Sunday, August 3, 2008

Four Easy Way To Manage Your AdWords Campaign

By Maxine Stirling


It seems like every day the bid pricing on Google AdWords is getting more and more competitive. While this is true to a degree, the potential effectiveness of an AdWords campaign has also never been greater. If you haven't had much experience with Google AdWords campaign management, then you may want to remember these four simple AdWords management strategies for your next foray into the world of PPC advertising.

The first thing you should do is carefully consider your keyword strategy. Just because a PPC service offers a relevant keyword generation feature doesn't mean you have to use it. Be very selective and precise with your keywords, and do your homework. Make sure that your keyword doesn't have a double meaning or overlap with another industry. The last thing you need is people clicking up your ads who have no intention of buying your product or service.

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.

The next tip you should think about when conducting your AdWords campaign is the necessity of monitoring and testing your keywords. Failing to do so for even a few days can spell disaster for your campaign. Because PPC advertising is an auction-type marketplace, the profitability of your keywords can go form high to low based on the actions of just one of your competitors. Additionally, a keyword that was very profitable the month before can become overly saturated and your margins can disappear without you realizing it. Make sure you keep on top of your campaign by continually monitoring and testing on a weekly or even daily basis.

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.

These simple AdWords management strategies can help you with your PPC campaign management and can ensure that you get the most out of your next PPC advertising campaign.

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