1. Start with testing the ad groups that cost the most money, but have the lowest reward. Since you can run an unlimited amount of tests concurrently within Google Adwords, there is no reason not to be testing all the time. This way, you can ensure the account is always performing at its best.

2. Remember not to test with too many variables at one time. If you are testing your keywords, don’t change your ads or landing pages. If you are testing ads, don’t change your keywords or landing pages; and if you are testing landing pages, make sure to keep your keywords and ads consistent through the test.

3. Just because one test performed well for one set of ad copy and keywords, doesn’t mean it will work across the board. When you decide on an action to take after the tests are completed, don’t assume it will work for the entire account.  Test and make necessary optimizations to different campaigns and ad groups separately.

4. Start with the basic framework for a test to ensure you stay on track. Plan out what results you would like to see, how you are going to set up and run the test, and what will you do after you get your results. By mapping out this basic framework, you will not only stay on track, but you can quickly optimize depending upon the results you receive. This is especially helpful in staying organized when you are running multiple tests at one time.

5. Start with testing two of the most important aspects of PPC: Ad Copy and Landing pages.

Always Test Landing Pages.

The content of the ads is what causes a user to click through to the site, but the content of the site will influence the user to purchase or follow through with a desired call-to-action. By using the same ad copy and keywords, test different landing pages to determine the page on your website that will produce the highest conversion rate or other desirable metric.

Test Different Variations of Ad Copy.

Change the default setting for your ads in Google Adwords to “Rotate” instead of “Optimize” . This will allow full control over the ads that are displayed. Optimize for both CTR (Click-Through-Rate) and ROI (Return-On-Investment). In doing so, you want to look for optimal spend for the highest amount of conversions.

Share a favorite PPC testing technique or story with us in the comments.

Kerrilynn Young is the resident PPC Coordinator and readily shares her knowledge with Dinkum's PPC clients. You can find her at Kerrilynn@dinkuminteractive.com.

1. ALL Brand Terms Should Be Put Into One Campaign
Brand terms are exactly what you think: any term that includes your brand name. If they are interspersed throughout your entire account, you are probably compromising your reporting. Put your brand terms into one campaign, and even consider separating them into their own ad groups based on the categories they represent. This way, you can ensure you are tracking your most popular terms correctly AND sending potential customers to the most relevant pages.

2. Turn Off Broad-Match When Possible
When your entire account is set up on broad match terms, you are setting yourself up for excessive cpc costs. Broad match terms allow for clicks that will have little to no value to you. Find your top performing terms and list them in phrase and exact. This way, you can ensure you are getting the most relevant clicks, which will give you the most for your money.

3. Test. Test. Test.
When is the last time you took a look at your ads? When is the last time you checked your landing pages? Test out different sets of ad copy to find the one that works the best. Then, test again after a few weeks. Check your landing pages and test out which one gets the most conversions. Always test as much as you can! You never know, you could increase click-through-rates and conversions more than you even thought possible.

4. Thoroughly Organize Your Campaigns.
It’s a great start to organize your campaigns based on site navigation. But what happens when you see one campaign or adgroup drastically out-performing, or even under-performing the rest? Take a closer look and break it down even more. It’s better to start thinking about organizing your campaigns based on performance. You’ll have an easier time optimizing the campaigns in the future.

5. Check Your Query List
So you think you thought of all the possible keyword combinations that work for your company? Think again. If you’ve never checked your search query report, then you could be missing out on one of the most important tool available. You may just find tons of keywords you would have never thought of before. What you may even find are keywords that you would rather not be showing up for. If that’s the case, then start to build out your negative keyword list. Don’t undermine the power of your search query list.

Utilize these five tips, and you are on your way to a more successful PPC program. Remember, PPC is all about relevancy. The more relevant your keywords, copy and landing pages are, the better performance you will see.

Do you have a favorite PPC tip that works for you? Share it with me in the comments.

Kerrilynn Young is the resident PPC Coordinator and readily shares her knowledge with Dinkum's PPC clients. You can find her at Kerrilynn@dinkuminteractive.com.

Are You Leaving This Behind?

Google AdWords can be incredibly effective, but I often see businesses waste money by attracting unqualified traffic. Sometimes they are unaware that with a little more effort, their campaigns can be much more effective and cost less!  Remembering that the goal is to obtain a conversion, not a click-through is important. Using negative keywords is one way to do this.

What is a Negative Keyword?

A negative keyword is a term that businesses can use to filter out unwanted traffic. Google’s search platform has a section where we can list negative keywords, alerting Google to avoid serving ads when the query includes these terms.

How Do I Find Negative Keywords?

Negative keywords can be found in many ways. First, companies can start by thinking about the related, but undesirable terms that one could associate with their business. Next, a quick chat with employees may uncover untargeted terms used by clients and customers use. A good ole fashion web search can offer some insight into terms related to your target keywords, but won’t suit your business needs. Finally, sifting through your Pay Per Click campaign results to find unwanted search terms that triggered the display of your add is almost always productive.

Here’s a quick example to whet your appetite for using negative keywords to reduce unqualified traffic:

Negative Keyword Example: Auto Dealer

An upscale auto dealer selling Jaguar or Acura would regularly want to target keywords like “new car” and “new car shopping” but should avoid serving their ads to people uninterested in luxury brands. Serving irrelevant ads reduces the click-through rate and penalizes the advertiser by lowering the quality score. Therefore, the advertiser should use negative keywords to exclude searches that include terms like “cheap”  “affordable” or even “SUV.”

