Pay per click advertising is something that is very effective, but takes a great deal of patience and practice. It is not an easy, cut and dried exercise that you will be immediately successful at. It’s very easy to lose money at it. There are two basic core concepts you need to to think about;
- Creating Effective Ad Copy; i.e. you need to get the searcher to click on your ad.
- Creating Strong Key Word Lists; i.e. you need to be able to intercept the searcher no matter the key words being used.
Ad copy is all about enticing the searcher to click on your ad. In a typical return on Google there are three paid spots at the very top of the page, eight paid ads running down the right hand side of the page, and ten "organic" (non-paid) listings filling out the center of the page. Thus in total you only have twenty one places for that searcher to click, on that page. Furthermore, the time afforded you by that searcher is measured in split seconds. So, as you can imagine making your ad stand out is critical. Here are some tips for ding that;
Exact Match;
If your goal is to get searchers to click on your ad then set your account so that the exact match, of the term searched for appears in your add. For now we will just talk about Google as that is the most popular and effective pay per click program, it is known as Adwords. Yahoo has a system as well, it’s known as “Overture”. Years ago it was known as “Go To” which I thought was a far better brand than “Overture”, but alas they did not consult me when they made the change and it is “Overture”. Anyhow, that system is harder to use and yields less results. It should be employed, but for now we will focus on Google.
Below we provide detailed instructions on using the Google Adwords system but just so it doesn’t get lost in all that, I want to highlight this exact phrase match concept. If you employ this feature when someone searches for “green tennis shoes” the title of your ad will be returned as “green tennis shoes”. If someone searches for “size 10 tennis shoes”, that will be the title of your ad. Without this feature employed you would return a common title for all searches, such as “tennis shoes”. You can see the power of this concept, a person will be much more likely to click on ad add that returns the exact phrase they were looking for. So many people do not employ this feature, and its quite easy to do. In the box to enter your title for an ad you are creating place this;
{KeyWord: Tennis Shoes}
What this will now do is return the exact key word of the title, unless that keyword is to long and then it will return “tennis shoes” as the default.
After the title you need to think about the rest. Google gives you basically four lines for your add;
The title; max of 25 characters
1st line ad copy; max 35 characters
2nd line ad copy: max 35 characters
Site URL: (domain name displayed, does not have to be the destination)
You want to convey why someone should investigate your company in those two lines. You have very limited space so you do not want to repeat anything, keep it brief, and leave out words that are obviously apparent. For example if the title is “tennis shoes” and your site is tennis-shoes.com you don’t have to waste an entire line saying, “buy tennis shoes here”. The searcher probably assumed that. So instead say why they should buy tennis shoes there like; “latest styles available on sale”. The on the 2nd line you might say something like “free shipping for one pair”. Now the person might think they can find the type of shoe they are looking for, may get them on sale, and will get a break on the shipping. Now, certainly this example may be giving up more than you care to, or can, but the point is its competitive in this ad space, the person is glancing over these ads in fractions of a second, and the area you have to work with is extremely limited.
Key word Lists:
The next area we will talk about are key word lists. This is another area where individuals new to this always come up extremely short. Without getting into to much dry detail the concept here is called the “long tail of search”. What this means is if you totaled up the different key words people used in a given time frame to search for tennis shoes, something like 80% would not be obvious terms like “tennis shoes”, “shoes for tennis” or “tennis sneakers”. Furthermore, the “cost per click” (how much you pay every time someone clicks on your ad for a given key word) is far more expensive for the obvious terms like “tennis shoes” than it is for a term like “size 3 ladies tennis shoe”. So, if you can implement a large key word list, with the more obscure terms you will get far more clicks (visitors to your site) and those clicks will cost less than for the more mainstream terms. To find good key word lists you can search in Google for companies that provide this.
Please find below some instructions we have compiled for using the Google Adword system. Pay per clicking can seem daunting at first, but if you work at it, you can master it.
Sign In Page
https://adwords.google.com/select/Login?sourceid=awo&subid=ww-en-et-ads1_e&hl=en_us
enter your user name and password;
Username: xxxx
Password: yyyyyy
MATCH TYPES
Pay particular attention to these when adding new keywords as this will affect when your term is displayed and the overall cost of the keyword. The types with explanations are listed below:
Broad Match - This is the default option. If you include general keyword or keyword phrases-such as tennis shoes-in your keyword list, your ads will appear when a user's query contains tennis and shoes, in any order, and possibly along with other terms. Your ads will also automatically show for expanded matches, including plurals and relevant variations. Because broad matches are sometimes less targeted than exact or phrase matches, you should create keyword phrases containing at least two descriptive words each. You can also try the keyword tool and the other three matching options to further refine your targeting. Finally, keep in mind that other advertisers may have bid for the same broad-matched keyword combinations that trigger your ads, increasing your actual CPC amounts. Using exact, phrase, or negative matches can help you keep your costs low.
