
In no time you'll be creating new keyword variations that you can use on all of your pay per click accounts. If you are not using Wordtracker, this is a must have. If you are using Wordtracker, this is a good addition to use with your other research.
I have downloaded the plug-in and used it and I have to say what an excellent keyword discovery tool to use in conjunction with others in creating your keyword list.
Although you cannot use this plug-in like AdWords editor, it still warrants consideration. Why?
1. Allows you to query the Microsoft keyword database for potential keyword click, impression, and cost activity.
2. Allows you to create and efficient keyword list that can be used on all engines although the data is only pulled from Microsoft's servers and database. Yet there is great value in creating your list with this tool.
3. Make sure to watch the videos, lame as they are, to get you up to speed fast.
In no time you'll be creating new keyword variations that you can use on all of your pay per click accounts. If you are not using Wordtracker, this is a must have. If you are using Wordtracker, this is a good addition to use with your other research.
Labels: Pay Per Click Advertising
¶ 3/21/2008 07:55:00 AM 0 Comments
Monday, February 25
Organic Vs Paid Listings on Google
Consistently I have run into confusion on clients' parts thinking that participating in sponsored search or paid advertising listings on Google, Yahoo or MSN will raise their organic ranking. This is not true.
Paid or Sponsored Search
These are the text ads that appear on the right side of the search query results screen and at the top of the page typically in a colored box. How one appears here is to use a paid advertising service unique for each search engine for Google, it is Google AdWords, for Yahoo, it is Yahoo Sponsored Search, and for MSN it is Microsoft adCenter. To get top ranking in the results you must have a higher than you competitor maximum cost per click setting and a"satisfactory" click through rate. You also must have a Good or Great quality score. Quality score is the factor of a tight match between your landing page content, ad text and keyword trigger list. To get in the colored boxes you need typically a click through rate of over 2.5%.
Organic Search Listings
This is also know as the SERPs (search engine results placement). Organic listings are determined by each search engine's algorithm. Google has over 150 different factors which it will consider to determine your site's placement on the page. Some of these factors include size of your website, how frequently you update your content, how many quality sites on your topic link into yours, the keyword density of your keywords on the page and their match to the search query, how long you have held your domain name, the length of your renewal, and many other secret factors known only to Google.
Organic and paid results do not affect each other. They are entirely separate and participation in one has absolutely no bearing on performance in the other.
Paid or Sponsored Search
These are the text ads that appear on the right side of the search query results screen and at the top of the page typically in a colored box. How one appears here is to use a paid advertising service unique for each search engine for Google, it is Google AdWords, for Yahoo, it is Yahoo Sponsored Search, and for MSN it is Microsoft adCenter. To get top ranking in the results you must have a higher than you competitor maximum cost per click setting and a"satisfactory" click through rate. You also must have a Good or Great quality score. Quality score is the factor of a tight match between your landing page content, ad text and keyword trigger list. To get in the colored boxes you need typically a click through rate of over 2.5%.
Organic Search Listings
This is also know as the SERPs (search engine results placement). Organic listings are determined by each search engine's algorithm. Google has over 150 different factors which it will consider to determine your site's placement on the page. Some of these factors include size of your website, how frequently you update your content, how many quality sites on your topic link into yours, the keyword density of your keywords on the page and their match to the search query, how long you have held your domain name, the length of your renewal, and many other secret factors known only to Google.
Organic and paid results do not affect each other. They are entirely separate and participation in one has absolutely no bearing on performance in the other.
Labels: blogging for search engines, Pay Per Click Advertising
¶ 2/25/2008 06:43:00 AM 0 Comments
Monday, January 21
Advertising Globally on Google AdWords
Here's a quick tip for you on using global advertising on Google AdWords.
You can blow through your budget at an unprecedented rate when you advertise globally without any controls. It is far better to set up your architecture in this manner to be able to control your spend more effectively and in the global regions that really work for you.
First identify using your website analytics software where your traffic comes from and see if this meshes with your sales in the real world.
