Living Entrepreneurship Blog / Babson Entrepreneurs

Getting the Most out of your Paid Search Budget

By Writing Compelling ads.  Here are some copy writing tips that will help you maximize the effectiveness of your paid search campaigns.

1. Copy Writing Tips

    1. When writing copy on the major search engines, make sure that you know all the do’s and don’ts.
    2. Be sure to have an idea of what you are trying to accomplish when writing your ad. Are you looking solely for clicks, conversions, registrants, etc.)
    3. You should be trying to educate the user in the two allotted lines so you are getting more qualified clicks.
    4. Avoid hokey or gimmick ads unless you are looking for curiosity clicks (lower quality) or trying to increase CTR. These ads include using FREE or ALL CAPS.
    5. Be sure to use every available character in the description.
    6. Never mislead the user with inaccurate ad callouts.
    7. Use correct spelling and grammar. Abbreviations are acceptable if they are very common use.
    8. Use limited special characters to standout. ( !, ?, ©, ®, TM)
    9. Test using urgency callouts in your ad. (i.e. Offer Expires 1/1/12)
    10. Try using the Keyword in your domain. (example.com/custom-widgets)
    11. Test using Static Ads vs. KeyWord Insertion.

2. Static Ads vs. KeyWord Insertion

    1. A Static ad shows exactly how you write it, while a KeyWord insertion ad takes the user search and adds it to the title or description. The one caveat is the keyword or phrase must fit into the title or description. If that doesn’t fit then it will be replaced with a designated keyword or phrase that you select. For example, Your ad title looks like this:

{KeyWord:Custom Car Tires}

The user searches Ford Car Tires, your title would look like this “Ford Car Tires”.

If the user searches Old Ford Thunderbird Car Tires, your title will look like this: “Custom Car Tires”.

    1. If you create ad groups that are granular enough then you should be able to use Static Ads. The benefit of using static ads are you know exactly what shows up every time, it is more controlled for testing purposes, and there is no risk of misspellings or errors.
    2. KeyWord insertion potentially gives you more relevant ads because the searched keyword shows up in your ad and is in bold. You have only limited space because your keyword/phrase needs to fit into the title or description. You cannot use with all searches due to the grammar issues with misspellings and plural variations.

This is certainly something that should be tested in a campaign by campaign basis because of the benefits of each. Test and figure out which work best for your account.

Chris Kenney is the Director of Online Marketing at Gemvara.  Gemvara allows user to customize their pieces to select a design, metal and gemstone.  Gemvara offers a wide selection of Gemstone Jewelry, Stackable Rings, Initial Pendants and Gemstone Engagement Rings.