Pay Per Click Reference

Once you have compiled your list of keywords, it is time your write your pay per click (PPC) ad. Your keywords will bring impressions, but your ad copy will turn them into clicks. When you are writing your PPC ads, you should consider the following.

Characteristics of a Well-Written Ad

• Use keywords: Keywords will appear bolded in your ad title, description and display URL.
• Includes a call to action: This is usually a verb that invites the user to take the next step and is relative to your product/service.
• Find a balance: There is a the middle road between a boring ad that generates no interest and an ad that seems so unbelievable that it turns off potential customers.
• Speak their language: Use language that appeals to your potential customers. They not only understand what you are saying, but use the same language in their niche or industry.
• Good display URL: Try to use a website URL that will support and match your pay per click ad.

Before you get started, we recommend that you create a pay per click ad for each keyword in your list. This will allow you to write more specific ad copy since each ad is triggered by one keyword. In search engine results, if the search phrase is contained in the ad that it triggers, it will appear in bold. A pay per click ad containing several bold words is more likely to be noticed and clicked on amongst the competition. A lower ad ranking can be offset or overcome by a well-written ad.

Ad Examples

Here are some examples of well-written pay per click ads that correlate with their keywords.

Keywords	Well-Written Pay Per Click Ad Text
blue widget	Need a blue widget? Try our blue widget for a great solution to your blue widget needs. acmewidget.com/bluewidget
Charlotte blue widgets	Blue Widgets in Charlotte Try our blue widgets for a great widget solution in Charlotte, NC. Charlotte.acmewidget.com

Notice the second ad has to be written slightly different to account for the plural form of "blue widget" and the addition of "Charlotte". There is a difference between "blue widget" and "blue widgets" which is reflected in the bolded terms. The keywords are all very similar, but have very different formatting needs in order for a pay per click ad to run in the most effective manner. Here are some examples of less effective ads which do not give consideration for bolding keywords and contain a more generic product/service statement.

Keywords	Poorly-Written Pay Per Click Ad Text
blue widget	ACME Widget Company Our widgets are durable, custom made and cost effective. Call us. www.acmewidget.com
Charlotte blue widgets	ACME Widget Company Our NC widgets are durable, custom made and cost effective. CLT office. www.acmewidget.com

The pay per click ad still conveys the message of selling a widget product, but is not specific to the keyword, and does not have any bold words to encourage differentiation amongst the competition. The pay per click ad just will not stand out.

There are several different pay per click ad services and each one has slightly different ad text rules. As an example, we will use Google Adwords which is one of the leading pay per click ad services. Google requires a format of 25 characters for the headline and 35 characters for the two describing lines. The display URL must be a clear representation of the site. The home page is the recommended display name, but the pay per click ad may actually use a different landing page. In order to run both the "acmewidget.com" and "acmewidgets.com" domain names you would need to own both domains and have them directed to the same site. Keep in mind that you can set up A Records on your domain to gain this same advantage. Using this same example, assume you only own acme.com. Create an subdomain for "widget" and point it to your website. This means when visitors use http://widget.acme.com they will arrive at your website. You can create as many A Records as you like and it is much more cost effective than purchasing the same number of domains. Pay per click ads are formatted in an almost identical manner on other search engines so variations will should be minor.

If you have the time, I highly recommend you set up multiple ads for each keyword. Over time, you will see what ads perform better and this advertising practice is often referred to as A/B split testing. If you are using AdWords, Google will use the ad variations that perform better automatically if you select the option within your campaign.

Next Step

• Create a Landing Page