Why You Need AdWords Negative Keywords

By Theresa Baiocco IF YOU’RE PAYING $30, to $50, or even $100 for each click, you know PPC keywords are no laughing matter. But sometimes they are. One of our PPC specialists started a new tradition at the ConversionMax office: “Keyword of the day.” He lists the funniest and strangest search queries he uncovers in…

Keep Reading

PPC Ad Extensions and Your Money: How are They Related?

By Don Sturgill WHAT IF I TOLD YOU there is a simple, but often overlooked, way to get a much higher click-through rate (CTR) on your pay-per-click (PPC) ads? Would that be something of value to you? And what if I added that this PPC secret won’t cost any more per click than you are…

Keep Reading

PPC Enhanced Campaigns: A Blessing or a Curse?

By Don Sturgill IT’S BEEN ALMOST 10 months since Google announced the launch of PPC enhanced campaigns (EC) as a new approach to managing pay-per-click (PPC) advertising — and a little over 4 months since EC’s became mandatory for AdWords management. At first, there was considerable chatter, complaining, and outright fear over what PPC enhanced…

Keep Reading

The Zen of Geotargeting: Are You In or Out?

By Don Sturgill Why is geotargeting important? Do you remember when we talked about writing PPC ads and how important it is for a pizzeria to consider location when placing pay-per-click ads? The company we used as an example wrote a pretty good ad – and received a high click-through rate. Unfortunately, though, the writer…

Keep Reading

The Truth About PPC Writing: Getting Results With PPC Ads

By Don Sturgill Want to know how to boost your PPC ad click-through rate (CTR) immediately? Do you think better PPC writing could help boost the success of your pay-per-click campaigns and deliver a more favorable return on investment? Let’s cut to the chase. Here’s the recipe: Stop writing PPC titles and start writing PPC…

Keep Reading

PPC Ad Writing Made Easy

By Don Sturgill Writing is my job. I launched my first newsletter when I was nine years old. I’ve written newspaper articles, newspaper advertising, short stories, poetry, and ebooks. I’ve penned songs and composed white papers. I’ve written online ads for eMarketers, business plans for entrepreneurs, websites for corporations, and marketing copy galore. I’ve helped launch…

Keep Reading

What Acting and PPC Have in Common

By Don Sturgill OF ALL THE SCHOOLS of acting, the most acclaimed is “Method Acting,” or simply, “The Method.” Beginning with New York’s Group Theatre in the 1930’s, disciples of The Method have consistently become stars: James Stewart, Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Marilyn Monroe, Dustin Hoffman, Marlon Brando, Reese Witherspoon, Suzanne Pleshette, and Jack Nicholson…

Keep Reading

The Most Important Part of Any Business

By Don Sturgill There is one person no business can do without. I’m not speaking of the sales manager, the executive assistant, or even the CEO. The one necessary individual to business success (beyond a valid product or service), is the customer. Without a sufficient flow of happy buyers, no pay-per-click (PPC) agency or PPC…

Keep Reading

PPC Managers: Avoid These Three Traps

By Don Sturgill HE WAS A BRIGHT young guy, fresh out of college and cram-packed with knowledge about Internet marketing and social media. He could have been the model on a Gen Y characteristics chart. Soon after he began interning on our SEO team, he told me the company blog was in severe need of…

Keep Reading