Phrase Match - If you enter your keyword in quotation marks, as in "tennis shoes," your ad will appear when a user searches on the phrase tennis shoes, in this order, and possibly with other terms in the query. For example, your ad will appear for the query red tennis shoes but not for shoes for tennis. Phrase matching is more targeted than broad matching, but slightly more flexible than exact matching. To ensure your ads are as targeted as they can be, you may want to include at least two descriptive words in your keyword phrases.
Exact Match - If you surround your keywords in brackets-such as [tennis shoes]-your ads will appear when users search for the specific phrase tennis shoes, in this order, and without any other terms in the query. For example, your ad won't show for the query red tennis shoes. Exact matching is the most targeted option. Although you won't receive as many impressions with exact matching, you'll likely enjoy the most clicks, because users searching for terms in this manner typically want precisely what your business has to offer.
Tennis Shoes – Broad Match
“Tennis Shoes” – Phrase Match
[Tennis Shoes] - Exact Match
HOW TO UPLOAD MASS KEYWORD LISTS
Existing Campaigns
To add a large list of keywords to an existing campaign, please follow the steps listed below.
1. Log into Google
2. Click on the Campaign Name
3. Click on the Ad Group Name
4. Click on Add Keywords
5. Copy and Paste your keywords into the box provided
6. Click Save
CHANGING TERM MATCHING SETTING
All keywords default to a Broad Term setting. This really should be changed to exact setting. To do so, follow the steps below:
1. Under the top 3 navigation tabs, click on Tools
2. Click on Change Keyword Matching Options
3. Select the campaign for which you’d like to change the keyword matching status
4. Select Change All Broad, Phrase and Exact Matches
5. Select Exact Match
6. Click Continue
PAUSING A CAMPAIGN
To pause a campaign, please follow the steps below. Generally when you pause a campaign it is effective immediately.
1. Log into Google
2. Review the list of campaigns that are listed on the Campaign Summary page
3. Click on the box next to the campaign name(s) you wish to pause
4. Click Pause
REACTIVATING A CAMPAIGN
To ACTIVATE a campaign, please follow the steps below. Generally when you activate a campaign it is effective immediately.
1. Log into Google
2. Review the list of campaigns that are listed on the Campaign Summary page
3. Click on the box next to the campaign name(s) you wish to activate
4. Click RESUME
INCREASING/DECREASING BIDS
To increase or decrease a bid, please follow the steps below. You may alter the max bid for an entire campaign or just a few words.
Alter an Entire Campaign
1. Log into Google
2. Click on the name of the campaign you’d like to alter
3. Click on the check box next to the Ad Group you’d like to modify
4. Click Change Max CPC
5. Type in the new cost per click on the CPC field
6. Click Save Changes
Alter a Few Keywords
1. Log into Google
2. Click on the name of the campaign you’d like to alter
3. Click on the Ad Group Name you’d like to modify
4. Check off the keywords you would like to alter
5. Click on Edit CPCs/URLs
6. To give the keywords the same cost per click, type in the amount in the Default
CPC field
7. To give the keywords different cost per click prices, type in the new cost per click in the max CPC field
8. Click Save Changes
REPORTS
There are several types of reports available if you’re interested. To view available reports, click on the Reports tab. Then select which one you’d like to run.
I generally just view the cost for the day prior or for a specified date range.
1. Log into Google
2. Select your Date range and click GO
3. Costs per campaign are then displayed and overall cost is listed at the bottom of the page.
ADDING A NEW CAMPAIGN
One thing to note with our Google Account is that you may only have 25 Active Campaigns
If you already have 25 active campaigns running and you wish to add a new campaign, you must first pause a campaign to allow you room for your new campaign.
To create a new campaign, please follow the steps listed below:
1. Log into Google
2. Click on Create New Campaign
3. Select Your Language from the drop down menu
4. Select your Local Targeting Options from the chart displayed. It is also illustrated below:
Option Best suited for:
Global or nationwide
Your ads will appear to searchers anywhere in the country or countries you select. -- Global businesses.
- Merchants who serve specific countries.
Regions and cities
Your ads will only appear to searchers located in the regional areas/cities you choose. (Only available in some countries.) - Local businesses specializing in certain cities and states.