Second, group global areas into separate campaigns. Typically I will use a US & Canada market, an Asian market (includes Australia) and a European Market (includes Europe the Middle East and most of Russia). Then using my own time zone, I calculate the best times to show the ads in the grouped time zones. Typically I do not want my ads to show in the middle of the night in any of these markets as this is a way to encourage poor quality clicks. I want my budget to be spent in prime time. I am using ad scheduling to choose the best time zones. Remember in your control panel you enter your zone, but converted to the new time zone. I use this tool to help me arrive at those figures. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html
Third, I assign campaign budgets by region. I have found that this is a crucial step towards effective advertising. Additionally you will be able to evaluate clicks and conversions to adjust your spend as your program progresses.
With a little bit of advanced planning you can have AdWords global advertising work effectively for you.
You can blow through your budget at an unprecedented rate when you advertise globally without any controls. It is far better to set up your architecture in this manner to be able to control your spend more effectively and in the global regions that really work for you.
First identify using your website analytics software where your traffic comes from and see if this meshes with your sales in the real world.
Second, group global areas into separate campaigns. Typically I will use a US & Canada market, an Asian market (includes Australia) and a European Market (includes Europe the Middle East and most of Russia). Then using my own time zone, I calculate the best times to show the ads in the grouped time zones. Typically I do not want my ads to show in the middle of the night in any of these markets as this is a way to encourage poor quality clicks. I want my budget to be spent in prime time. I am using ad scheduling to choose the best time zones. Remember in your control panel you enter your zone, but converted to the new time zone. I use this tool to help me arrive at those figures. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html
Third, I assign campaign budgets by region. I have found that this is a crucial step towards effective advertising. Additionally you will be able to evaluate clicks and conversions to adjust your spend as your program progresses.
With a little bit of advanced planning you can have AdWords global advertising work effectively for you.
Labels: AdWords Tips, Google AdWords, Pay Per Click Advertising
¶ 1/21/2008 07:39:00 AM 0 Comments
Sunday, December 2
Nancy McCord New Microsoft adExcellence Member
Nancy McCord of McCord Web Design is accredited as an official Microsoft adExcellence Member. A Microsoft adExcellence Member has completed comprehensive online training on managing Microsoft adCenter search engine marketing campaigns and has demonstrated expert knowledge by passing the Microsoft adExcellence accreditation exam.
Visit our website to find out more about our Microsoft adCenter services for research, set up, and account management.
Nancy McCord of McCord Web Design is accredited as an official Microsoft adExcellence Member. A Microsoft adExcellence Member has completed comprehensive online training on managing Microsoft adCenter search engine marketing campaigns and has demonstrated expert knowledge by passing the Microsoft adExcellence accreditation exam.Visit our website to find out more about our Microsoft adCenter services for research, set up, and account management.
Labels: MSN adCenter, MSN adCenter Tips, Pay Per Click Advertising
¶ 12/02/2007 08:53:00 PM 0 Comments
Thursday, July 26
Pay Per Click Landing Pages
Yahoo has said it, but I couldn't have said it better myself. Why should you have an ad landing page and how to make a good one.
Once you read the article you will understand that to drop your pay per click reader on your home page or a peripheral page in your website is just not a good plan. Landing pages should have a tight match between your pay per click ad message and your keyword ad trigger list for the best conversion results. Not only will conversions increase, but all three pay per click giants have a quality score with some even spidering the landing page to determine your score. The higher your score, the potentially lower your click cost, and hopefully the better your conversions.
If you are not getting the conversions that you think you should be from your pay per click program, make sure to read Yahoo's list and update your own landing page strategy.
Once you read the article you will understand that to drop your pay per click reader on your home page or a peripheral page in your website is just not a good plan. Landing pages should have a tight match between your pay per click ad message and your keyword ad trigger list for the best conversion results. Not only will conversions increase, but all three pay per click giants have a quality score with some even spidering the landing page to determine your score. The higher your score, the potentially lower your click cost, and hopefully the better your conversions.
If you are not getting the conversions that you think you should be from your pay per click program, make sure to read Yahoo's list and update your own landing page strategy.
Labels: Pay Per Click Advertising
¶ 7/26/2007 07:15:00 AM 0 Comments
