Appear above Google’s Organic Search Results

Gone are the days when an ad in the Yellow Pages would drive business to your door. When people need a product or service today, they head over to Google. When they do, make sure they find your business.

Google can drive traffic to your business’s website in two ways—organic search and pay-per-click. The organic search results are Google’s “free” ranking of your site based on its relevance to the keyword phrase being searched.

Google’s pay-per-click system is called AdWords, and it shows paid ads that are relevant to the searcher’s request. While a high organic ranking is a goal worth seeking, competition for top rankings can be fierce. AdWords, however, can provide comparable exposure for a fee, providing your website a dramatic boost in online visibility.

Charlottesville SEO Web Development helps companies set up and manage successful AdWords campaigns.

How Pay-Per-Click Ads Work

Like any form of advertising, an understanding of the medium is necessary to ensure a good return on investment.

AdWords are the pay-per-click ads you see prominently placed on Google-search-result pages: at the top and along the right side of the organic search results. If you’re an advertiser, your account gets charged whenever searchers click through your ad to your website.

Every ad has the same basic components. They include the following: a headline, a display URL (the address of your website as you want it to appear in the ad), the actual address of the ad’s landing page, and a brief two-line description to highlight details about your product or service.

Space is tight, so you need to choose your words carefully. The headline can contain only 25 characters while the remaining lines can each contain up to 35 characters.

Getting the Click

Composing your ad is not something to be hastily done. Your objective is to attract clicks from likely customers while deterring clicks from folks unlikely to buy your products or services. You must do three things right:

Select keywords that will trigger Google to display your ad to people searching for what you offer.

While you may be tempted to choose all-encompassing broad terms, those generic keywords aren’t the most effective. Instead, long tail keywords (phrases that include more specific terms) will attract more targeted traffic. For example, “plumber for sink repair” may garner more clicks and better conversions than “leaky sink.”

Prominent ad placement is only part of the battle. Minimizing the cost of clicks from people unlikely to convert to customers is equally important. Acquiring clicks from people most likely to buy from you is key. Converting a high ratio of those visits to qualified leads or sales is the final measure of success.

Use compelling words in your headline and description.

PPC ads are short so you need to grab the searcher’s attention immediately. Don’t try to be clever or subtle here. The best strategy is to be direct. Explain how you differ from your competitor, the qualities that make your product or service unique, or the benefit the customer gets from buying what you sell.

Include your ad’s target keywords in your ad headline and ad description. Google will automatically bold these words when the searcher includes them in his search query. Inserting your keyword in the ad copy also makes your ad seem more relevant, which not only improves your Click-Through-Rate (CTR), but also improves your ad’s quality score in the eyes of Google, which can result in lower costs per click and more prominent positioning for your ad.

Bid strategically so your ad appears on the first or second page of results for your most important keywords.

Unlike traditional advertising, with PPC ads you bid for placement. The more you bid, the higher your ad will appear on the search results page. Unfortunately, much like an auction, competitors can outbid you. But Google factors in your ad’s historical performance when determining your ad’s placement. Well-written ads perform best.

Connect to a Targeted Landing Page

Successful AdWords management goes beyond the actual ad content. When searchers click on your ad, they should land on a page that is relevant to their needs. That page is your opportunity to convince them to buy your product, fill out a form, subscribe to your newsletter, or download a resource.

You need a well-crafted landing page that speaks directly to users’ search queries. Otherwise, they’re likely to hit their back button, and that’s potentially a lost sale, not to mention a click that came out of your ad budget.

Maximize Your ROI

AdWords management can be a complex endeavor. It requires an understanding of many factors including effective ad grouping, an understanding of broad-match and exact-match keywords, dynamic keyword insertion, negative keyword usage, and landing page conversions, to name just a few. Without the right expertise, you could end up spending a small fortune without seeing results.

Charlottesville SEO Web Development can create effective AdWords campaigns that increase your online visibility and deliver qualified traffic to your website. We’ll help you avoid common pitfalls and get a solid return on your investment.

If appearing above Google’s organic search results for your target keywords sounds like it should be a part of your marketing mix, contact Charlottesville SEO Web Development today!