Archive for October, 2008

Sure, you can write your own PPC ads. Most small businesses do, because it is easy - ten or so words and a headline!

There are substantial reasons why outsourcing you ad copy can save you money, and customers:

CTR

An ad that invites clicks can halve your costs. Google Adwords, for example, understands that if it shows the ads that get the most clicks, it will make more money. Consequently Google rewards such ads by lowering their cost per click.

Quality Score

There are numerous other factors that Google looks at, not just CTR. A skilled PPC copywriter is aware of these factors, and writes ads in a way that Google will like them. This is essential for avoiding the dreaded “Google Slap”

Pre-Qualify Those Clicks

While a high Quality Score and CTR are desirable, there is no point paying for clicks if the clicker doesn’t buy. It is critical that you make sure most people who click on your ad have an intention to make a transaction.

Focus

Most of your staff would rather be doing something else, instead of writing ads. Therefore you run the risk of them putting little effort in, or avoiding the task altogether. Get someone who likes writing ads!

A/B Testing

A non-professional will most likely write one ad and feel they have done their job. An expert will write many ads, and then return and write some more. There is always improvements that can be made.

Tricks of the Trade

For example, you can embed the search keywords into you ad. No matter what someone searches for, if it triggers you ad, their keywords can appear, emboldened, in your ad headline.

Disallowed Ads

Google has an automated system that will disallow you ad for various reasons, including grammar, trademark infringement, spelling and content. Sometimes the system makes crazy decisions, and it is easy to just give in. An experienced PPC copywriter knows how to get around this system (without breaking Google’s guidelines), and how to ask Google for exceptions.