A few questions from a PPC newbie

Hi Broomy

I'm getting started at this game too but I can answer some of your questions.

1) Not saying this is the ONLY way to track, or even the best per se, but I'd seriously look into Prosper202 as a way to track (especially if you're doing content network)

2) Well, the general rule is no direct linking to the merchant's landing page in Adwords (Search) if that's what you mean, unless there are no other affiliates for the offer. Otherwise you can direct link to the merchant in the Content Network. You would use the Display URL of the actual merchant's landing page unless you link to your own site which of course you'd use your own url.

3) You definitely want separate Ad Groups because you want to keep your keywords > ads > landing page relevant so having 1-3 keywords for Search per Ad Group or 15-50 keywords per Ad Group for content is a generally accepted rule.

4) With only $10-$20 per day I definitely wouldn't go for expensive keywords. Are you considering CPA or clickbank stuff?

5) I've heard that too about positions 3/4. Ultimately you'll want to test to see which position per keyword is brining in the best ROI. It's all about testing and monitoring your campaign(s)

6) For Search I think 1 - 3 kws, for Content I've has as many as 90 or so but I try to keep them between 15-50 or so

7) No clue about Google Cash Detective. Read as many reviews as possible as everyone will have a different opinion

Not trying to push the ebook in my sig but it's a pretty good one and it's free so you may want to check it out.

Hope that helps

http://www.warriorforum.com/ad-netwo...-software.html

Google cash detective is offering a $1 for all training videos that cover the new google cash 4 system as well as the money system.

and you get 7 days to try out the software as well

as an fyi, read the fine print..as it automatically enrolls you in the $97/month program after the 7 days..but you can cancel at any time.

you get all the video trainings for the $1 though. they are valued at $500

ive used the program since the 2 week trail and im going to pony up. i think its a great software product that delievers on its 'spying' capabilities of finding what others are doing

the training videos for me are just a bonus as i was doing most things by trail and error during the trail period.

Google Cash 4 Home Study Course $1 Offer
link -> bit.ly/gogcd

1. I've always found Adwords own tracking to be sufficient. It does track down to ad and keyword level. I'm not familiar with other systems but this prosper202 is mentioned quite a lot.

2. Always match the display URL with the landing page URL. That is, the page of the domain name where the click finally lands (ie: www.mywebsite.com) and the display URL must be the same. That's the rule.

3. You should always group keywords by theme. Don't lump all your keywords in one group. If you sell ten different kinds of widgets, you should have at least ten groups. One group may be "Quarter Inch Widget" another "Half Inch Widget", etc. You could further split along colors or other feature that people would search for.

4. The bid you place is not necessarily the price you will actually pay. The idea behind setting a high price is to get a high CTR right off the bat. But that idea is flawed because CTR is weighted by position across all advertisers for that keyword. Read the previous sentence again, it's important.

CTR is influenced more by your ad than by your bid. Bidding higher with the same ad only means you'll achieve a higher position and pay a higher price for a marginal increase in CTR. My suggestion is to bid so that you can achieve a profit. And continually test ads to get higher CTR.

5. You'll have to test your offer to see which position result in better ROI. It could be first, third, fourth and I've even seen eighth. Different ads for the same offer can result in different results for the same position. Next year, you may get different results. That's why you have to test all the time.

But basically, yes, change the CPC to get ads shown in different positions. Track how your CPC affects your position.

6. I think the limit is 2000 keywords per group. But you generally don't want a huge number of keywords in a group. Makes it difficult to manage plus it is unlikely all the keywords will be focussed around a single theme as explained in point #3.

Many here say to have one keyword per group. I think that's splitting hairs a little too fine. I usually have a dozen or so, mostly of the phrase and exact match types.

7. I don't know about this particular one. I might have read it long time ago but I don't recall. There are other books, the best known being Perry Marshall's, basically the Adwords guru, a good place to start.

Thanks for the detailed responses.

promo_guy: I was thinking of starting with clickbank products, although I have a few sites that promote affiliate offers either from small networks or sites that host their own affiliate program which did quite well when I was getting organic search. I'll probably give them a go as well after I've got the hang of PPC a bit. I was thinking of starting with $10-20 because I don't want to find myself a few hundred down and then realize i'd done something wrong. Hopefully I'll see some good results and up the budget pretty soon though.

In regards to point 2, does that mean that if there is someone using a direct hoplink for clickbank already, then I can't? Which means I would have to buy a domain and redirect? For those that do affiliate marketing, do you buy domains for each niche you promote?

I've been reading about prosper202 and it seems to be mentioned in other threads quite a bit so I might give that a try.

Lucid: I get what you're saying about the CTR relating to the ad itself, but should I bid high initially so that the ad position (and hopefully CTR) is high and then lower the bid amount until it's in a position I'm happy with and the CPC is lower too? I think the quality score and bidding is the thing confusing me most!

I think I understand how to use adgroups now, so that the keywords in the group are all related to each other and I can create headlines, text, etc that's relevant to particular groups.

