Archive for the ‘Pay Per Click campaign’ Category

Improve your click-through rate

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:

  1. higher ranking for your ad (ctr is a factor in the quality score for ad rank on Google)
  2. lowest possible cost per click (the higher the ctr, the lower the bid can be for that same placement).
  3. 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:

  1. Don’t use keywords that are too general and broad, i.e. retail
  2. Strategically place your keywords, well performing ads usually have keywords in the headline.
  3. 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.
  4. Use enticing text that will make viewers want to click on your ad, like a promotion.
  5. Include short, hard hitting copy or ask a question.
  6. Create a variety of ads that rotate.
  7. 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.

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Posted in Google Adwords, Pay Per Click campaign, online advertising | No Comments »

The Good and Bad of Display Ads

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:

  1. Branding purposes:
    • Get your name out in more places on the web
    • Brand recognition can lead to online searches and online/offline purchases
  2. 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
  3. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. Search ads, found on search results pages, basically guarantee that these ads will be seen by the target market.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

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Posted in Google Adwords, Pay Per Click campaign | No Comments »