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Not only do we have a great blog post in store for you guys today, but we also have some very exciting news to go along with it! We’ll be hosting a free (yes, free!) event during Boulder Startup Week at the Bitter Bar where we’ll be imparting our insider’s knowledge on the wild world of Google AdWords and PPC management.
We invite startups, entrepreneurs, creative minds, technical minds, and everybody else to join us for this fun and informative event on Saturday, May 18th from 1-3pm. We’ll be discussing how your company can optimize a budget of any size to reach your customers directly and immediately.
That’s right; we’re going to show you how to stop waiting and start selling.
And thanks to the Bitter Bar, we’ll have a great atmosphere to network and socialize in and some great food to munch on. I don’t want to give away the whole menu, but we obviously wouldn’t put on an event without a bacon tasting.
Spots are limited so reserve yours quickly! See you there!
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In preparation for our big debut amongst the startup crowd, we couldn’t help but put together a little teaser for you. We thought we’d whet your appetities with a blog post on ad extensions.
When you create a Google AdWords campaign, you’re hoping that the money you spend is going to be dwarfed by the amount of money you’ll make in return. In order to ensure this kind of success, you need to make your campaign as trackable and focused as possible.
Luckily, there are a number of extensions AdWords allows you to utilize to fine-tune your campaign. For brevity’s sake, we’ll assume that you already know how to properly segment a campaign: good keyword research techniques, how to optimize for clicks, calls, or conversions, and so on. And if you don’t, then RSVP for our event STAT!
Here is how I like to use the extensions available through AdWords:
Branding: Site Links Extensions
The site links extension allows for some category links to be placed within the ad to give a user the option to go to that part of your site directly. While this is a great option to increase the likelihood of clicks, there is a reason why I only use it for branding purposes.
When I create a campaign that is designed to drive conversions – meaning a focused campaign with multiple ad groups, pointing to a very specific landing page designed with a strong call to action – I do not want people moving around my site.
In fact, for most campaigns that are conversion-focused, I prefer to modify the navigation so that it is very difficult to get out of the conversion funnel.
However, if you are trying to build brand recognition, site links are the bee’s knees. It gives your users the ability to view your ad, and if they aren’t interested in the call to action, but are still intrigued, they can browse the rest of your site.
I have seen site links increase the click through rate by almost 2% on some branding campaigns. A worthwhile addition if you are trying to add traffic to your web property.
Conversions: Call Extensions
When trying to drive conversions to your page, a common complaint will always be about the number of conversions. The only way to insulate you from ultimate failure in these campaigns is to track every conceivable way to convert on your web property.
For example, some web users that are simply doing research and would prefer to talk to a real person before actually converting. Other web users might fear entering in their credit card number online and would prefer to do so over the phone. In both of these instances, and I assure you that there are many more, neither type of client would be considered a conversion without a call extension in place…even if they eventually made the purchase.
Simply put, if you aren’t tracking calls, you’re doing a disservice to your company.
There is a drawback, however, and that is an overabundance of data. If you are running a branding campaign where you can expect a lot of clicks with fewer conversions – as opposed to a conversion generating campaign – I would recommend you leave call extensions off of your ads.
You’ll end up with too much data and not enough use for it. I would rather have my SEO team synthesizing data that will equate to user behavior and conversion optimization, rather than analyzing call inquiries that are simply about the brand, the company, the product, and so on.
Site links extensions and call extensions are only two of the many options AdWords lets you play with in order to make the most out of every ad placement. What are some of these other wonderful extensions and features? Well, you’ll just have to join us during our free Boulder Startup Week event!
Also, be sure to check out our Paid Search page for more information on how we like to manage PPC campaigns.
What aspect of Google AdWords do you find the most useful? The most confusing? We’d love your input before we hit the stage!
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