Archive for the ‘Google Adwords’ Category
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
If you currently run online advertising, it is incredibly important that you are aware of your click through rate (ctr) for a few reasons:
- higher ranking for your ad (ctr is a factor in the quality score for ad rank on Google)
- lowest possible cost per click (the higher the ctr, the lower the bid can be for that same placement).
- more traffic and more sales (no clicks = no conversions)
A click through rate is the percentage of viewers that click on the ad. The ctr is calculated by dividing the number of impressions with the number of viewers that clicked on the ad. For example, an ad with 2500 impressions and 45 clicks would have a click through rate of 1.84%. Here are a few tips to increasing your click through rate:
- Don’t use keywords that are too general and broad, i.e. retail
- Strategically place your keywords, well performing ads usually have keywords in the headline.
- Include specific details in describing your product or service, users will be more likely to click on an ad if it is relevant to their needs.
- Use enticing text that will make viewers want to click on your ad, like a promotion.
- Include short, hard hitting copy or ask a question.
- Create a variety of ads that rotate.
- Highlight your unique selling point. What makes you different from your competition?
Although maintaining a high click through rate is important, a high conversion rate is also extremely important. If your ads have a high ctr, with low conversion, revisit your site and see how you can make it more user friendly. Tips on creating a site that converts is soon to come.
Tags: click through rate, ctr, online advertising
Posted in Google Adwords, Pay Per Click campaign, online advertising | No Comments »
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
If you’ve seen an online banner ad and wondered if you should get one for your business, read on to discover the benefits and drawbacks of these tricked out ads.
Banner Ads or Display Ads, are image based ads that contain a link to your site and are placed on various related websites. Display ads debuted on the web 16 years ago in 1994, and have come a long way since the static image ads they once were. Today these display ads employ amazing graphics and interactive features, but are they effective? Here’s the good: a few benefits of display advertising:
- Branding purposes:
- Get your name out in more places on the web
- Brand recognition can lead to online searches and online/offline purchases
- New products that users don’t know exist:
- Show an image of your product and how it is used
- Since users don’t know they exist, they won’t do a search for these products
- Even if customers don’t click on the ad, they’ll be exposed to your brand/product in context with your business message.
Successful examples of display ads include webby nominees for Banner Singles in the Interactive Advertising category such as the Pringles ad (once you pop, or in this case click, you just can’t stop) and the Burger King ad (which uses your computer’s camera to transform the king’s face into yours).
Here’s the bad: search ads which are text based ads found on search results pages, rule the online advertising world with figures almost triple that of display advertising (banner ads). Search ads such as those provided through Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Adcenter are said to be more successful because:
- Display ads are more of a “push” strategy, where search ads are “pull”. Meaning with search ads, consumers pull the information they need, versus display ads where advertisers push their products towards the consumer.
- Search ads, found on search results pages, basically guarantee that these ads will be seen by the target market.
- The widespread onset of Banner Blindness, a condition where consumers ignore/avoid banner ads. The study suggests that consumers use the web for two main reasons: specific searches and browsing. Supposedly, consumers only focus on the relevant information usually contained in the body or as hyperlinks. This leaves out display ads, typically housed on the sides, top and bottom of a page.
- Software that blocks banner ads and the tracking cookies used to find out where to effectively place them.
So before you drop cash on these fancy, innovative ads think about what you would like to accomplish with your advertising. And if it’s in the budget, do both as research shows a positive relationship between display and search ads, which work together to build brand awareness and credibility.
Tags: banner ads, benefits of banner ads, display ads, search ads
Posted in Google Adwords, Pay Per Click campaign | No Comments »
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Conversion rates from website visits to actual phone calls could be anywhere from 0% to 50%. Other than asking clients how they heard about your business, how can you narrow down these numbers and more accurately identify where you lie in the spectrum? The answer: Phone number tracking systems. That’s right, a system that takes guess work out of the equation, and lets you track which marketing effort, i.e. banner ads, pay-per-click, search engine, etc., is converting into phone calls.
These systems work by assigning each of your internet marketing channels a specific phone number (these calls are routed to your main business number so that you won’t have multiple phone numbers to worry about), making it possible to track which specific channel is working best. Many phone number tracking systems also allow you to:
- record calls for analysis: how the call is handled, & what your customers need
- provide detailed call information: length of call & geographic location of caller
- integrate data into Google Analytics
An awesome feature is being able to assign phone numbers to keywords and referrals through links in order to track conversions from SEO! Tracking both online and phone traffic from your website will allow you to more accurately determine your ROI.
Tags: website conversion rates, website to phone call conversion
Posted in Google Adwords, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Since keywords are the foundation to SEO, it is crucial to select the best keywords possible. To ensure successful optimization for your site, opt for words and phrases that include both of the following:
- Words/phrases that your customers are most likely to use in a search
- Words/phrases that best describe the content of your site
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. For example, when was the last time you did a one word search? Probably not in a while because you know the results would be way too broad. With millions of websites available today, competition for one word searches are much too aggressive. So try using words and phrases instead of a single word. Need ideas? Google provides a free Keyword Tool, an amazingly user friendly tool that aids in finding new keyword ideas. Simply type in a few phrases that your customers would use to search for your site, and BAM! The Google Keyword Tool generates a list of your keywords along with suggested keywords. For each word or phrase on the list, Google provides Advertiser Competition Rating, Local Search Volume, and Global Monthly Search Volume. Good words to use ideally have a high search volume and a low advertiser competition rating. Here are some tips to consider when choosing keywords:
- Location. Location. Location. If your service/product is offered in a specific location, use your location as an element in building a keyword/phrase. Take into account whether your customers would include a location in a search for your service. For example: “Pizza Delivery Las Vegas” as opposed to “Pizza Delivery”.
- Search engines differentiate between singular and plural words. For example, the word “computer” and “computers” would bring up different search results.
- Consider the order in which the words are placed. For example “repair manual” and “manual repair” bring up different search results.
Tags: seo, tips to keywords
Posted in Google Adwords, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments »
|
|
|
