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Secret To Get On The First Page Of Google

Here is a brain dump of my Google AdWords tips in no particular order.

1. Not split-testing ads. Only using one ad. This is a big mistake because you cannot find out which ads will convert better without a comparison.

2. Split test two ads at a time to determine the winner. Some people like to write 4,5 or even 10 ads at a time and let them all run. I prefer to test two at a time to determine a clear winner. Wait for at least 100 clicks before deciding which ad is the winner.

3. New campaigns checklist – the defaults are: automatically optimize ads, search+content network, show ads evenly over time. When split-testing ads, set it to rotate ads evenly so that you can show each ad 50% of the time when you are split-testing 2 ads. You’ll need to uncheck content network if you don’t want your ads shown on websites running AdSense. Thirdly, set to accelerated delivery to show your ads as often as possible.

4. Use scheduling. If you determine that conversions occur on certain days more than others, you can turn off ads on days that you select. For instance, some people elect to show their ads only during the weekdays and turn them off during the weekends.

5. Use automatic bid adjustment. You can increase the bids during peaks hours that get you more conversions. For instance, if you want to target prime time in the west coast and east coast, you’ll need to set your time window large enough to encompass both time zones.

6. Tracking results – conversions, visitor behavior, time spent on site. This can really give you a deeper insight into your visitors behavior. I use both Google Analytics and Clicky (if you’re paranoid and don’t want Google to access your stats).

7. Separate search network from content network. One may get you better ROI than the other. It’s best to set up two separate campaigns to test this - one for search network and one for content network.

8. Separate Google search from search network. The search network are other search engines that syndicate Google’s search results, e.g. AOL.

9. Separate bids for the content network. You’ll get somewhat less targeted visitors from the content network as these are not people who are actively searching for the thing you’re advertising. In general, people who are actively searching for a particular product on Google are the closest to being in the ‘buying’ mode.

10. Use tightly themed ad groups. You’ll need to do this to get better quality scores.

11. Use smaller keyword lists within those ad groups. For example, if your ad group is focused on a particular model, you can use a group of keywords like “buy model x”, “model x sale”, “model x discount”, “purchase model x”, etc.

12. Set up a general ad group with a broad list of long tail keywords. Once you run the campaign for some time and get some history, you’ll be able to spot trends on which keywords are converting that you can either incorporate into other ad groups or start a whole new ad group for them.

13. Lower your bids by increasing your quality score. Use keywords/phrases on the landing page

14. Bid higher initially to build up CTR. Top positions get more clicks. More clicks mean higher CTR which in turn will lower your cost per click to maintain your ad position.

15. Don’t use superlatives. Avoid words like “best”, “latest”, “cheapest”, etc. They’ll get your ad disabled. Instead use “great”, “fantastic”, “top”, etc.

16. Target by language or country. I like to target English speaking countries since my products/sites are in English.

17. Test capitalization in title/ad copy. For example, “Get Whiter Teeth” vs. “Get whiter teeth”.

18. Use model numbers. People who are ready to buy are usually searching for more specific products and including the model name and number in their searches.

19. Mine for more keywords using External Keyword Tool.

20. Use “buy phrases. For example, “in stock now”, “while supplies last”, etc.

21. Use negative keywords. Use a ton of negative keywords to get you better conversions. You don’t want to target people who are not looking for what you’re selling.

22. Use qualifiers. “For women only”, “For cats only”, “Over 18″, etc.

23. Make full use of the display URL. You can attach keywords to the end of your display URL, e.g. www.mydomain.com/special-offer

24. Test with price in title. Specifying the price will eliminate freebie seekers from clicking on your ads.

25. Test with price in ad.

26. Use site targeting. If you know of a particular site that is popular with your target demographic, you can target your ads on that site. For instance, there are a lot of forums focused on a single niche. These forums often show an AdSense banner (often 468×60) at the top. If you are marketing in this niche, you can use site targeting to attract more customers/leads.

