It seems to be a phenomenon. You try Google AdWords Select, your ad gets disapproved by the powers that be at Google, you count your losses and give up. It doesnt have to be that way. There are two primary factors to succeeding at Google AdWords. The first is getting the right keywords. The second is writing little tiny ads. Neither is all that easy, but they can both be done.
Mark Twain said it best. If I would have had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter. The point it takes much more skill, and much more time to write short copy than long copy.
Lets go through the process together and Ill show you a few tricks of the trade that have brought me AdWords click through rates of 7.1%, 8.0% even 25%.
Step One You would be very wise to either use a benefit or an end result in your headline. In order to do this, youll have to be aware of the difference between features and benefits. Start by making a list. Ill use the example of an online shoe store.
Here are a few features:
And here are the benefits associated with those features:
Step Two Know what your customers are looking for. YOU may feel that one benefit outweighs another. However, your customer might feel differently. Be sure you understand what is important to your customer before writing your headline and your ad. You have no room to waste so it is vital that you find a so-called nail and hit it right on the head.
Step Three Work in your keywords. There tends to be a greater click through rate on search results that use the exact keyphrase the surfer types in. The same holds true for Googles AdWords program.
While the following have by no means been researched, well assume that some optimum keywords for our shoe store are: womens shoes and sandals. Well want to include these in our ads.
Step Four Start big and narrow it down. Begin by writing a few sentences or a paragraph about what youd like your customer to know. Perhaps:
Youll find everything youre looking for in one place! Hundreds of styles to choose from including hard-to-find sizes in stock. Youll save lots of money because our regular prices are far below that of other stores. Plus shipping is always free regardless of the amount of your purchase. Check out our excellent selection of womens shoes and sandals.
Now, go back and take out every word that does not absolutely need to be there. You probably came up with something like this:
Everything in one place! Hundreds of styles, hard-to-find sizes. Prices far below other stores. Shipping free. Womens shoes and sandals.
Thats a LOT smaller and still gets the point across. However, it is still too long for AdWords. Your headline must be less than 25 characters (including spaces). Your copy can only be 35 characters per line. (You get two lines.) Now is the time to begin rearranging words to create an ad that will match Googles guidelines, include your keywords, and draw a crowd to your site.
Here are a couple I came up with:
100s of Styles-Low Prices
Big savings on womens shoes. Plus
free shipping! All sizes in stock.
Discount Womens Sandals
Latest styles at deep discounts.
All sizes in stock. Free Shipping!
Step Five Test, test, test! Put them up and give them a go. See what happens. Believe me, Google will notify you quickly if your ads arent performing. Those that get lower than a .05% click through rate are immediately disapproved. You are notified that your ad has been pulled and that you need to make changes.
Use the information in the AdWords campaign section to track the results. Ive heard countless tales of those who have changed one little word and gone from a .07% CTR to a 5.0% CTR. If your ad is pulled, make simple changes to start with. Swapping out the word savings for discount or big for huge can be all it takes to catapult you to the top of the list.
When you write extremely short copy, remember to stay focused. There is not enough room to sell the customer within your copy, but there IS enough room to pique their interests. Use the limited space you have to punch up the biggest benefits or end results your customers are looking for and youll see bigger returns on your AdWords investment.
About The Author
Most buying decisions are emotional. Your ad copy should be, too! Karon is Owner and President of Marketing Words, Inc. which offers targeted copywriting, SEO copywriting & ezine article services. Visit her site at today, or learn to write your own powerful copy at
Before Googles AdWords, Overture was the preeminent pay-per- click program. Its still a monolith in its own right that deserves a closer look.
Overtures pay-per-click program actually consists of four different programs: Precision Match, Local Match, Content Match and Site Match. However, for this article, Im just going to be talking about Precision Match.
Precision Match (formerly Pay-For-Performance Search). According to Overture the program allows you to:
Overture claims its Precision Match listings reach over 80 percent of active Internet users, with your business showing up in the results of some of the webs most popular sites, including Yahoo!, MSN, InfoSpace and AltaVista.
You have a choice of two sign-up options: Fast Track and Self Serve. Here are the differences: Fast Track allows you sign-up online or call 866-747-7327. Self Serve allows you sign-up online only. Fast Track offers a 3 business days turnaround.
Self Serve--5 business days. Fast Track offers expert assistance with. search term selection. Self Serve doesnt. Fast Track offers expert assistance with titles & descriptions. Self Serve doesnt. Fast Track offers expert assistance with budget management. Self serve doesnt. Fast Track offers a customized proposal.
Self Serve doesnt. Fast Track allows you total control of your campaign. Yeah right!
Self Serve does as well. Dont make me laugh! Fast Track offers free account optimization.
Self Serve doesnt. Fast Track offers expert assistance with tracking URLs. Self Serve doesnt. With Fast Track editorial approval automatic. With Self Serve--Subject to review. Fast Track has a one-time, non-refundable service fee of $199.
Self Serve is free.
And now for the fine print. Remember, youre already paying $199 for Fast Track. But wait, theres more!
Account optimization can be redeemed no earlier than 60 days and no later than 180 days from date of sign up.
A $50 initial deposit is non-refundable and will be applied to click-throughs or to the minimum monthly spend. Each account has a $20 minimum monthly spend. There is a minimum bid requirement of $0.10 per click-through. Sellers of certain legally restricted products may require certification at extra cost.
Can you believe all of those ridiculous charges With Fast Track, youre already $240 in the hole, before you even get started! Does that seem fair to you
Well, in order to be fair to Overture, before I wrote this article, I talked to 25 past and current Overture advertisers. A handful were extremely happy with Overture. The rest, however said they had made no money and that Overtures service was extremely slow or non-existant.
I also had a lot of people e-mail me complaining that Overtures Keyword Suggestion Tool is inaccurate, and misleading, and that the results they got were a lot different than the figures Overture claimed for many keywords.
In conclusion, I say run, dont walk away from Overtures pay-per-click program. Remember, this is the same company that signed an agreement with scumware giant Gator.
I think that should tell you all you need to know about Overture!
About The Author
Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions Comments Dean can be reached at mailto: .
Visit his website at: