Pay per Click and Adwords Tips

PPC programs like Adwords and Yahoo Search Marketing often have very similar features. I'll describe them generically here - you'll need to translate them to the PPC program you're using.

Campaign Settings

Daily Spending Limit - does exactly what it says. Make this something you can afford.

Content match/Content Network - to begin with, turn this off. You'll want to get your keywords and ads working properly on the search network first before experimenting with content ads.

Ad Group Settings

Set Optimization to OFF. If you leave it on, the PPC program will display your more successful ads more often, which sounds good until you realize that it makes it impossible to do split (A/B) testing yourself.

Keyword Settings

Use "phrase match" or "exact match" to control exactly which search terms your ads appear for. "Broad match" will display your ad for all kinds of searches only vaguely related to your ad and you'll get a lower click-through-rate (CTR) as a result.

Use "negative match" to make sure your ad doesn't appear for searches which won't give you targeted traffic. Many PPC users like to use "free" as a negative match keyword, since people using that word in their search terms are less likely to be buyers.

Test your minimum bid to see what position it puts you in on the page, how that converts for you, and how much profit you make. You can't tell which position will work best until you try.

• Check the rules for your PPC program. You probably can't say "click here" in your ad. You may not be able to use trademarked words unless you're the trademark owner.



• Use a call to action



• Use the keywords this ad targets, in the ad headline and/or copy



• Never use just one ad. You should always be split testing your ads. On the other hand, unless you're experienced in multivariate testing, only test one thing at a time. Change the headline, keep the body the same. Change the body, use the same headline.

Both Google Adwords and Yahoo's PPC program use a "quality score" for your landing page which affects how much you pay for your ad.

The more relevant your page is to the ad, the better your quality score and the less you'll pay. Read the rules for your program and follow them.

Generally, the page should focus on the keywords you bid on for your ad, and the site itself should be a real site (with Contact, About Us, Privacy Policy etc pages) not just a sales page.