The Real Score on Ebay’s Findings with Regards to the Effectiveness of Adwords
Google’s pay-per-click advertising method is generally patronized by most businesses that are seeking for massive exposure over the internet – but this does not mean that they are all successful in terms of generating more revenues. These are the little links positioned strategically near the text content of selected websites that adhere to Google’s policies. They are keywords- sensitive so, there’s a great possibility that relevant searches can easily end up where they are. The question is – are the ads good enough to drive searchers to buy what they’re looking for?
Lots of eyebrows were raised when Ray Fisman’s report published by “Harvard Business Review” – explained the alleged withdrawal of eBay from Adwords. According to Fisman, this action is triggered by the result of the study indicating that majority of their sponsored ads on Google did not generate more sales for them – and those that did, can’t simply justify the advertising cost.
If you are an Adword advertiser, you will know that Google made it clear that there are certain ways to make your ads work and web marketers can only agree with these suggestions. Using numbers and ASCII characters to make your ad stand out are classic examples. Offering something of value is a plus along with providing ample benefits to customers. Last but not the least is clear call to action that will guide visitors on what to do next like “purchase now”.
On the other hand, it is quite known to the internet marketing world that eBay’s advertising style especially their unusual DKI or “Dynamic Keyword Insertion” usage – oftentimes can’t be taken seriously like the following headlines:
- Lonely? Get a wife!
- Look no further if you are looking for love!
Some online experts are even surprised that it’s only now – after many years of using Adwords that eBay realized that their advertising expenses will not going to pay them off in the end, with the nature of their advertisements.
It can’t therefore be Adwords’ fault if other advertisers are benefitting from it! Can it be the wrong strategy of eBay? Be aware that Adwords is giving a free-hand to businesses to choose the appropriate keywords to link their ads with. In fact, highly clicked ads are discounted whereas the non-performing ones are heavily penalized – costing a lot more. This is to regulate advertisers to stick to the best practices. If eBay choose to run these annoying ads then, the odds will be against them.
Follow these five tips – with our compliments that have been proven effective during our ten years of experience in working with thousands of clients:
- Never use general keywords. Be specific as much as possible. Instead of just “clothes”, use the exact term like “baby clothes”.
- Make use of “Dynamic Search Ads” – an automatic tool by Google that feeds the right keywords for your product.
- Run the “search query” not only to find keywords that have high conversion rates but also negative ones to block unwanted clicks – to cut the expenses on unproductive searches.
- Activate Google Analytics’ Remarketing tool that gives report on the behavior of group of shoppers – especially visitors who intended to buy but were interrupted for some reason. It’s a fact that you can easily ignite their interest again – just by conducting an email campaign. This group is more likely to make purchase the second time around.
- Always take advantage of free trial on your Adwords account.
If you want to turn your pay-per-click Google ads around for better profits, call on us – your experienced Web Marketer to help you out.