- Stores with target customers located throughout a city or cities.
Customized
Your ads will only appear to searchers who are within a specified distance from the location you choose.
5. Click Save and Continue
6. Select from the list which countries you would like your ad displayed to and Click Add
7. Click Save and Continue
8. Name the Ad Group- This is for your viewing only. I generally use the Site name.
9. Type in your Title, 2 lines of description, the display url, and the tracking url. The display url must be the same as the domain that the person is taken to.
10. Click Continue
11. Copy and Paste your list of keywords into the box provided
12. Click Save Keywords
13. Type in the pay per click amount you’d like to bid
14. Click Calculate Estimates
15. If you are satisfied with the results, click Save and Continue
16. Click Continue to Step 3
17. Google will give you a suggested daily budget, your ad will show until this budget is reached
18. If you set the daily budget a lot lower than their suggested budget, your ad will not show as frequently as someone who has a similar bid and higher budget
19. If you are satisfied, click Save and Continue
20. Click on Edit Campaign Settings
21. From here you should name the campaign, like LTCinsurance.com for example
22. You may also opt out of the content network, adjust your daily budget, the end date for the campaign, your locations, and languages
23. Once your are satisfied with your changes, click on Save All Changes
24. If you’ve added a large list of keywords, you’ll also want to change the match type to exact match. Please see page ____ for an explanation of how to do this.
EDITING DISPLAY URL, TRACKING URL, TITLE, OR DESCRIPTION
To alter the url, title, or Description of a campaign, please follow the steps listed below.
1. Login to Google
2. Click on the Campaign Name you would like to alter
3. Click on the Ad group name you would like to alter
4. Your present ad will be displayed similar to what is listed below
Tennis Shoes
Top Local spot for Tennis Shoes
Free Estimates Competitive Prices
Tennis-Shoes.com
+ Create New Text Ad | Image Ad
32 Clicks | 2.2% CTR | $0.45 CPC
Served - 100.0% [more info]
Edit - Delete
5. Click on Edit
6. Make your desired changes
7. Click Save Changes
CREATE NEW GOOGLE AD WORD AD
To alter the url, title, or Description of a campaign, please follow the steps listed below.
1. Login to Google
2. Click on the Campaign Name you would like to alter
3. Click on the Ad group name you would like to alter
4. Your present ad will be displayed similar to what is listed below
Tennis Shoes
Top Local spot for Tennis Shoes
Free Estimates Competitive Prices
Tennis-Shoes.com
+ Create New Text Ad | Image Ad
32 Clicks | 2.2% CTR | $0.45 CPC
Served - 100.0% [more info]
Edit - Delete
5. Click on Create New Text AD
6. Make your desired ad
7. Click Save Changes
8. The one that has the highest Click Through Rate will be shown more often automatically by Google
GEO-TARGETING
You can target by particular, state, zip code area, city, or country.
This is something you can set up as you go through setting up a new campaign as illustrated on the pages prior or you may edit any campaign at anytime and change the geo-targeted locations.
Add to a New Campaign
To add geo-targeting to a new campaign, please follow the steps described in the Add New Campaign section.
Add to An Existing Campaign
1. Log into Google track
2. Click on the campaign you’d like to modify
3. A small menu will appear similar to the one below:
Tennis-Shoes.com - Active | Pause Campaign | Delete Campaign
Campaign Daily Budget: USD $230.00 | Edit Campaign Settings
No campaign negative keywords. Add
4. Click on Edit Campaign Settings
5. From here you may modify various settings including the geo targeting
6. Look at the lower right corner of the setting page that displays
7. It will tell you where you are presently listed. To change, click EDIT
8. To change the location, click on Change Option
9. You’ll then be displayed the following chart
10. Click off the one which you’d like to use and click Continue
Option Best suited for:
Global or nationwide
Your ads will appear to searchers anywhere in the country or countries you select. -- Global businesses.
- Merchants who serve specific countries.
Regions and cities
Your ads will only appear to searchers located in the regional areas/cities you choose. (Only available in some countries.) - Local businesses specializing in certain cities and states.
- Stores with target customers located throughout a city or cities.
Customized
Your ads will only appear to searchers who are within a specified distance from the location you choose.
17. If you select Regions and Cities, you’ll be prompted to select your country
11. Click Change
12. You may then select states or cities
13. Select from the list that is generated by clicking on the term and clicking ADD
14. Click Continue
15. It will then display the main page to modify campaign settings
16. Click Save all Changes in the lower right corner
17. You’re done.
If you’d like to use the Customized feature you can customize your location such as within 30 miles of zip code 02818.
