5 replies to this topic

[Haystack]

Adwords has really opened eyes to the positive effect good ad copy can have on PPC click through rates.

Have you taken time to build specific ad copy for each of your Overture ads or are you using one piece of ad copy for everything?

Are there any disadvantages to doing this?

[HorseCove]

Hi Haystack,

I firmly believe taking the time up front to build good ads pays off.

I usually use different ads for my words. It takes longer in the setup phase this way, but I can usually get pretty decent CTR the first time out. I don't waste as much time later re-writing ads.

[burgeltz]

Amen to that! A well-written PPC listing makes a big difference in your click-through rate. And it helps position your site's message, which means a better ROI.

Overture strongly encourages you to include keywords in your copy (They want your ads to get clicks - it's the only way they make money!).

With AdWords it's even more important to try and get it right the first time out, since your ranking will float based on your CTR.

Are there disadvantages? Well, there's the time thing...

[Haystack]

Personally, I see the investment of time in building good ads well worth it since the ads will basically run forever. To cut down the time investment we often use a spreadsheet to build our ad copy using the search terms. Cocatenate the terms into a title and description and even the tracking url.

The only time I hear businesses speak of not writing for high clicks is when they're trying to discourage tire kickers from clicking through to their site. This is often addressed by mentioning pricing or "subscription required" within the ad copy.

[BarbarasB&B]

Hello Haystack,
This is a simple Q about PPC. When do you get charged. When they click on your add? Also I just put one together about an hour ago with Google. It gave me an average rating on my keywords of 1.3 with 1 being the highest and 3 being the lowest. Does it take a few days to get this going because I went out and searched Google with my keyword queries---nothing.
I put my keywords in quotes as DanThies suggests because I wanted a broader range than Brackets.
I am trying to understand all this.
Kevin

[Haystack]

This is a simple Q about PPC. When do you get charged.

Hi BarbarasB&B, sorry about the delay. Bob Dylan was in town and the weather was great, yadda yadda. With most PPC programs you have to charge your account with funds which are then drained as people click on your ads. As your account runs dry you'll usually have a choice of autoreplenishment or to have your ads go offline until you ad more funds.

Google is an exception because they charge you at the end of the month for the traffic you've generated.

Have you received any clicks on your Google Adwords ads yet? If you have them set in quotes it seems like you'd definitely have some traffic by now unless you're targeting something extremely narrow like, "Peshtigo Bed and Breakfasts"

You'd know if things are too targeted if the ads are not receiving any impressions.