What is PPC?

What is PPC?• Stands for: pay-per-click• Also known as CPC or cost-per-click• Ads appear on search engine result pages (SERPs)

How PPC Works• Advertisers visit the search engine’s PPC login page.

• Advertisers create ads to show and list out the keywords they want associated with that ad.

• Advertisers set how much they want to spend each day and how much they want to spend every time an ad is clicked.

• Search engines then show the ads when relevant searches that match the advertiser’s keywords are shown.

PPC Pros

• Results come in quick• Cost is easy to control• You decide what words to bid on• You write the ads• Changes are easy to make and upload fast• There’s an on/off switch• No contracts• There is customer service/tech support for most issues• It can be the cheapest form of advertising• Visitors are a targeted user- they searched for you!

PPC Cons

• It’s not for every industry• Assume that whatever money you set aside for it, is

spent• It can be confusing• If your industry is competitive, it may not be any

cheaper than any other method of advertising• Competitive industries require competitive budgets to

match• Have to be aware and watch for click fraud

Is PPC Right for You?• Consider your advertising budget.

• If a lead or sale is worth $100 to you now, how much can you spend to get that sale?

• Is that amount enough to buy the clicks you’ll need?

• Can visitors actually convert?

• Do you have tracking set up?

• Do you have the time set aside to really give it a try?

Keyword Research

How to Pick Keywords• Start with a single product or service that you want advertise for.

• Ask yourself how you would search for that item or how someone else might.

• Search under a few of queries in Google and see what else comes up. Are the results related to what you’re going to be advertising for?

• If so, then you’ve found your niche

• From there, build a keyword list of keywords that are similar to your chosen keyword.

Keyword Niche Example

I am selling a book, both as a download and as a paperback for parents about the internet and safety for their kids.My chosen search term to start with is “internet safety for kids”

WHY:“internet safety” is too broad, same with “internet,” “kids” or “safety for kids.”I need to add qualifiers to make sure I show up for relevant searches and filter out users that are searching for something else.

Example Keyword ListInternet safety for kidsInternet safety rules for kidsInternet safety tips for parentsInternet safety for childrenTeaching kids internet safetyInternet safety for parentsInternet safety activities for kidsChild internet safetyInternet safety facts for kidsOnline safety for kidsInternet security for kidsOnline internet safety for kidsOnline internet safety for childrenKeeping kids safe on the internetWeb safety for kidsKids internet safety help

Tools to Generate Keywords

• Google, Yahoo & MSN-Each search engine has a keyword generation tool in it. Search by keyword or URL to generate keyword ideas and add right to your account

22 Free Keyword Toolshttp://www.portentinteractive.com/blog/22-free-keyword-tools-to-gener.htm

Examples:Search suggestGoogle’s Wonder Wheel, Trends or Insights for Search.Wordtracker’s Negative Keyword tool.MSN AdCenter Labs’ Keyword Mutation, Grouper and Funnels tools.SEMrush

Keyword Match TypesBroad, Phrase, Exact and Negative

http://searchengineland.com/understanding-keyword-match-types-42789

• Broad- shows for plurals, singulars and well, everything related.

• Phrase- shows for plurals, but also pays attention to word order.

• Exact- shows for exact and that’s it.• Negative- all the keywords you don’t want your ads to

show for.• Modified Broad- uses an “anchor” keyword, more

exposure than phrase match, but more controlled than broad match alone.

Setting Up Shop

PPC Account Structure

Account

Campaign Campaign

Ad Group Ad Group Ad Group Ad Group

Ads/ Keyword

List

Ads/ Keyword

List

Ads/ Keyword

List

Ads/ Keyword

List

Cardinal PPC Rules• Each search engine will try and differentiate itself by using different

names for features, roll out tools and best practices but the basics of PPC remain the same across all of them.

• Always separate out Search, Content and possibly Partner networks.

• Always set a budget you are comfortable with.

• Double check the setting for WHERE your ad is showing, geographically speaking.

• Add negative keywords.

• Do NOT set it and forget it. Always check in.

• Send users to the best page possible, don’t dump them off on the home page for every ad.

Campaign Set Up• The campaign is the vessel for your ad groups and where

most of the settings are. Budget, geography, networks, negative keywords, time of day/days of the week and devices.

• Pick a category, place or brand that you want to group you ad groups under.

• Go narrow enough so that you’ll need to have a few ad groups under it, but not so narrow for only one ad group and not so broad that you’ll need 3,000.

Ad Groups

• Use the keyword niches you plan on targeting to determine how many and which ad groups you’ll need to create.

• THINK RELEVANCY

Writing Ads

• Test, test & test!

• Always have a call to action.

• Experiment with offering different benefits or features

• People love the words: Free, Fast, Quick, Now and Shop

• Make the message in the ad match the message on the landing page.

• Write for your audience

• Use a keyword from your list in the headline and in the body

Headline: 25 charactersBody: 70 charactersDisplay URL: 35 characters

Best Practice Ads#1 Use a keyword from your list in the headline and in the body

Ad Examples

Need Some Inspiration?Test that Ad and Writing Killer Ad Copy

http://www.slideshare.net/ebkendo

Optimizing Your PPC

What is Quality Score?

In a nutshell: Google’s 1-10 scale for determining relevancy.

Keywords have QS visibly listed in the AdWords interface.Ads, ad groups and accounts also have a quality score.

• The historical CTR of the keyword and the matched ad.• Your account history, which is measured by the CTR of all the ads

and keywords in your account .• The historical CTR of the display URL in the ad group.• The quality of the landing page.• The relevance of the keyword to the ads in its ad group. • The relevance of the keyword and the matched ad to the search

query. • Your account's performance in the geographical region where the ad

will be shown. • Other relevance factors.

(pulled from Google AdWord’s AdWords Help Center)

Daily/Weekly Maintenance

To Do List• Give data a chance to collect (100 clicks rule)• Check the budget/spend• Edits/new ads• Add keywords• Change match types• Add negative keywords• Check the destination URL (landing page)• Bids for the ad group and keyword levels• Time of day or geographic scheduling• Ad position• Quality Score• Account structure

What’s a Winner?For ads:CTR (click through rate) Conversion rate

For keywords:CTRConversion rateAd positionBidQuality Score

All right, I’ve logged in and….

What Does it Mean?!

Breaking it down

How much did it cost and what did you get for that cost?

Looking at the traffic

Why is this bad?

Why is this good?

Got to Dig Deep…

Landing Pages

Cardinal Landing Page RulesFor onsite PPC ad groups:

• Don’t drop people off on the home page. Send them to pages that match the keyword list. For example: Broader searches to category pages, more targeted searches to product pages.

• Keywords from your keyword list on the landing page.

• A clear path to conversion (add to cart, download, buy now)

• The fewer the clicks to conversion, the better.

Cardinal Landing Page RulesFor PPC Dedicated Landing Pages

• Keywords from the keyword list on the landing page

• Message from the ads match the tone/style• Clear call to action• Clarity• Spelling, grammar and punctuation count!

To Be Above the Fold?

• Ideally, above the fold is best for placement of info, call to action, image.

• But sometimes a long lander is the way to go.• Simple products go with a simple lander.• Complex products need a longer lander.

Landing Page Examples:The GoodThe Bad

and The Ugly

http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/10/14-instant-landing-page-upgrades.htm

Google Website Optimizer

http://www.ppchero.com/10-easy-ways-to-optimize-your-ppc-landing-pages-increase-conversions/

Resources