I actually wrote this for a reply at Seo-talk.com, but since no one is over there yet, I figured I'd share with the masses over here, since it took a good hour
I think it is important to use Overture and AdWords. They are definitely very different, although on average, I spend the same amount of money on each and get the same amount of traffic for each. I run campaigns for each for nearly every one of my clients, so here are some observations I have come across over the past few years. It is very important to know what you are doing when setting up any PPC Campaign or you will most likely fail.
General Info
You must research, research, research before starting any PPC campaign. You need to KNOW what keywords people are searching for and how much they are searching for them. This will save you time and money when you setup your PPC Campaign. Use tools like WordTracker.com, Overture Bid Tool, Overture Keyword Tool, and AdWords Keyword Tool.
I suggest setting up your campaigns, writing your ads, and sorting your keywords before ever signing up for a PPC Account. Do this over 3-4 days, making sure you have everything covered before going in to setup your campaign. If you don't do the research and planning needed, you will get sloppy when you are actaully setting up the campaign and you will miss very important keywords.
Google Specific Tips and Pros/Cons
Google is usually the cheaper of the two PPC Search Engines. It is also the one that will be the most frustrating to setup. All keywords have to get at least a .05% Click Through Rate (CTR) or they will be removed. Here are 5 Simple Tips to make sure this doesn't happen to you and turn off your entire campaign.
1. EVERY KEYWORD SHOULD HAVE IT'S OWN AD GROUP! Is this a pain? YES! Will you thank me later? YES! I sometimes fudge on this rule and put 4-5 similar keyword in a group... but you should NEVER put more than 10 keywords in a group. Why is this? Because if you have an underperforming keyword, it will not turn off your entire campaign. It will also allow you to customize the ads for each keyword, which will get a higer CTR!
2. YOU SHOULD MAKE EVERY KEYWORD AN
EXACT MATCH! To do this you will put quotes around the keyword (i.e. "Keyword") when entering it. If you do not do this, Google will show your ad for a lot of keywords that are somehow related to your keyword list. WARNING... You MUST do your research before hand if you want to get optimal traffic using this method. You should know EVERY keyword you want to target, therefore you don't need Google to give much less targeted traffic. If you combine this, with #1, you will have specific keywords with specific ads... Using just these 2 things, my CTR is usually around 4% for an entire campaign. HINT: If you don't want to do all the research needed to get a very big keyword list, use and EXACT MATCH Group and a REGULAR MATCH Group for EACH Keyword. This will allow you to target your keywords AND Get the added Traffic!
3. WRITE KILLER ADS! This is the step that most people forget about. Google gives "extra credit" for ads that have high CTR's. It makes perfect sense... if you have an ad that gets clicked on 9% of the time and are paying $.20 and someone else has an ad that gets clicked on .05% and they pay $1/click, the first option will make Google more money. IF YOU HAVE A GREAT AD, YOU WILL SAVE MONEY! Trust me. So you want to write killer ads now huh? Here are 3 simple things that will help.
- Get their attention with the first line. This is the text that people will click on AND LOOK AT. If this is your company name YOU WILL NOT GET CLICKS. Do something different in your first line. Ask a question, be funny, make your ad stand out somehow.
- If you aren't a good, creative writer, look at the other ads that are at the top for the keywords you want. Find things about each you like and form your own ad. DO NOT just copy one... that will just hurt both of you.
- Make 3 similar, but unique remarks. You have 3 lines, use them all. Three short, powerful messages will help you get more traffic. Make sure each HAS TO DO WITH THE KEYWORDS THAT ARE IN THE ADGROUP. If you set it up the way I suggest, you can make every ad about the keyword they searched for. This will make your ads more targeted then the others who use the same ad for every keyword. DON'T BE THAT GUY!
4. OVERPAY FOR THE FIRST MONTH! Like I said before, Google gives extra credit for high CTR's. Also, the #1, 2, and 3 positions get a higher CTR naturally. If you can pay a little extra and put your keywords in those spots AND do everything else, you will get a high CTR... I have gotten well over 12% for the month at times. Then you can back off you Cost Per Click and you will still get the benifit of having that high CTR. You will probably get a bit less traffic, but it will also be more in your budget. The added benifit is you will also see your traffic POTENTIAL for Google and know where you can get to just by raising your CPC again.
5. TEST YOUR ADS AND EVOLVE YOUR CAMPAIGN. Run 2 (and only 2) Ads in each and every Ad Group. At least once a month check the CTR for each ad. Whichever is the best, keep it. Whichever is the worst, delete or tweak it. Two competing ads will give you an idea of what is working and what isn't. Try different things. If you see something you tried in one Group, try it in your other groups the next month. If you create it and leave it, you are missing out on the full potential!
I will give Overture Tips later....
