Knowledge is the Foundation To Success  

I like to think of my pay-per-click (PPC) advertising keywords as my sales team. Each keyword, whether it be a broad match variation, a phrase match variation or an exact match variation is a unique sales entity. Each keyword, whether it be a singular or plural, puts a different spin on the sales pitch inherent within the words themselves. Each keyword, whether it be a tightly focused model number, a brand name, or a generic catch-all kind of word, puts forth its own individual call to action.

So, what do you do with a member of your sales team who is performing under expectations? Well, for starters, you can “reduce his pay” by lowering his bid. Note: I’m using “he” just for simplicity sake. If a member of your sales team is underperforming, certainly you don’t want to keep paying him at his normal rate. Bring his pay down to a level that is acceptable to the performance he is delivering. Bring a keyword down in position if it’s not delivering in a high position.

What if you have already “reduced the pay” of an underperfomer? Then what? Well, ultimately you are going to have to fire him. There is no sense in keeping a sales person around if he has proven time and time again that he cannot deliver the results that are expected of him. So, fire him. Shut him down. Pause that stinker. Sometimes it’s hard to let go, but in the long run you’ll be glad you did.

Now, on a happier note, what do you do with a member of your sales team who is kicking butt? What do you do with the guy who’s outperforming expectations? Well, one obvious thing to do is give him a raise. Push that keyword position a bit higher if you have room to grow the position. This doesn’t always translate into more sales, but you should certainly give the keyword the opportunity to shine if it’s proven in the past that it can deliver results.

What if he is already at the top of the pay scale? Then what? Then you might need to start looking beyond raising his pay. Now you need to start looking to him for “referrals.” Does he have any trustworthy friends who need a job? Does that keyword have a few variations that you haven’t considered? Dig deeper into the keyword and see if you can find a few of its “friends” to come join your team. You might be surprised at what you find.

Happy Holidays to all.

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JumpFly PPC Account Executive

Google AdWords Quality Score – Sometimes Slow is the Way to Go 

We certainly live in a fast-paced world where instant gratification is king.  And that is very apparent in the world of pay per click (PPC) advertising.  People search for items or services, ads are displayed immediately, people click the ads to be brought to the page where their desired item is sold or where the desired service is offered, then they purchase that item or service right there on the spot if it suits their needs.

So, if you are starting a Google AdWords campaign and you have 1,000 items to sell on your website, shouldn’t you advertise on all 1,000 items right from the beginning?  Won’t that bring you the most sales?  Won’t that be the quickest way to profitability?  Not necessarily.  It’s just not that easy. 

A strong initial Quality Score on Google is crucial to long-term success in the PPC advertising marketplace.  If you flood your account with thousands of low-traffic keywords, you will not build up that strong initial Quality Score, and in fact may be shooting yourself in the foot by branding your new account with a terrible Quality Score.  Too much too soon, is something you should seriously consider avoiding right out the gate for your new Adwords campaign.

The beauty of PPC advertising is it in its flexibility.  You can always add more keywords later.  You can always continue to grow and improve the account.  You have the power to shape it to serve your needs.  Don’t be too anxious to throw everything out into the marketplace before you establish a desirable AdWords Quality Score.

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