Four Simple AdWords Management Strategies
July 16, 2008
As PPC advertising has become much more mainstream in the world of online advertising, it can seem that more and more keywords are becoming saturated. This can be true at times, but there has never been a better time to run an effective Google AdWords campaign. All you need to know is a few tips. Here are four that you won’t want to forget when you start up your next AdWords campaign.
First, it is a good idea to have a well-developed keyword tactic. Don’t just start arbitrarily picking keywords or using a PPC service’s keyword generator to add more keywords. A good AdWords management strategy is to do a careful keyword analysis before you start. Understand the goal of your campaign, and choose keywords that will help you achieve this goal. Also, make sure you pick keywords that are specific as possible. You don’t want people clicking on your ad if they aren’t truly interested in buying what you sell.
Second, it is a good idea bid for the first page, but not for the first spot. What does this mean? It means that unless you are truly aiming to dominate the Internet landscape and be at the top of your industry, you shouldn’t worry about getting in the top slot on a SERP (search engine results page). If you are in the top ten spots, then you will appear on the first page of Yahoo results, though it varies for each service. Try to let your ad do the selling, not your position. Placing yourself at the top of the search results is a two edged sword - you will get more clicks, but they will not be as targeted.
One of the AdWords management strategies that goes without saying (but still can’t be said enough) is to test all of your keywords, and then test some more. You need to remember that PPC marketing is like the stock market - it can fluctuate greatly on a daily basis. Ignoring your keyword results or click through rates or conversion rates for too long can spell doom for your PPC advertising campaign. It is vital that you continually monitor your campaign, and make the necessary changes.
Last but not least, you should consider placing CPM ads instead of just CPC ads. What does this mean? CMP is a term that means cost per thousand, and it refers to impression based pricing instead of cost per click pricing. So, you can place ads on a cost per impression basis on websites that cater to a demographic that may be interested in your product. If you sell lawn mowers, you may want to advertise on a site that discusses lawn maintenance. Where your ads appear is up to you, but it can be a great way to pick up cheap impressions and, ultimately, clicks.
Try using these four simple strategies the next time you manage a PPC campaign. Doing so can increase efficiency and profitability.
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