PPC Tips | Convince and Convert Blog: Social Media Strategy and Social Media Consulting

Why PPC is about to skyrocket – and then CRASH

October 14th, 2008 | Written By: Jay Baer
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Times are tough.
But one area that is ready to soar is pay-per-click search marketing (PPC). That most measurable and controllable of digital marketing opportunities, PPC looks like a no-brainer in this economy.
Have you called a newspaper lately and asked them if they’ll charge you per phone call generated? Even with ad sales down 14% year [...]

Tagged as: cost per click, digital marketing, google, Internet Advertising, pay-per-click, ppc, ppc programs, PPC tips, ROI, SEM

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5 Memorable Lessons from my Sarah Palin PPC Campaign

September 8th, 2008 | Written By: Jay Baer
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Thanks to everyone for participating in my “Are you man enough to write a PPC ad about a woman VP” contest. Many excellent entries (see original post). Here are the results:

McCain is 72 years old
Avg US life expectancy is 78 years
Is Palin qualified? Read This
DailyKos.com 1.31% Click-through rate

Sarah Palin’s Secrets
What the GOP doesn’t want you to
know about [...]

Tagged as: Contest, google, landing pages, pay-per-click, ppc, ppc copywriting, ppc programs, PPC tips, Sara Palin, search engine copywriting, search marketing, web analytics and testing

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And They’re Off…Palin PPC Finalists Selected…Ads Live on Google

September 1st, 2008 | Written By: Jay Baer
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Thanks to everyone who participated in the Palin PPC contest (see post below).

It was difficult to select 4 ads to test live on Google, but ultimately I choose these:
Sarah Palin’s Secrets
What the GOP doesn’t want you to
know about McCain’s running mate
from James Archer (@jamesarcher)
I like this one because it’s a solid tease with a lefty [...]

Tagged as: agency self-promotion, pay-per-click, ppc, ppc copywriting, ppc programs, PPC tips, quality score, Sara Palin, search terms

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Agencies Need to be Testing Landing Pages

July 21st, 2008 | Written By: Jay Baer
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Average length of stay on a Web site is approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds overall. Approximate length of stay by visitors coming from search is about 10 seconds. Why the difference? Search users are less likely to know your company and its attributes in advance, and they know there are several other options available [...]

Tagged as: ad agencies, advertising agencies, conversion rate, cost per click, landing pages, marketing tactics, pay-per-click, ppc, ppc programs, PPC tips, quality score, ROI, search marketing, SEM, web analytics and testing, Web site Analytics and Metrics, web site analytics and testing, Web site testing and optimization

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Google to Show Search Volume – Another Blow to Agencies

July 15th, 2008 | Written By: Jay Baer
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In a LOOOOONG overdue move that provides some much-needed transparency to the PPC business, Google has added search volume data to their keyword research tool.
This means that when you use Google to research potential search terms for your clients’ pay-per-click campaign, Google will actually give you an idea of how many people actually search for [...]

Tagged as: ad agencies, advertising agencies, google, Google ad planner, google analytics, Internet Advertising, internet media buying, keyword research tool, keyword selection, online media planning, pay-per-click, ppc, ppc programs, PPC tips, search management, search marketing, search volume, SEM, traditional agencies, Web site Analytics and Metrics, web site analytics and testing, web site metrics, web site statistics, Web site testing and optimization

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91% of Top Digital Agencies Not Buying Their Own Brands on PPC

July 1st, 2008 | Written By: Jay Baer
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In a shocking (and embarassing) revelation today, AdWeek uncovered that of the 56 world-class digital marketing agencies featured in their Annual Report Card, just 5 are purchasing their own brand names in PPC.
In fairness to the firms, most of them appear at or near the top of organic search results for their own [...]

Tagged as: agency self-promotion, cost per click, digital marketing, Internet Advertising, internet media buying, keyword selection, local internet advertising, new business, pay-per-click, ppc, ppc programs, PPC tips, search marketing, SEM, traditional agencies, Web site promotion

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Google’s Popularity is Costing You Money

June 30th, 2008 | Written By: Jay Baer
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Paid search management vendor Covario said today that PPC spending was up 52% in Q1 2008 versus 2007.
52% is a big leap for an already red-hot digital marketing tactic.
But perhaps more interesting was the finding that Google took in 85% of the paid search spend in the first quarter. (No wonder Yahoo! rushed [...]

Tagged as: ad sense, conversion rate, cost per click, keyword selection, online media planning, pay-per-click, ppc, ppc programs, PPC tips, recession proof marketing, ROI, search management, search marketing, SEM

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How to calculate your PPC budget and success

February 18th, 2008 | Written By: Jay Baer
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Q.
I’m interested in pay per click search engine advertising, but I don’t know how much it will cost. Help!
A.
Projecting costs for pay per click can be as mysterious as Britney Spears’ career plan.
Like success in Iraq, multiple factors determine your PPC budget and success level, and they are inter-related.
The single most critical decision in a [...]

Tagged as: keyword selection, ppc, PPC tips, search engine copywriting, search marketing, SEM

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Top 5 Pay Per Click Mistakes

October 1st, 2004 | Written By: Jay Baer
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Internet ads are not equal.
On the low end of the effectiveness scale you have banner ads. The original champion of interactive marketing, standard banners are now the “ER” of the Internet – a washed up parody scratching and clawing to remain relevant.
In the opposite corner you have pay-per-click advertising (PPC), the American Idol of the [...]

Tagged as: pay-per-click, ppc, PPC tips, search marketing, SEM, SEO

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