In a previous post, we talked about the rewards of advertising on wholesale search engines. We want to follow up on that by providing some tips on how to run and implement and efficient search advertising campaign. While a complete how-to on creating paid search campaigns is beyond the scope of this article, we want to provide a few tips you can use to increase conversions, reduce costs and maximize ROI on your search marketing campaigns.
1. Research Keywords. Start keyword research by making a basic list of keywords about the product you want to advertise. Check web analytics or web log data to find the keywords you currently rank for and search terms visitors use to find you. Run your basic keywords through a keyword tool like the Google Keyword Tool to determine the popularity of your keywords. Then select the most popular keywords for use in ad copy, resulting in more clickthroughs and traffic.
2. Research Competitor Ads. Research your top keywords on both general search engines and wholesale search engines to get an idea of how your keywords are used in ad text. Don’t copy other ads, but pay attention to the top ads about your product. You can also purchase keyword tools that reveal your competitors’ keywords, bids, ad text, creative, call-to-action, etc., which can give you more background to create your ads.
3. Create Great Ad Copy. When creating ad copy, start by defining the goal of your message. It might be to get leads, orders, or some action you want users to take. Also consider how you want them to respond. Use this info to develop your message. Know your target audience and address their needs in the message. Appeal to the audience’s self-interest. They don’t care about you and your product, they only want “what’s in it for me.” Make your appeal emotional rather than logical. Your ad copy must elicit feelings your customers get while enjoying the benefits of your product. They have to be emotionally involved to take action. Don’t give too many choices in the message, this requires decisions and slows things down. Have a clear cut call to action and make them an offer. It might be special pricing, free information, free trial, etc. The stronger your offer, the greater the response. Keep your copy simple and clear, easy to read and understand.
4. Bid on Long-Tail Keywords. Popular keywords are expensive. Long-tail keywords are 4- to 5-word phrases. That makes them very specific; therefore, not as popular as 2- to 3-word phrases. You might get fewer clicks but they will be qualified. Bid on highly searched keywords that are not overpriced. Get ideas by looking at your competitors’ ads, but don’t be a copy-cat. If you put the competitor’s URL in a keyword tool, you can see what keywords they are using. You might also query your keywords on several engines, noting the number of sponsored listings; the fewer, the better.
5. Offer Money Saving Deals in Your Ad. Use words like free, sale, discount, buy one, get half off on the next, etc., and be specific about the amount of savings. This will attract a lot of interest. The bigger the savings, the higher the likelihood of clickthrough and conversion.
6. Create Accurate Ads. Don’t use misleading copy. This turns consumers off because they expect one thing and then see another on the landing page. It will only cost you money for non-converting clicks.
7. Optimize Targeted Landing Pages. Search engines give the highest quality scores to ads where the text and keywords are related. Your landing page must be highly related to your keywords and ad text. Divide your ad campaigns into appropriate categories and create landing pages on your site specifically targeted to each ad. Never send ads to your homepage. Create an eye-catching call-to-action for each landing page to generate more clickthroughs and conversions.
8. Monitor Ad Performance. Analyze your campaigns to pick winners and losers, and then continuously tweak the ads to maximize performance. Monitor campaign performance at least several times a week.
9. Test and Test Again. Analyze your campaign after several weeks to identify top performers and non-performers (ad groups, keywords, ad copy, call-to-action, etc.). Use many different ad variations to achieve accuracy. Analyze cost-per-conversion and tweak your campaign accordingly. Ensure you don’t exceed your budget. Test on a regular basis to improve ROI.
In conclusion, following the tips above can help you create effective search ads that will increase conversions, reduce your costs and maximize the ROI of your search marketing campaigns.