I may give Google Cash Detective a go for a month or two and see how I get on.

Once again, thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.

Broomy, bid as high as you are comfortable with. Your first ads will be your base line. Improve your ads to get higher CTR at the position you're at.

See, if you bid high, you don't necessarily get a high CTR. That's a function of your ad, not your bid. Your ads will move up naturally as you get higher CTRs for the same bid. If you want higher position, then increase your bid, but find out how high you can push that CTR first.

Ok, thanks for the advice Lucid. I'll go setup a campaign or two and see how I get on. Thanks for all your help.

Hi Broomy

In reference to #2, when it comes to direct linking in Adwords (Search, not Content Network) there is a one url rule I believe ....unless you don't mind $5/$10 per click. Basically, if you are trying to direct link on a Search campaign, and you choose Product X's site, so the Display/Destination URL is Product-x.com - Product x Resources and Information. and there are other affiliates, or the merchant themselves ALREADY using that display/destination url, then I believe you run the risk of paying higher per click as Google will favor the ad/affiliate/advertiser who was either a) there first and/or b) who has the better CTR etc.

So, if you're promoting a popular product and you have confirmed there are others promoting the same product (you've done some research on your competition right?) then you'll want to get your own site. This is good if you want to pre-sell the visitor anyway. Then they can click to the merchant's page and hopefully make you a sale. If you go the Content Network route, then you can direct link to the merchant without a site.

One thing I discovered when using the content network is I wasn't able to track down to the keyword level. But, I used self-hosted Prosper202 and it told me which keywords got clicks.

One thing to remember when it comes to ads. Your CTR may not increase simply because you bid higher, you need to be split testing at least 2 ads! See which one gets clicked the most, pause the poorer performing ad, then create a new ad because you could be paying a high CPC to be in position 1-3 or whatever but your ad copy sucks. If you're in a high position and your CTR sucks, try adjusting your ad copy (headline/descriptions)

Always be split testing your ads until you find at least one that gets good CTR. As your CTR goes up, keep an eye on your EPC (Earnings Per Click) and of course your ROI. If you're earning good profit, see if you can lower your CPC which means you may get less clicks but perhaps your ROI improves.

It's all about massaging your ads/landing pages/offer to find the sweet spot to making a good return on investment.

I'm probably over simplifying things slightly but the point is, yes, like Lucid said, bid where you're comfortable but at the end of the day it's about profit and you need to keep testing ads (among other things) to improve CTR which should reflect what you ultimately pay.

Hi Broomy

In reference to #2, when it comes to direct linking in Adwords (Search, not Content Network) there is a one url rule I believe ....unless you don't mind $5/$10 per click. Basically, if you are trying to direct link on a Search campaign, and you choose Product X's site, so the Display/Destination URL is Product-x.com - Product x Resources and Information. and there are other affiliates, or the merchant themselves ALREADY using that display/destination url, then I believe you run the risk of paying higher per click as Google will favor the ad/affiliate/advertiser who was either a) there first and/or b) who has the better CTR etc.

So, if you're promoting a popular product and you have confirmed there are others promoting the same product (you've done some research on your competition right?) then you'll want to get your own site. This is good if you want to pre-sell the visitor anyway. Then they can click to the merchant's page and hopefully make you a sale. If you go the Content Network route, then you can direct link to the merchant without a site.

One thing I discovered when using the content network is I wasn't able to track down to the keyword level. But, I used self-hosted Prosper202 and it told me which keywords got clicks.

One thing to remember when it comes to ads. Your CTR may not increase simply because you bid higher, you need to be split testing at least 2 ads! See which one gets clicked the most, pause the poorer performing ad, then create a new ad because you could be paying a high CPC to be in position 1-3 or whatever but your ad copy sucks. If you're in a high position and your CTR sucks, try adjusting your ad copy (headline/descriptions)

Always be split testing your ads until you find at least one that gets good CTR. As your CTR goes up, keep an eye on your EPC (Earnings Per Click) and of course your ROI. If you're earning good profit, see if you can lower your CPC which means you may get less clicks but perhaps your ROI improves.

It's all about massaging your ads/landing pages/offer to find the sweet spot to making a good return on investment.

I'm probably over simplifying things slightly but the point is, yes, like Lucid said, bid where you're comfortable but at the end of the day it's about profit and you need to keep testing ads (among other things) to improve CTR which should reflect what you ultimately pay.

Thanks very much promo_guy. For the sake of $8 or so, I may as well buy a domain for campaigns having read your advice. At least then I can have the best of both worlds; PPC and SEO the site too for organic traffic.

Split testing 2 ads was something I'd read quite a few times, so it's certainly on my notepad checklist!

I'm definitely going to try and track as much as possible to prevent making too many costly mistakes (I hope). I'm going to take a look at the hosted prosper202 and start promoting a product or two, and hopefully I won't lose my shirt!

Thanks again for helping me out. Oh, and I've just signed up for the ebook in your sig as CPA is another thing that I keep meaning to learn about but haven't been able to get around to it yet!