Best tips - and biggest mistakes - in online advertising
Much has been said about the benefits of online search advertising, especially during the economic downturn. While a lot of it is common sense, there are always additional ways to improve your campaign.
This article provides a simple yet effective list of the best tips for starting your online campaign, or improving your current one.
There are many businesses which may have tried online advertising and given up. Perhaps they didn't get as many clicks as they wanted, or people clicked through to their site but didn't buy anything. Not to worry! There are many common mistakes that beginners in online advertising make but they're really easy to fix.
Biggest mistakes
- Don't create just one campaign with a single ad and a huge pile of keywords: Organise campaigns by topic, theme, product line or geography. Don't be afraid to categorise like keywords together so you can write ads targeted to each group. This will improve both your ad targeting and relevance. Or use the same structure for campaigns as you do on your website. If your website is already grouped into categories, your job is almost done.
- For example, to group by topic, make separate campaigns for tea, coffee, and accessories (mugs, cups). Or to group by product line, place ad text and keywords about whole-bean coffee in one campaign, and ad text and keywords about ground coffee in another campaign.
- For example, if your business sells pet products, have four specific campaigns for cats, dogs, birds and fish. Or if you sell spa products, create different groups for lotions, candles, perfumes and hair products.
- Don't put your business name in the headline: Many small businesses insist on putting their company name in the headline, but this is actually a waste of ad space. If a user is searching online, they likely don't know who you are, so use your limited ad text to focus on key benefits of the product/service you offer, special promotions, low prices, and other good value propositions.
- Don't make false promises: The number one source of dissatisfaction comes from expectations that are not met once a user gets to your website. Stick to the price or promise you make in your ad. Also, to increase the likelihood of a sale or conversion, make sure ad's URL directs people to the specific page within your website that clearly displays the information or product you offered in your ad. Typical Internet users decide quickly whether to stay on a website or move on to another, so don't leave them guessing.
- For example, if your ad promotes birthday balloons, don't send them to the page in your website with all balloons or anniversary balloons.
- Don't stop reviewing your data or refining your campaign: Keep a close eye on account statistics, review your report data and web logs, and measure results frequently. Use conversion-tracking software (available for free through some advertising programs) to determine which keywords are leading to clicks and which clicks are leading to sales. Then experiment with new ideas, change your ad text or add new keywords. If something doesn't work, retool it and try it again. Don't be discouraged.
- Don't bid more than you can afford: The beauty of cost-per-click advertising is that you can set your keyword bids as low or high as your want. Get more bang for your buck by figuring out which ads and keywords bring you results, and delete the others.
Most important is to continually review what you've set up, keeping in mind that there is always room for improvement. The online advertising environment is dynamic, so don't be afraid to make changes and try new things.
About Mohammad Gawdat
Mohammad Gawdat is MD for emerging markets at Google, managing Google's sales and business operations in the countries of emerging Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His biggest passion is emerging markets, considering the vast degree of cultural diversity and challenges it faces. He is fascinated by the role that technology plays in empowering people in those communities and has dedicated his career towards that passion. For more, email press@google.com.