Get More Clicks with PPC Ad Campaigns

Optimizing Google Adwords and other PPC campaigns naturally consume time and effort because of all the data gathering and testing you need to do. However, there are techniques that are known to improve any campaign's performance quickly. Running different ad variations is the most popular technique to optimize PPC campaigns. Some of your ad versions will gather more clicks than others do; it's just a matter of discarding low-performing ads.

There are other methods you can use to improve PPC campaigns. Peter Kent, the author of 'Pay Per Click Search Engine Marketing for Dummies' names several methods for improving Quality Score on Google Adwords and fine-tuning campaigns. Here are five methods you can immediately use to improve your ad's performance:

1. Utilize negative match keywords. Negative match keywords are used to sift through prospective visitors and run your ads only to those who are more likely to be interested in your website. Implementing negative keyword matching in Google Adwords is easy. Just indicate the words you do not want to include in your campaigns and Google will automatically omit your ads on search results with your negative words.


2. Change your CPCs for major keywords. Modifying the CPCs of your major keywords may boost your campaign's overall performance. Just click on 'Tools' under the Campaign Management tab to modify your campaign. You have complete control of your ads here and this makes it easier to optimize your efforts.


3. Review and resubmit any rejected ads. Google Adwords will review every ad you submit and either accept or reject it. All rejected ads are stored in your Campaign Management section, and you can edit and resubmit them at any time. Review your work regularly and don't be afraid to resubmit an ad after tweaking it with different keywords.


4. Run ads at different times of the day. 'Dayparting' is the technique of defining what time of day your ads should be run, and you can coordinate this for a better reach. For example, if you are promoting restaurant coupons, it may be a good idea to run the ads a few hours before lunch or dinner hours when people are thinking about where to go or what to eat.


5. Understand your target market. You need to understand your audience first before you can reel them in with your ads. Find out why they would be interested in your product. You might also want to look at existing promotions they are already responding and buying. See how these promotions talk to your market and how your market talks in discussion forums and blogs.

We mostly use trial and error for optimizing our pay-per-click marketing efforts but there are strategies you can implement to speed up the process. Get started on these strategies to start your way on generating high quality leads.

Reduce Your Risk Of Click Fraud With Google Adwords

Reports of click fraud with PPC campaigns, especially with Google Adwords, are on the rise, and researchers estimate the numbers are in excess of $1.6 billion as of 2008. Click fraud occurs when a competitor may be clicking on your ads to break your ad budget, or when someone installs a web robot or spider to generate fraudulent clicks on your ads.

PPC networks, including Google Adwords, confirm the existence of click fraud and are working hard to solve it. All we can do as PPC advertisers is to tweak our campaigns to reduce the risk of click fraud. Here are some tips for safeguarding your campaigns:

1. Keep an eye on your click through rates. It is easy to review your click-through rates and conversions with Google. You can even print out a daily or weekly report to monitor any bizarre activity. You might also want to reconcile your click-through rates with your actual web site traffic report. Check for IP addresses and websites that access your site regularly.

2. Set-up a daily budget. Limit your advertising costs on Adwords by setting up a budget. Your budget should be at a reasonable level allowing you to maintain it for several months. If you are a target of click fraud, your losses will only be limited to your specified budget.

3. Lay down a daily click limit. Adwords managers would do well to setup a daily click limit, according to Bruce C. Brown, author of the book "The Complete Guide to Google Advertising". This allows you to track the number of clicks on your ads. Once the click limit has been reached, your ad will disappear from the Adwords network.

4. Limit your Ads to certain locations. Using the geographic location feature is one of the best methods for safeguarding your campaigns against fraudulent activities. Research where your target market is mostly based and focus on running your ads only in certain countries or regions. It would be a waste of money to run ads on regions you won't do business in.

5. Don't be enticed by the free offers of some PPC programs. Some PPC companies offer free services, products or downloadable software to get you to sign-up with them. Be careful in accepting these offers, more so if you have to download a software that 'oversees' your keyword campaigns. Some hosting companies do offer Adwords 'credit' to sign up with them. These are generally safe as long as you are dealing directly with Google Adwords.

You need to report your experience directly to Google if you think you were a victim of click fraud. Google investigates click fraud cases with their own fraud protection team. Report your case as soon as possible to get your campaign back on course.