This is the 2nd post in the SEM Intermediate Series, a collection of posts intended for search engine marketing professionals looking for guidance in monitoring and adjusting the key performance indicators (KPIs) that determine the success of a PPC campaign. This series is a continuation of the SEM Beginner Series.
If you haven’t already visited the SEM Beginner Series post on this topic, position refers to the placement of your ad on a search engine results page (SERP). Position is determined by a mix of keyword-to-ad relevancy and your keyword bids. Because the factors that determine ad position are two-fold, both should be taken into consideration when troubleshooting low position.
Increasing Bids
While at first glance it may seem that the best bet for improving an ad’s position is to increase bids, that may not always be the most practical or cost-effective solution. If increasing bids is your usual solution for improving your ad’s position, you may quickly find yourself in a situation where your position improves, but your return-on-investment begins to deteriorate. That’s not to say you shouldn’t include it in your bag of position-fixing tricks – you absolutely should (download Microsoft Advertising Intelligence to make keyword monetizatiaon easy) – but you’ll get more bang for your bidding buck if you first establish a favorable campaign performance history with a solid track record of maintaining a high click-through rate (CTR).
Ad Relevancy and Effectiveness
How often a searcher clicks on your ad in relation to how many times your ad is shown tells adCenter how relevant that ad is to the keywords it’s matched up with. If your ads are written in a way that’s clear, concise, engaging and highly relevant to your keywords, you’ll be rewarded with a high CTR; a partial factor in the mix of maintaining a favorable position. If you’re at the end of your bid-increasing rope and you’re still not happy with your ad positions, try the strategies for increasing CTR outlined in last week’s SEM Intermediate Series post. Additionally, here are some ad copy-specific tips that may help
Keyword-to-ad-copy relevancy – ensure keywords and ad copy are closely matched, create as many new ads as necessary and test them to ensure relevancy remains high.
Create compelling copy – if you have a well-known brand and/or you’re promoting the “official site”, say so in your ad copy. Include the most important information first and use your keywords in the ad title whenever possible, either in static ads or through using dynamic text.
Use strong descriptors – although superlatives like “best” and “highest” should be avoided (per the adCenter editorial guidelines), you can use eye-catching terms like “leading”, “hot”, “deals” and “savings” and pair them up with calls to action like “buy”, “research”, “learn”, “save” or “shop”. If you’re able to create a sense of urgency with phrases like “ending soon” or “limited time offer” that can help earn clicks as well.
Call attention to special offers – anything having to do with promotions, discounts or perks like free shipping should definitely have a place in your ad copy; if you have something unique that separates you from the competition, tell your potential customers about it!
Leverage seasonal terms – if your products or services are relevant to an upcoming holiday or a particular time of year, e.g. back to school savings, gifts for the holidays, try creating an ad group with relevant copy that you can pause and unpause as necessary.