Now Google has put into a few short words what we’ve struggled with for years…. We help our clients win the Zero Moment of Truth: that time before they even go to a store, before they have decided what they want to buy or what company they need to contact…

It’s a great read and goes to the heart of what we’ve said for years, “if you think people aren’t searching online for products or services like what you offer, you’re wrong and someone else is getting their buisness. Business you could be vying for but aren’t.”

Download this free book, it’s well worth your time: http://www.zeromomentoftruth.com/

We’ve been waiting for ages for AdWords to automate some of the things that we can set up in advance – like making an ad with a special offer live on the day of a sale and then pausing that ad when the day is done.

Well, today they announced this very feature! We don’t use many automated tools here (we think generally speaking that automation works in Google’s favor), but we’re excited about this feature. No more staying up until midnight to turn on promo ads!

To read more about it, check out the AdWords blog:   http://adwords.blogspot.com/2010/12/adwords-rules-and-so-can-you.html

Today’s post focuses on setting the budget for Google AdWords and what I like to call budget blunders.
 
Misconception#3: The wonderful thing about pay-per-click advertising is that it is for all budgets, large and small. Anyone can tailor a pay-per-click campaign to suit their budget and get results.

Setting a pay-per-click budget can be tricky and this misconception is the larger umbrella under which a number of mistakes occur. To begin with, when a person creates a pay-per-clilck campaign and attempts to stay within a modest budget, they often forget that there is a correlation between their keywords and their budget.

For example, if a person chooses to include keywords with a large search volume and they don’t have a large budget, they run the risk of blowing their budget almost immediately, so their ads will only run for a matter of minutes, or hours. Imagine a keyword like “real estate” which is searched for 101,000,000 per day. If your ad is tied to the phrase “real estate”, your weekly or monthlyad budget can be exhausted within one day because of the number of times people search for this term.

Another common budget blunder is when people choose obscure keywords in order to stay within budget. Contrary to choosing popular keywords that break the bank within a day, these people choose their keywords based on “maximizing” their budget on keywords that are rarely searched for. But if no one (or very, very few people) is searching for these terms, their ads will never be seen! It’s kind of like opening a restaurant in a back alley rather than a busy street because the rent is cheaper. It may cost less, but no one will find you.

What I’ve learned: An ad is only as effective as its weakest link. If the foundation is not strong, poor results will be reflected.

So, when it comes to budget, most people follow two extremes. To avoid the common pitfalls associated with setting your budget, you must consider all angles of your approach. Your customers affect your keyword choices, your keyword choices affect your budget. Are you starting to see how the entire process must be built on a firm foundation of understanding? Pay-per-click may require expertise after all.

In our last blog for this series, we look at how people use their limited space in creating an ad in a pay-per-click environment like AdWords. Did you know that placing your company’s name in the ad is a waste of characters? I’ll tell you why in my next post.

Today’s misconception builds on my last post and shows just how quickly one mistaken belief can snowball into poor results. Once someone assumes that anyone can navigate a system like AdWords, they naturally assume that all the components associated with ppc ads, like choosing keywords, is just as simple.

Misconception#2: Keyword selection is based on general terms related to your business.

As we discussed in my last post, there are lots of tools within services, like Google AdWords, that provide the illusion that it only takes a few simple steps to successfully implement your own campaign. The common misconception is that your keyword list takes minimal effort to compile. Just pick words and phrases that relate to your business, so the system serves your ads when someone searches for those phrases, and move on.
 
What I’ve learned: Keywords should be chosen based on how people search and what they are really looking for when they type a query into the search bar.
 
The empty search bar that appears when Google is opened is known as the query bar. Each time a user enters a search term into that bar, they are essentially asking Google a question. Google’s job is to provide the most relevant answer.

In order to work favorably with Google’s system (and yes, we want to make nice with Google), your keyword list should support how users search for your business. That means choosing words that are actively searched for and words that drive genuinely interested consumers (qualified traffic) to your site. A general rule of thumb is that they should not be too broad or too narrow.
 
