When Keeping It Relevant Goes Wrong
Brenda Johnson Knows What's Up
I’ve been actively creating and managing Google AdWords campaigns for over five years. In that time, I’ve made a lot of mistakes with everything from keyword selection to match type to ad content. It happens — if no one ever made a mistake on AdWords, we would all be PPC success stories, and that’s certainly not the case. So when I typically see mistakes with sponsored ads, I take a screenshot, write a short heads-up email to the advertiser explaining their mistake, and keep it rollin’. However, over the weekend I came across what could possibly be the worst targeting and most confusing landing page I’ve ever seen on AdWords.
While I was searching for “delaware county oh plastic surgery” (before you start reading too much into this, no, I was not looking for a plastic surgeon. I am quite comfortable with my stout lil’ man-child body), I came across this gem of an ad…
Find the Bad Ad
Google Adwords Certification: The Breakdown
Getting Google Adwords Certified can be an invaluable update to your resume. Why? With this professional SEO accreditation, you’re making sure you’re doing everything you can to increase your worth to your clients or company.
Whether you are planning to start a paid search campaign for your business or if you’re just trying to understand what your PPC manager is always talking about, Adwords certification is an extremely beneficial feather in your cap. However, don’t think you can just roll out of bed, think “I’ll get certified today!” and pass the test with ease.
Why Villifying DKI Is Pointless
Image courtesy gamespot.com
Dear Paid Search Advertisers,
This {KeyWord:fallback phrase} is not your enemy.
Many veteran PPC marketers tend to vilify dynamic keyword insertions (or DKI). They usually present examples of DKI which have been obviously done by someone who is not skilled in the nuances of paid search copy writing – this bothers me.
It bothers me because I think there is a valid purpose for dynamic keyword insertion in paid advertising. While some uses are nefarious (let‘s be clear – I do not own a black hat) a lot of them are legitimately useful for marketing efforts.
Google Exposed! Don't Trust Webmaster Tools Reporting!
"The Simpsons" © 20th Century Fox Television (Don't Sue Me!)
In the middle of December 2011, Google rolled out some new changes to the Webmaster Tools. This update included search queries with top pages, organic CTR, and organic imprressions, as well as, intergrated graphs ala Google Analytics.
Since this update went live, I’ve been wondering if the data that Google is providing is accurate and how does it stand up against Google Adwords Keyword Tool and actual Adwords data.
We have a client who is position 1 for a cosmetic surgery term in a major metropolitan area. So I pulled the two sets of Google data reported and the results were mystifying.
Pay Per Click for Dummies? Hire a Professional.
When Doing It Yourself Isn’t Such a Smart Idea
Pay Per Click Search
I come from a family of “do-it-yourselfers”. When my mom wanted new curtains for the kitchen, she’d go to the local craft store and purchase 3 – 5 feet of fabric and hot glue to her heart’s content. My dad was no better; I remember watching him jury rig the plumbing after the basement flooded. While I always admired their “make it work” attitudes, these (and many other) situations always ended with a call to a professional. So when I hear that non-search marketers are doing pay per click marketing, I have flashbacks of curtains falling apart, pipes constantly leaking, and money being wasted.
