by way of SearchEngineWatch.com

• Add keywords gradually, and in new ad groups when possible. Ideally, ad groups should consist of no more than 15-20 tightly-related keywords around a theme.
• Test one thing at a time. If you just added new keywords to an existing ad group, don’t start an ad copy test at the same time. If you just turned off the search network, don’t start fiddling with your bids too much.
• Test ad copy systematically. Always test against a control ad — don’t throw everything out and start anew.
• If you’ve made major changes to your landing page(s), don’t change your PPC campaign too. In fact, you should test the new landing page against the existing page and pick the winner of the test, instead of changing your pages first.
• Interpret test results from each PPC engine, and each channel (search vs. content) independently. They can and do act differently, and what works in one may flop in another. It’s OK to take one engine’s “winners” and try them in another engine, but don’t be surprised if they turn out to be “losers” in the new engine!

read the full article here:  SEW

If you’re starting a new Content Network campaign in AdWords, watch the video below; you may find it to be particularly valuable in setting up your content network targeting.

The most common thing I see when reviewing clients online marketing strategies is ineffective Pay Per Click campaigns (Google Adwords) that are costing them a fortune with no ROI or targeted leads.  Below are a few things that will help make your 2010 Google AdWords efforts profitable.

Lets assume you already have a Google Adwords Campaign setup to drive highly targeted traffic to your website. Here are the top 7 things based on my experience that you should check or hire me to check for you to force your pay per click campaign into profitable and fruitful efforts.

1. Wasting Money and Clicks on the Content Network – Edit your campaign settings and turn off the “Content Network” check box. All you are doing is telling Google to only show your ads on the search network when people are actively searching for what you are offering. My experience is lower click through as a general rule with the Content Network, and it can have an adverse effect on the profitability of your search campaigns. ** NOTE: the Content Network should be targeted in separate and individual campaigns as it requires a completely different set of rules for efficiency and profitability. By no means am I recommending that you stay away completely, just do not blend search and content together.

2. Use your Keywords more often in your display ads. – Make sure you are using your keywords in the ad title, the body text and also in the display URL. This will make the keyword highlight in bold and draw the users eyes to the keyword that they were searching for. The more you can use the keyword in the ad without looking like you are keyword stuffing the better. Think higher relevancy for increased CTR.

3. Lazy Keyword Selection….. The Lazy approach is to group loads of keywords together in one ad group. This will affect how relevant your ads are and will also give them a lower CTR. A simple example is “Cheap Sneakers”, should not be in the same ad group as “Air Jordan Sneakers”. If you are creating an ad group for “Air Jordan Sneakers” it could contain “Air Jordan Sneakers”, “Nike Air Jordan”, “Michael Jordan Shoes”, but not “Cheap Sneakers”. Focus on drilling down to highly focused niche groups for increased effectiveness and click through to conversion.

4. Generic & Non Specific Landing Page – If you are running an ad about a specific product or service then make sure the landing page is only about that product or service. You will get more conversions because you are giving your potential customers exactly what they are looking for without making them search for it on your site. This means DO NOT send your Google ad clicks to your home page that has numerous additional links on it. In addition to the Lazy Keyword example above, if they were searching for the keyword “Air Jordan Sneakers” then send them directly to your Nike Air Jordan Sneaker page. You will see your conversion rates increase.

5. Not Using Negative Keywords – Keywords that you do not want your ad to show up on. You do this by placing a dash “-” in front of the keyword in your keyword list or within the designated location underneath your campaign settings. Nearly all clients existing AdWords campaigns that I review do not use this feature, which is bad because it means they are paying for clicks on non relevant search terms. This is especially the case if you are buying clicks from “Broad” keywords, because your ads will be triggered on keywords that utilize “additional” words than what you have selected.  Ex: Broad match keyword you are bidding on:  Sneakers.  When a user searches for “Nike Sneakers” your ads may be shown and will potentially be clicked even if you do not sell Nike Sneakers.  In this case I would enter a ” -Nike Sneakers” or “-Nike” negative keyword into the list to prevent your ads from showing on that particular phrase.

6. Neglecting to Split Test Ads – Always, Always, Always …. create a second, third and sometimes fourth ad and make small changes to your copy and split test which gets higher click through and conversions. An example would be testing the use of punctuation and/or capitalization in the copy body or URL’s to increase conversions. eg. www.moreclicks.com used as the display URL in an ad is likely to get 1% or 1.5% less click through than www.MoreClicks.com. If you are not currently split testing your ads then stop reading now and go implement this because it is the best thing you can do for your business.

7. Using Unprofitable Generic Keywords – Some Keywords are more profitable than others – Focus on the “buying keywords” rather than “generic keywords” to keep the cost of your clicks down and only pay for clicks from potential customers who have a higher probability of buying. Ex: Say you are an electronics retailer and you are selling specific MP3 players. Don’t bid on the keyword “mp3 player”, instead focus on your buying keywords such as “iPod Nano Video” or “Microsoft Zune MP3″. Your more likely to land a more relevant visitor that has a higher percentage of buying.

