There is an excellent article in today’s issue of SiteProNews about using Google AdWords. The author breaks his points down into 7 criteria for a good pay per click ad campaign. Here are the 7 criteria:
- Use conversion tracking
- Don’t use Google’s default settings
- Keep a fixed schedule when optimizing keywords and ads
- Study the competition before you begin
- Treat your keywords, ads, and landing page as one unit
- Be selective in capitalization
- Keep it simple with a strong call to action
The article got me thinking. These are all good things in an ad campaign and I agree with them all. But is one of them more important than the others? For instance, is studying the competition more important than, say, shunning Google’s defaults?
I’d have to say that all of these are important, but if I had narrow down the list to the bare bones most important elements in an ad campaign, I would do it this way:
- Use conversion tracking
- Treat your keywords, ads, and landing page as one unit
- Keep it simple with a strong call to action
I’m not saying these are the most important parts of your pay per click advertising campaign (although they are vitally important). I am saying that these are basic to any successful campaign. You cannot run a successful campaign without measuring conversions and understanding how they relate to ROI. Optimization must consist of syncing your keyword usage in your ad with the keyword usage in your landing page and making the two work together. Finally, simplicity is key; don’t strive for sophistication in advertising at the expense of basic principles. A strong call to action coupled with a well-written, highly optimized ad is the best cure for a mediocre campaign.