For example, if you own a boutique hotel in Sarasota, Florida that accommodates honeymooners you might want to avoid using the term “Florida vacations”(unless you have a giant budget). This term is an example of something that is way too broad for your business and will attract unqualified traffic to your site and could blow your budget in a matter of hours. “Florida vacations” can refer to family vacations, Disney vacations and other getaways that are not relevant to a romantic vacation for two in Florida.
 
Conversely, avoid keywords that are too narrow. Using the phrase “Siesta Key Honeymoon Retreat” may accurately describe your business but is way too narrow to attract a substantial amount of eyeballs to your website.
 
Ads should qualify users, using keywords that are not overly searched for, and ones that speak your customer’s language. A fitting term for this hotel might be “Sarasota Honeymoon” or if that is still narrow, expand to “Gulf Coast honeymoon hotels.” Google’s Keyword Tool is an invaluable resource when beginning to compile your list. It lists search volume (which shows you how many people search for this term on the internet) and keyword ideas. But remember, it is only a tool and you are ultimately the best judge of which terms are perfect for your business.

As we proceed through this series, it is important to note that each component in pay-per-click advertising matters equally. When one component is overlooked or done poorly, it affects the results of the entire campaign.

Next up is our post all about budget blunders. Did you know that a mistake you make in the keyword selection phase could be the downfall of your budget? Stay tuned.

Read on to learn one of the most common ways keywords are chosen and how this method can negatively affect search rankings for more important and profitable terms.
 
Misconception #3: Choosing keywords and phrases for which to target your optimization efforts is easy, simply pick some words related to your website and plug them in.

So, if you’re in the hotel business, choosing words like “hotel”, “hotels”, “vacation” and so forth should work, right? Wrong. But, I’ll get to that in a minute.

I once worked with a graphic designer that had me do this exact thing for a client. Just pick some words that describe the business and go with it. I didn’t know any better so I chose a handful of keywords that seemed relative to my client.

Suffice to say, that client is still not ranked.

What I’ve learned: Keywords and phrases that produce results are not chosen simply based on how they describe a business. User behavior and search volume are vital to a successful list of keywords and phrases.

There is an absolute method to establishing the right keyword list and phrases. Remember, though, that this is only part of the SEO equation. Keywords and phrases must be accompanied with proper coding on the back-end of the website, proper usability standards, links and SEO-focused web content.

From a user standpoint, relevant keywords are chosen based on how a user searches for a product or service. Businesses have to set aside their own assumptions and internal search terms and dig into user behavior.

In some arenas, a certain set of keywords and phrases is searched for in high volume (millions per day) which, in turn, creates a highly coveted set of keywords for businesses to use for ranking purposes.  This also means that competition increases and those keywords with a high search volume may not be the right choice for all businesses.

For example, if you own a small boutique hotel in the Bahamas, getting ranked under the word “hotels” is a frivolous waste of time. Extraordinarily large businesses and large numbers of businesses are all fighting to get premium spots on search engine results pages (SERPS).  And quite frankly, your small boutique hotel in the Bahamas won’t be what most people are looking for when searching for “hotels”, so the likelihood of getting ranked is almost nil.

Remember what I said at the very beginning of this series…Google is trying to provide the websites that are most likely what the user is looking for. So, with that in mind, you realize why your small boutique hotel would not likely get on the first page of Google for the term “hotel.” It’s just not the most relevant site for that broad topic.

Getting ranked under more specific terms like, “boutique island hotel” or “Bahama hotel,” both narrows the pool of businesses vying for that term and is also much more relevant to your business and it will ultimately serve your business better. The people who find you under that term will find what they are looking for, which will help improve your rankings and is good for your business.

There’s so much to know about the world of SEO and I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface. Hopefully, telling you about some of my misconceptions has helped dispel similar ideas you may have had. Armed with a better knowledge of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to SEO will help you make better decisions for your business and your clients.

Our next series is on Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Learn what SEM is all about and the top misconceptions that can ultimately hinder a business and waste your money.