If you follow the above 7 things to Increase your AdWords Profits in 2010, I am sure they will do just that!

Here is to your success in the New Year.  May all your efforts be honest and fruitful.

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Here are some quick tips I’ve learned from my own trials and errors that will help you avoid common mistakes…

1. Be careful when you set your cost per click and daily budget for each ad. Don’t allow yourself to spend more than you can afford to spend.

2. Don’t bid on the main keyword for your product. There’s way too much competition and you’re guaranteed to pay high costs per click. Find your Niche and stay as highly focused as possible.

For instance, don’t bid on “widget” if you’re only selling blue widgets. Instead, bid on “blue widget” or even more specific phrases, such as “buy blue widget.” This way you know the people who see your ad are looking for a blue widget, not a red or green one, and you’ll have a better chance of selling to them.

3. Bid on longer key phrases that people search for instead of just the main keywords or phrases. These keywords have less searches for each one than the main keywords do, but they also cost less per click. You can often utilize your Analytics to see what key phrases have led visitors to your site. In addition, if you have an on-site search engine, you should be able to see what people are searching for once they land on your site.  This can be extremely valuable.

And if you use enough of these key phrases the total number of searches could exceed the number of searches for the main keywords. So you can potentially have more click-thrus and sales this way because the visitors are usually more targeted.

Do keyword research with Google Keyword Tool or Wordtracker Keyword Tool by typing in your main keyword. It will show you what phrases people have searched that include your keyword. Use this list to determine the long key phrases you want to bid
on.

4. Check your ads several times during the week for their performance. If they aren’t getting good click-thrus, tweak your ad copy and/or keywords. After all, there’s no sense wasting money on advertising that doesn’t pull in leads or sales.

5. Don’t worry about making an abundance of profit at first. I don’t mean you shouldn’t expect to get sales. What I mean is, if you spend $10 per day and make $10 per day, you’re breaking even, so use the $10 you make each day to test your ads more. Fine tuning your sales funnel does not happen overnight and takes time to perfect the entire process of search to click, click to opt-in and/or lead to customer.

Once you eliminate some of the common mistakes that cause advertisers to fail using Google AdWords your profits will increase and your advertising costs will decrease. And that’s the way it should be.

Looking for additional assistance with  your Adwords Campaigns? Are you not seeing the light at the end of the Google Tunnel?  I am here for you.  I can help you achieve your goals and streamline your lead-to-customer funnel by implementing highly targeted marketing actions.  Google Adwords is the vehicle that brings you targeted leads. But, how you nurture those leads will define success.  Visit my coaching page and sign up for a training session or a FREE 15 coaching call:  Do it NOW.

Adwords Tip of The Day: When and how to use pricing in your PPC display ads.

1) Use pricing in your PPC ads if:
- Your Price is Lower than your competition
- Your Competitors are not using prices
- You are selling highly competitive items/services in which people shop on price alone.

This may reduce your click through rate, but will improve your conversion rate by filtering out a certain percentage of non-buyers. It is a small sacrifice to make for increased conversions and a higher ROI.

2) How to use pricing in your PPC ads:
- Always be honest and true to your displayed price
– Always make sure percentages are accurate (ex; 36% OFF)
– Do not mislead your visitors
- Do not bait & hook your visitors with over-exaggerated deals

It is extremely important that you are honest when it comes to using prices in your PPC ads. An unhappy visitor will not be converted regardless of the deal you are offering. You can guarantee that your conversions will be in the toilet, if you think you can have success by tricking people.

Be honest, Be true and most of all … Be Clear and concise!

• If you are interested in hiring me as your personal Adwords PPC coach click here.

Adwords Tip of The Day: Stretch your PPC Budget throughout the Day!

Are You Tired of your PPC Budget being
Exhausted in the Middle of the Day?

Google allows the advertiser to control when ads are delivered by time-of-day and day-of-the-week. The advertiser can turn off paid advertising during periods of low conversion and turn ads on during times when conversions are best. Often this technique can produce higher ROI because it allows you to restrict displaying your ads to times when customers are most likely to convert.

How to Determine Time Periods

The first step is to examine the relationship of ad delivery times to the online behavior of your target customer. This requires a solid understanding of your target audience. Among other things, you’ll need to know who the target audience is and have an understanding of their searching and buying behaviors. Run analytics for a few months so you can acquire a baseline understanding of customer behavior.

Then, set up the ads to display only during the times times you’ve identified as high conversion periods. For example, if your analytics show that most conversions occur during lunch hours or after 5 pm, then set your ads to display during those times.

There’s an old saying that “nothing good happens after 3 am.” For many businesses this might mean no advertising converts in the wee hours of the night. But if you run a bail bonds company, the middle of the night may be your best time. And for services with long latency before purchases or in market sectors where consumers do extensive research prior to purchase, you may want to be less restrictive in your approach to dayparting.

Give it a whirl … you may be surprised by the results.

• If you are interested in hiring me as your personal Adwords PPC coach click here.