I’ve been there. Was there. Today. A new ad group I created in my Google AdWords account was going nowhere. Forget conversions…I couldn’t even get clicks and the clicks I did get were costing me a fortune. I didn’t even use my own advice. I threw the ad group up quickly to coincide with the launch of a new product in a vertical in which I had not done paid search ads. Not one of my brightest moves.

But, this is why I love paid search. I can change, improve, modify, and win on the fly. Here are some simple steps I took and saw almost instantaneous results.

1. Add Negative Keywords: Using Google’s keyword tool, I searched for possible negative keywords. Wow, if I’d only done my research ahead of time! Many highly searched keywords were variations of my keywords, but had nothing to do with my products. I found tons of words for which I’m now not showing my ads.
2. Add Site-Related Keywords: I threw my landing page url into the Keyword tool and…bingo…there were a handful of terms I hadn’t thought to put in my ad group. Google scans the page and offers up suggestions on keywords.
3. Try Different Matching Options: If you’re using too many broad matches, try exact or phrase matches. Costs will be lower on keywords in which you are buying the exact or phrase match.
4. Try Another Keyword Tool: In this case I didn’t need to because there were so many obvious changes, but there are a ton of keyword research tools available that can help you discover applicable keywords.
5. Lower or Raise Your Maximum Bid: Do you really need that top spot? Perhaps you can get clicks at the 3 or 4 spot and pay considerably less per click. I actually raised my bid on a couple keywords and lowered my bids on a few others. I wasn’t willing to pay what was needed for the top spot on a couple very competitive keywords. Prices were being driven up too high. That’s okay….there are conversions to be had a little lower down. With a good quality score I may get near the top again without paying top dollar.

Even the experts have to go back and revamp or optimize after the launch of an ad group. You’re not alone if you’re not finding the results you expected right off the bat. PPC takes time and effort. But beware…especially small business marketers who are strapped for time and budget….paid search can be an endless pit of spending if you don’t keep an eye on your campaigns!

You’ve just completed your landing page that will greet visitors who click on your paid search ad. You pat yourself on the back because of how nice it looks. The page contains information on your product and great graphics. Obviously, your prospects who clicked on your ad will love it, right? Well, maybe….or maybe not. You have about three seconds to attract their attention, engage them, and give them a reason to continue. Will your design do that?

Text and graphics are important – don’t get me wrong – you very much need to attract and engage. What happens next is the tough part. You have even less time to convince the prospect to accept your call-to-action and proceed to the next step in your sales process.The important call-to-action starts with the ad and is reinforced on the landing page. Contact marketing expert Kim Gordon ( www.smallbusinessnow.com) offers a fairly comprehensive list of good calls to action in her article in Entrepreneur Magazine:

• A limited-time, free or discount offer
• The chance to see, learn or experience something new
• A pass to an event
• A customer reward
• A fun experience such as a game or a movie
• A contest, poll or vote
• In-depth information
• A deeper product selection or step up in service
• A subscription or membership
• The opportunity to make a difference
• A special guide or white paper
• A pathway to taking part in the community

By using one of the examples above, you’re enticing the prospect to learn more about you and take the next step in their buying or information gathering process. With competition growing by the day in online marketing, you need to give your site visitor a reason to stay and move on.

Calls to action are becoming such a focal point in online marketing that Bryan Eisenberg of Future Now has created a seminar series around the practice. I’m hoping to attend one in the near future. As he writes in his recent book, Waiting For Your Cat to Bark, online marketing revolves around leading your prospect from one link to the next:

“The essence of the Internet experience is how visitors click from one hyperlink to the next. How they feel about the experience is determined by whether each click fulfills their expectations and needs. Satisfaction with each click (a micro-action) increases their confidence they’ll get what they came for.”

Strong calls to action and comprehensive follow-through on those action requests are what build that confidence in your prospect. Although the time is short, you can win over that prospect in the three seconds he or she is giving you.

As Joseph Carrabis, founder of NextStage Evolution, writes, you have alot of work to do in a very short period of attention span.

“Thus material must attract, engage and cause the individual to take action all within a 3-10 second time span because most people, in our time-crunched world, will barely give you those 10 seconds unless they know they’re going to find some value in the information presented.”

Here are a couple of other good articles I came across on the topic:

• Seal the Deal: 10 Tips for Writing the Ultimate Landing Page
• Practical Marketing: 7 Steps to More Sensible, Effective Marketing
• A wakeup call for marketers and agencies
• 11 Quick and Dirty Ways to Increase Conversions
• Happy Landing