PPC Keyword Advertising Advice from a Google Sales Guy

I ran into a Google ad sales rep at a web usability presentation in Fremont tonight. He offered these tips for creating effective AdWords ad:

1. Use a call to action in your copy. This is a basic ad-writing concept, but it was good to be reminded of its importance.

2. Use dynamic keyword insertion. The syntax is {keyword:_________}. This will put the keyword that the searcher used to get to the page in your ad headline (if it fits; if not, your default copy will appear). This can dramatically improve your click-through rate. One caution I would add here. High click-through rates aren’t all you’re looking for from these ads. Be sure to monitor the conversion rate of these clicks, too. Reflecting the searcher’s interest by putting their words in your headline will certainly improve the CTR, but if your landing page doesn’t actually offer what they’re looking for, it may not get you the conversion you want.

3. Do a lot of A-B testing. Again, this is a pretty basic tactic for evaluating any ad campaign, but it’s so easy to do with AdWords, and the results can be so effective, that it’s good to be reminded to always have this technique in mind.