Pay Per Click Advertising Should Reflect Users' Searches

July 13, 2012

It seems so obvious, right? If an internet user searches for stiletto heels, she's more likely to click on an ad with the headline "Stiletto Heels." At the very least, she would be inclined to click on an ad that mentions stiletto heels. However, despite this seemingly obvious rule of thumb, thousands of per click advertising programs fail to recognize the needs and wants of their customers. So instead of running a stiletto heels ad, Joe-Shoe-Store.com runs an ad for high heels – and only high heels.

Engaging a professional PPC management service or PPC advertising agency is one step online marketers and entrepreneurs can take to ensure their pay per click programs reflect their customers' searches. However, even professionals can overlook the obvious, so here are a few rules to enforce with your pay per click advertising company – or to keep in mind if you handle your Google Advertising on your own.

Remember, a pay per click ad shouldn't grab everyone's attention. In fact, you don't want to attract everyone because you'll end up paying for clicks from internet users who are not likely to buy your product or service. Instead, you only want to attract the attention of internet users who are searching for your precise product or service. So be specific!

Now, let's go back to the stiletto heels example. Of course, there are lots of women (and maybe men) who will search for high heels – not stilettos. Therefore when developing an effective pay per click campaign, it's absolutely necessary for your PPC advertising to reflect the full range of possible search terms your prospective customers will use. "High heels," "heels," "high-heeled shoes," "pumps," etc. Now it gets tricky. You'll need to make sure your ads and search terms are organized in a logical way. For instance, it's reasonable to serve the same ad to a user who searches with the term "high heels" as a user who searches with the term "high-heeled shoes." But it's not okay to use the same ad for a user who searches with the term "pumps" and the user who searches with the term "heels." You get the picture?

The relevance of pay per click ads extends beyond the words an internet user will enter when searching for your product. Relevance also means addressing the variations of product types. For example, you need to address the internet user who searches for black patent leather pumps, as well as the internet user who searches for red suede pumps. Fortunately professional Google AdWords management (implemented by a knowledgeable pay per click advertising agency) allows you to use the same ad to reach both internet users. The specific tool to achieve this kind of targeting is called dynamic keyword insertion.

With dynamic keyword insertion, users' search terms are automatically inserted into the ads they see, increasing the relevance and likelihood they will click on the ad. In the example above, "black patent" and "red suede" are the words that change. The rest of the ad remains the same. Of course, you can develop as many descriptors as necessary to reflect your inventory.

Don't forget, with dynamic keyword insertion, you'll need to apply the same approach to all of the variations of your ads. In other words, you stiletto ads and your high heel ads will need the same treatment.

Targeting your prospective users with extreme relevance is the key to an effective pay per click advertising program. Yes, it's a lot of work. And, yes, it requires thorough understanding and special expertise. But it works!

If you want to make your pay per click advertising really click, then make sure your PPC advertising precisely reflects your customers' searches. And don't be afraid to seek help. There are lots of professional PPC advertising services out there. (Our agency, The Pay Per Click Store, is one example.)

You don't have to go it alone. But you do have to start!