Negative Keyword Example: Lawyer

Attorneys specialize in many different fields of law, so it would be understandable for a law office to use negative keywords. Attorneys that specialize in a particular field can still use broad keywords like “lawyer Philadelphia,” “attorney Wilmington,” or “New Jersey attorney” while excluding areas in which they don’t practice. So attorneys that don’t practice DUI law should use negative keywords like “DUI,” “DWI” and “drunk” to eliminate untargeted traffic.

My Approach to Negative Keywords

So when I prepare a Pay-per-click campaign, I need to study as much as possible about a product or service, so I know what it is, and what it is not.  Some of the tools I use for negatives are:

• Google Analytics keyword log.  I look for terms that people have clicked that resulted in a bounce.  (users who leave after the first click).  Terms that have high bounce rates are candidates for negative keyword inclusion.
• Google Keyword Tool. I perform a keyword search for each campaign, scan the list for terms not relevant to the product/service I am promoting, and use those irrelevant terms for my negative keyword list
• My Brain and Common Sense. I regularly brainstorm based on product/service knowledge.  Many negative keywords are obvious and easily thought of.
• Competitive Ads.   For many keywords considered, I search for them on Google and review the ads that appear. Many times this gives insight on potential negatives.

Using negative keywords will improve your pay-per-click performance, increase profitability and make you look like a hero. It does require a little more research and set up time, but I think that it’s worth it.

Do you use negative keywords? Did I miss anything?

Paul Mosenson

Google Comparison Ads

Google comparison ads are a really interesting feature and I was excited to stumble across them. This search feature is only available in the mortgage industry for now, but lets users compare rates against each other.
“If you’re looking for a mortgage, you really care about a specific offer. You want to know the APR and based on your specific circumstances, which is something that AdWords doesn’t provide today,” said Nick Fox, director of business product management for AdWords at Google.
In the new system, those who search for “mortgage” or “refinance” or related terms may see a special ad from Google itself inviting them to view offers, like this:

Clicking on the ad takes you to a comparison page like this:

The service is currently only offered in the US and even there, not for every state. The service is rolling out slowly.

Ads are sold on a cost-per-lead basis. When someone clicks to receive a quote, the advertiser is forwarded the information and billed. The advertiser also receives no personal information about the person. In fact, they don’t even get the person’s real phone number. Google provides a temporary bridging number that connects the advertiser to the customer. After that, it’s up to the customer to provide their own “real” number if they want follow-up, Fox said.

This search tactic can certainly be expanded into other categories in the future, and is a hint for what’s in store.

Well, I hope that you enjoyed this post and those earlier in the chapter. I enjoyed being your guide.

If you missed any of the first three installments of my Google Sneak Peek series, you can find them here:

Google Sneak Peek # 1: Ad Sitelinks
Google Sneak Peek # 2: Enhanced Google News
Google Sneak Peek # 3: Enhanced Music Search

Paul Mosenson

Google Ad Sitelinks

This is a new feature for Pay-per-click advertisers that let you add four additional links under a main text ad.  This feature allows users easier access to deeper content of a website.  Ad Sitelinks makes it easy to update and refresh seasonal or limited-time promotions because the links can change as often as you like.  This is only available to certain advertisers who qualify (Google is of now is not disclosing those qualifications yet only that they are high quality advertisers) However, if an advertiser does qualify, the ads give consumers more options on where to click.

Here’s a dose of what it looks like:

My next sneak peak will touch on Google Enhanced News, so stay tuned.

Paul Mosenson

Seo in the long run

While this may be over simplified the meaning is simple. SEO may cost more up front in the long run the ROI can be, should be and if done right will be a better return on investment.

That is not to jump into the fray about SEO with PPC – I think there are many ways they work together but in many of the clients eyes the question is one or the other and the answer depends on the expectations of the client. If they need answers and results right away then turn on the PPc campaign. If they are more patient and want longer term results then lets doe the hard job of real research and put together the right marketing mix online to warrant those results.

Rick Simmons is a principal at Dinkum Interactive, a firm specializing in online marketing solutions for small and medium sized businesses around the globe. With more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing, Simmons has spent the last four years focused on search engine optimization, and other Internet marketing strategies. Reach him at 267-626-9094 or rick@dinkuminteractive.com.

So it’s interesting to see that another player to join the fray has blown up in popularity, particularly as it currently only serves New England and Manhattan. I think the key here is that it’s more than just listings and reviews. It’s news, events, suggestions all centered around your zip code. Called hyper-local, this is a model that actually might have an impact on local search. More like facebook and less like a directory. Keep an eye on this space.

Paul Fleming is co-founder and VP of Interactive Services for Dinkum Interactive. A trained teacher, Paul has worked in a variety of forms of Internet Marketing but with a focus on SEO. Originally from Australia, he now resides in Philadelphia with his wife and 2 ankle-biters.

To discover if this program is right for you, see how you answer the following questions:
· Do you get enough traffic to your website?
· Do your website visitors take your desired action?
· Do you know how to use the Internet to increase your ROI?
After “Internet Marketing Beyond SEO and PPC,” you will answer yes to all these and more.

The cost is $30 for Main Line Chamber of Commerce or SMEI members, and $40 for nonmembers.
Location: The Main Line Chamber Conference Center
175 Strafford Avenue, Suite 130
Wayne, PA 19087
Date – Wednesday, May 21
8:00 – 8:30 Introductions and Networking
8:30 – 11:30 Main Program

Coffee and light breakfast will be provided.
Hope to see you there!

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Paul Fleming is co-founder and VP of Interactive Services for Dinkum Interactive. A trained teacher, Paul has worked in a variety of forms of Internet Marketing but with a focus on SEO. Originally from Australia, he now resides in Philadelphia with his wife and 2 ankle-biters.