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Trends We’re Seeing On Google AdWords

My firm manages many Google AdWords accounts over a very broad range of business sectors. There are a few trends that we have seen lately that we thought we’d share with you.

In December through early March we saw a distinct drop in the cost per click and opportunities to move down the maximum cost per click setting for many accounts. For some we were able to bring them back to a pre-September figure when Google grabbed for cash in a big way with their September “Quality Score Update”.

Starting in mid March we’ve started to see a rise in the cost per click. Impressions are still low for some market sectors and so this is most likely not market pressure, but rather Google making adjustments to account for a loss of income by working to raise the minimum bid on their end to be in the auction. With impressions being for some accounts one third less than pre-February figures, this sudden increase in CPC plus continued low impressions is disconcerting to say the least.

Conversions for many accounts are still strong, but we are seeing in several industries an anomaly where Yahoo is actually now generating more conversions than Google and in some cases at almost half the cost per click.

My recommendation to clients is that now is the time to very carefully review the cost per conversion over a three month period, calculate in phone calls and individual sales history, and consider altering your pay per click budget to make sure that your advertising dollars are an investment and not an expense.

For one client after such a review we dropped the AdWords budget by one third and increased the Yahoo and MSN budget and are closely monitoring organic placement and click activity.

For some clients we are recommending that the extra money that may be found from these efforts be used to fund a local Yellow Page ad to try to expand their reach more deeply into local markets, especially if they sell to a local region and currently have no Yellow Page placement.

I’m sure Yellow Page reps love this recommendation (no they are not paying me), but as Local Search still has challenges, for some businesses the Yellow Pages will still generate nice returns when used in conjunction with a smartly managed  AdWords program.

What trends have you seen on your AdWords account, click comments below and let us know what you’ve seen.

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AdWords New Interface – Do You Like It?

In many AdWords accounts this last week we started to see a link at the top to try out the beta version AdWords control panel. I am still testing it, but so far there are things I like and things I don’t.

I do like the ability to make many changes on one screen such as change position, CPC, and status on the ad group detail page without having to click into the edit keyword page.

But I hate the simplistic look and feel of the introduction of the graphs on just about every page. I have 7 computers and on the weekend I check accounts on a smaller screen monitor and the new interface is totally screwed up on this screen. I have to scroll to the side to see what I want which is highly annoying.

I’m still checking it out, so if you’ve kicked its tires a few times leave me a comment about what you like and what you don’t like. If you haven’t looked at the beta yet, check out your AdWords account near the top right for a link to checkout the beta version.

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You Can’t Cheat on Social Networking

I am repeatedly asked by prospects and clients to set up and manage their social networking platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and will not do it. Why? I use these platforms myself and what I have found is that you simply cannot cheat on them. People want to connect with the real you not someone masquerading as you!

Only you can speak from experience and exude the authenticity that these platforms require for you to grow your network and to interact with others. If users find out you are “cheating” the blow back will be fierce.

Now I do believe that there is a niche for coaching in these areas, but there is no replacement for the real you. So if you don’t have time to work these platforms, then I recommend that you stay away from them for the time being, and that you set up a blogger and hire a blogger, but don’t outsource a crucial way to connect legitimately with others interested in your field and services and risk being outed as a cheater.

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Tips for Crafting the Perfect Blog Post Title

This is an art, yet something that you can learn to be proficient at easily for your own blog with a bit of practice. The best blog post titles are ones that catch your eye in a feed reader and entice you to click in. You’ve got just seconds to make an impression and if the feed reader being used only shows post titles (like mine does on MyLive), your post title absolutely has to hit the mark.

My two top tips for blog post titles:

1. Word your blog post title as you would a Google search query. Here are a few examples:  What is SEO?, Best Organic Search Engine Optimization, you get the gist – use keywords in the title and even consider using a question format. This type of format gets excellent results on search engines in the organic results.

2. Create a shock factor or spark reader curiosity – I always click into the blog post that is titled with an eye catching phrase. Here’s one I just found on my feed reader for the Merjis blog: Recession – Killing Me Softly, from Matt Cutts blog: How Many Links Per Page (who wouldn’t want to know what Google says about links?), or from the Blog Tutorials Blog: Launching a Blog? Do It With a Bang.

Your blog post title is key and should reflect the content of your blog post, so make sure it is crafted to work for you on search engines AND to entice readers to click in.