27. Compare the results for broad/phrase/exact matching. One match type may convert better than the others.

28. Use AdWords Editor. Makes bulk editing of ad groups easier.

29. Use AdWords wrapper. Helps you build phrase match and exact match keywords from your broad match keywords.

30. Test singular and plural keywords.

31. Use social proof – phrases like “millions downloaded”, “rated 5 stars”, etc.

32. Space vs. no space, e.g. stockbroker vs. stock broker

33. Use misspellings. In particular, for words that are often misspelled.

34. Bid on URLs. Include “www.domain.com”, “www domain com”, “domain com”, “domain.com”, etc. in your keyword list.

35. Check your site logs to look for more “real” search keywords that are used by your visitors. Add them to your campaign.

36. Substitute symbols for words to save space. Use the “&” symbol instead of “and”. Use “/” instead of “or”.

37. Be different. Scan your competitors’ ads. If they all have similar titles, go for something really different that will stand out.

38. Matched search words are bolded in your ads. Use them to your advantage.

39. Run reports periodically to monitor your campaign performance.

40. Use the reporting tool to see which content sites your ads appear on. If you use the conversion tracker, you can find out which sites where your ads are appearing are not converting and exclude those sites.

41. Use the most general keywords in your niche when targeting content sites.

42. Use abbreviations to save precious ad space.

43. Use scarcity keywords when appropriate – limited time, limited quantities, while supplies last.

44. Use enticement keywords – free, special offer, free trial, no obligation.

45. Adjust bids for individual keywords. You may find that certain keywords have a lot of clicks but lower conversion.

46. Find your sweet spot. #1 spot may not be the best for optimum ROI.

47. Read everything from the Google AdWords Learning Center.

48. Use position preference. Do this if you’re shooting for a particular ad position.

49. Rotate ads evenly when split-testing. See #3.

50. Use dynamic keyword insertion. In titles and/or in ad text. See #38. Use {Keyword: Default text} or {KeyWord: Default Text}. KeyWord will capitalize the first letter of every word.

51. Set daily budget high enough. If your budget is too low, your ads will stop running and you won’t get an accurate test of a 24 hour period.

52. Use placement targeting campaigns to target specific site sections. Read the help section to find out more.

53. Test image ads vs. text ads. Image ads work only on the content network. Attractive ads may get you more clicks.

54. Read the Google Landing Page guidelines.

55. Use geotargetting for local campaigns. If you serve a local market, you’ll waste money advertising to the whole country.

56. Try using numbers in the ad title/ad copy. Numbers tend to stand out and grab attention.

57. Use conversion tracker when possible. You’ll be able to figure our what your cost per conversion is for different keywords/ads.

58. Build up your campaign history. The word on the street is that if your campaign has a long history and good CTR, you’re more likely to get lower bids/higher positions.

59. Think like your potential customer. Get into your customer’s head especially when you’re brainstorming for keywords and writing ad copy.

60. Exclude content sites that don’t convert well. This is important if you’re advertising on the content network.

61. Add negative keywords over time as you discover them. As you continue with your keyword research, you may discover people searching for certain combination of keywords that include your target keyword but are totally unrelated to your product. Add these negative keywords to your campaigns.

62. Use third party keyword tools. With more keywords, you’ll cast a larger net.

63. Use Google Trends and adjust for seasonal products.

64. Use landing pages instead of direct linking. Direct linking will often give you poor quality scores. Learn how to create effective landing pages. Tweak them and test. Repeat the process to optimize your conversions.

65. Include keywords in your landing pages. You can either do this manually or by using php to dynamically include the search keywords on the landing page.

66. Use different landing pages. Set up separate landing pages for separate ad groups within each campaign. You can adjust the type of landing page depending on the type of keywords you’re bidding on. For instance, if one adgroup includes keywords like “review of product x”, then you can have a review type landing page rather than your normal landing page.

67. Ask a question. Questions work well in the title field. “Want To Be Rich?”, “Need More Time?”, etc.

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Want all these strategies and more? I also have a report with even more AdWords tips titled “Profit Pulling AdWords Strategies” that you can download for free if you are a subscriber to my newsletter. Just fill in the form on the right hand sidebar to request a copy.

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