More on Search Engine Marketing

I'd like to thank everyone for their feedback on posts related to Search Engine Marketing. I hear from so many people who are spending money on Google Adwords and not seeing results that I've made today's post about how you can make the most of your search engine marketing.

When I started out in search marketing, I was experiencing the same thing. It seems that I could never get ahead. I might spend more but the revenue I generated for products and services simply covered my costs. Feeling a bit defeated, I called Google and eventually met with a representative to help me better understand how I might improve my results.

Believe it or not, the answer was quite simple. New ad copy, new ad groups, and keywords. You may be saying to yourself, isn't that just more the of the same? Well, yes and no. There certainly are lessons to be learned about writing your ads, analyzing your ads, and choosing the right keywords, and it can make all the difference.

Here are the most valuable lessons I learned when seeking to improve your benefit to cost ratio for Google Adwords:

1. Use initial caps when writing your ads. This ads credibility and helps your click through rate.

2. Put the starting price in your ads. Since price is usually the one factor that may influence purchase, putting price in your ad ensures that price is not an issue and buyers are qualified.

3. Break your ads up into multiple ad groups. Doing so allows for better tracking and experimentation. Over time, deactivate ads that do not produce the conversion rates you're looking for (Track EVERY ad with Google Conversion Tracking).

4. Create a long list of keywords and analyze which perform the best. Make sure your list is exhaustive and eliminate those that don't perform.

5. Add negative keywords. A great one is "free". Often times, individuals looking for free stuff aren't willing to pay for products or services. Learn more about negative keywords and this should eliminate much of the cost associated with unproductive clicks.

These are just a few of the strategies I've used for myself and for client to ensure that clicks generate profitable revenue. You should always be working on both sides of the equation. That is to say focus on reducing clicks that don't convert and improve conversion rates with better, more targeted ads.

Although we didn't discuss it here, you should also be focused on improving conversion rates through landing page tests. Change-up your landing pages and see if you can enhance conversion rates once someone has clicked through. This can result in a significant improvement in overall conversions and revenue.