The Power Of AdSense Forum

Those of you who have been following the various AdSense forums -- and thats everyone, right -- will have noticed that Google has been making a couple of little changes: Four ads are back in the ad units instead of two; and the latest themed ad unit (the one with the cute dogs for the Chinese New Year) didnt override our ad settings and put borders back where there shouldnt be any, like the previous themes did.

Thats all good news.

Having four ads in my ad units was driving me crazy. It wasnt that I saw any significant drop in overall revenues but having spent hours optimizing my sites to show four-ad units, to see the layout of my pages changed by Google without a heads-up was pretty frustrating.

I just wish that Google would let us know what they were thinking. Even if we couldnt change their decision, it would certainly help us to prepare so that we can make the most of it.

Thats it as far as my complaints go though, because I have to say Im pretty impressed with the way Google responded to our comments.

A lot of people had been complaining about only receiving two ads instead of the four theyd planned for. And many publishers had pointed out that the borders in their themed ads and the loss of their optimization had hit their CTR. Its good to see that the folks at Google follow what were saying and act on it.

In fact, I really think that these forums are one of the greatest things about building up AdSense. (Yeah, I know Im preaching to the choir here but I think its worth saying.) I talk a lot in my books and presentations about the different ways to optimize a site for AdSense, but these forums are really some of the best resources for new ideas. Everyone who uses AdSense should be reading them on a regular basis, checking out what other people are saying, implementing the recommendations made by people who have been there and done that, and at the very least getting moral support for the times when things dont go quite the way you planned.

These AdSense forums really work... they certainly worked on Google.

Joel Comm is The Internet Revenue Expert. Online for over 20 years, Joel teaches people how to make money in the digital age. The recognized authority on Google AdSense, Joel teaches how to multiply your AdSense income at The AdSense Code. To ask Joel Comm a question about making money online, visit Joel invites you to download a free copy of The Internet Money Tree at .

Is your PPC or Adwords Campaign Crashing on the Landing Page?

What is a good landing page The crucial half of a PPC campaign most people dont know about.

Google Adwords, Yahoo (formerly called Overture Sponsored listings) and other Pay Per Click (PPC) companies give you the chance to get your ad or search listing at the top of the pack, right up front and perfectly matched to the searchers query. With a clever and catchy, attention grabbing ad or headline you can win the viewer in that critical split second he has to decide to click.

He clicks, you score! Right WRONG! If you can get that click on a focused, targeted keyphrase and ad headline, you should feel very good. Youre halfway there. But, where does he land On your home page On the specific product page if you have an online store

The page where the viewer lands is called a landing page or destination page. It is equally as important as your ad headline and copy, if not more. Most sales, conversions, or leads that cost hard cash to Adwords or Yahoo are often lost because of poor, or non existent landing pages.

Why cant I just send my adword clicks to my Home page

You can. But what if you walked into a five-story department store with no sales people-- Youre looking for a very specific sweatshirt with a Penn State Logo that you saw at a football game. You know the sports shop out in the mall will have it, but youve got a store credit card so youd like to get it here. Youre also holding onto two toddlers who are losing their cuteness very quickly because they want the Happy Meals you promised on the way home.

So there you are in an endless sea of perfume counters. You want a sweatshirt. Maybe its in the mens section...but where is that Or maybe its in Active wear... would that be with the mens stuff And where are the escalators!

Forget it, you think, and walk out to the sports shop in the mall, buy your sweatshirt and are on your way to Micky Ds in less than 10 minutes.

Your homepage is the department store. It doesnt matter if youre selling a product, service, or giving away free information. You have sections and categories which are probably very well marked and labeled.

However, your Google Ad or Sponsored listing was specific. It advertised a precise thing in about 70 characters or less. People dont care about your home page. They expect to see what they were searching for as soon as they click. Dont you

So lets say your ads lead to specific destination pages of your site. Whats on those pages

Destination Page Overview

For Pay Per Click, your destination pages are absolutely critical. They are the second half of the sales pitch. Just having the adword or PPC land on the product page is not enough. First, you have to get someone to your site.

Remember the number of hits you get on a PPC or Google Adword is an ever-increasing expense if you dont turn that click into a sale and the only sales person you have is the page at the end of that click.

Youve got to convince someone quickly, at a glance quickly, why they should buy from you and not the ad above or below you. Think of your own web searches. You have seconds to entice that viewer to read more, or lose them.

Build the page around a SINGLE goal incorporating:

Well written content describing in clear detail what you are offering

Organization to make a fast read or scan of the page convey as much information to the viewer as possible. Use bullet points and straightforward language to make reading as easy as possible

Show the benefits to the potential customer. Details that the viewer can relate to on a personal, even emotional level are what makes this page have a much better chance of getting a lead, conversion or sale. It must show all the properties that make you better than the rest. Dont be arrogant, but make the reader feel they will be secure, better and confident if they buy, fill out a form, or perform the action youre after.

KISS- Keep it simple, stupid applies here too. If you dont need a country and a phone number in your form, keep them off. Make it easy and simple for your viewer.

Remember, when you land on a page, you ask WHATS IN IT FOR ME

Destination Page Construct

The first step is to provide the viewer with what hes looking for immediately. Next, show him the features of the product.

Most importantly, what is the benefit to the potential customer Why should he buy from you What will he gain by buying from you

If youre selling a product that is very similar to other competing products, you need to focus your sales message on what makes your product unique. What are the unique benefits for your customer

Anything that can steal focus from your objective risks losing a conversion. This includes other products, details not related to the main idea, and even the navigation system you use throughout your site. Dont give the viewer the option to go anywhere else but to a form, buy button or call to action.

Each destination page should have a single, obvious goal that gently tells the customer what to do. Dont try to cross sell or sign up for a newsletter and send an e-card. Stick to one goal.

Some people might be looking for the specific product and buy from you. But for those that are questioning and/or first time buyers, dont give them a chance to question your credibility.

The phone number and email address should appear (not obnoxiously)enough times that theyre always visible when the page is scrolled. Its a proven fact, if someone has to search for how to contact you, you lose some potentials.

Destination Pages and the Unique Selling Proposition

A concept developed in 1961 still holds merit today and is a great check for the underlying tone of your landing page. That is the Unique Selling Proposition by Rosser Reeves. The concept explains how every company should strive to show how it differs and surpasses its competition.

It consists of three concepts that should be applied to your advertisement (or adword) and your destination page.

1. Tell the consumer what benefits you will be giving him.

Buy this product, and you will get this specific benefit.

2. The benefits have to be unique to your product. Something that separates you from what the competition has to offer. If your products are sold by competitors too, find something that distinguishes YOUR company.

3. The proposition must be so strong and convincing that it can move the millions (attract new customers).

To be successful, youll need to research and build a campaign, then watch and modify, test and retest different changes, words, prices, etc. I want to stress the importance of this.

The same testing, observing, tracking and revising apply to landing pages as they do to ads and headlines themselves. It can save you a lot of money. If youre not careful you can run up thousands of dollars in PPC and adwords with insignificant sales or leads.

John Krycek is a creative director at Toronto Web Development and Full Service Internet Marketing Studio theMouseworks.ca Learn more about search engine optimization, internet marketing, web development and graphic design in easy, non-technical, up front English at !