When a keyword converts at a cost which exceeds the targeted CPA, when do you give up on the keyword, and when do you stick with it?  The primary consideration should be relevancy.

Don’t Give Up on Relevant Keywords

If you believe a keyword is highly relevant, then don’t give up on it by pausing it.  Instead, just keep decreasing its bid until you find the price at which it converts efficiently.

An example is “Tax Attorney.”  Such a keyword can cost between $25 to $50 per click.  If you’re a tax attorney bidding the term at $50 per click, and have a target of $500 per lead, then you’re going to have to convert it at a 10% rate to achieve your target.  If you’re converting the term at a rate of only 2%, then you either have to give up on the term or bid it lower.

What if you bid the term at $10 with a 2% conversion rate?  You’ll lose most of the relevant impressions, due to rank, meaning your ad won’t usually be displayed, but when it is displayed and converts, you’ll hit your target of $500 for the lead.  So, rather than pause relevant keywords, just drop the bids.

Improve Conversion Rates

Of course, if you can improve your conversion rates, then you can afford higher bids, which will lead to higher traffic.  So with the above example, when you drop your bids for a highly relevant term, resulting in double digit ad positions, you should be asking yourself, “why is this advertiser unable to compete for a highly relevant term in first page search results.”  Investigate competitor ads and websites, and make some recommendations for improving the conversion rates.

Give Up on Keywords with Tangential Traffic

Dropping bids for terms which have problems with tangential traffic won’t work–you’ll have to pause the term.

An example is the term “A/C pad”  which can refer to a pad for a broken collarbone; the A/C element of the keyword refers to the “acromioclavicular” bone.  Of course, since only people who have gone to med school can spell”acromioclavicular, the device is widely referred to by laymen as an A/C Pad.  Of course, if you own an air conditioner with a pad type filter, then you also use the term to buy a replacement part for it.  And if you search for the term, you’ll find air conditioner dominates the search results by a large margin, with the first entry relating to the medical version not ranking in the results until the second page, item 16.

Bottom line, if you’re selling acromioclavicular pads or some other such item plagued by tangential traffic, you’re not going to be able to compete for your shortest search phrases, your best bet is the longer more precise phrases.

Ad Position Targets Take a Backseat to Performance Targets!

The concept of targeting ad positions should be applied to performance classes.  Develop one (best) target for your best performing keywords (like those in a Star campaign) and worse targeted positions for other groups.  This is essentially what most bidding algorithms do.

Regardless, you must deviate from your position targets to accommodate your performance targets.

Average Ad Positions

If a keyword is highly relevant, rather general, and highly competitive, it may be tough to convert it efficiently.  Or maybe not . . . maybe the problem isn’t the keyword, just the bid.

A few weeks back I was speaking with our Google Rep about our aversion to targeting second page ad positions.  She said:

“Don’t think of it as targeting the second page; rather think of it as targeting below the fold first page positions when and where competition is low, like at night and outside metro areas.”

AHA!  I see the light.  So much for our aversion to second page positions.  RIP!  I’ve since lost my superstitious bias against second page bids!  So, my new favorite targeted position for relevant keywords which are under-performing is 13!  Now I’m not alarmed by double digit keywords.

Is an account being carefully maintained?  Let’s assess that on the basis of whether there exists a logical correlation between bids and conversions!

Any Relevant Keyword, for a Price

If a keyword is relevant, then there must some amount at which we are willing to bid for it.  This is akin, albeit converse, to the old adage, everything is for sale, for a price.  The concept is truly liberating.

Bottom line for most accounts:  just keep bidding lower on relevant keywords until they convert at the targeted CPA.

Today I read an ad for hire:

Responsibilities include: Computer tech work, general admin assistance, ability to lift up to 50lbs, running errands, etc.  Experience with AdWords, PPC and SEO also beneficial.

Why not add, tuning up the owner’s BMW and performing occassional Lasik Eye Surgery to the list of responsibilities?

We look at about half a dozen new PPC accounts per week.  No wonder two thirds of those look like they’ve been put together and managed by an office assistant in his free time.

Outsource PPC!

Do it yourself PPC doesn’t work well for small businesses because: a) companies can’t afford to hire a full-time genius just to manage PPC (so they delegate the job to any person with a pulse); and b) the owner himself is generally too busy, and so he ends up neglecting the account.

If you own a company and are sort of managing PPC yourself, you will appreciate and benefit from our daily PPC Management services.  We guarantee you improved economic results, and you will likely find that  Outsourcing PPC is cheaper than you think.  Our fees for small local businesses start at $350 per month.

Phone Hanna at 720 663 9595 for a PPC Management Quote.   Let her show you the ways we’ll improve your pay per click account.

Many Per Click versus One Per Click

Google Adwords — with the new interface, as well as in reports, you can now evaluate conversion results according to Many Per Click or One Per Click.  Over the past couple weeks, the issue of which metric is most important has come up repeatedly.  Here we define the terms and clarify the usefulness of the metrics.

Cookies & Conversions

If you click on an Adwords ad, as long as you don’t lose your cookies for their normal life of 30 days, then Google associates any conversion triggers to that initial event (clicking on the ad).  If you convert several times during a 30-day period, are the marginal conversions and the data about the marginal conversions valuable to the advertiser?  It depends . . .

Many Per Click for Online Stores

For an online store, there is generally marginal revenue associated with each additional conversion.  So, for most online stores, many per click is the most important metric.  For online stores, it makes sense to tune the account for the conversion metric,  many per click.  If someone makes a purchase, and then returns to the store and makes another purchase, that is important information.  Of course, the most important information for online stores, revenue per order, is not yet captured by Adwords.

One Per Click for Attorneys

Advertisers, like Attorneys, who harvest leads, not sales, generally don’t benefit from additional conversions per click.  Once an attorney harvests the lead information for a visitor, it’s unlikely that additional conversions associated with that click will result in additional revenue opportunities for the Advertiser.  Accordingly, for advertisers like attorneys who define conversions as leads via an online form, then the One Per Click conversion metric is most meaningful.

Reporting Standards

Previously, our reports included conversion data based on One Per Click.  Effectively immediately, we will begin displaying data in the summary section of our reports (first table in our reports) based on that metric which is most meaningful for each respective Advertiser.  If the one per click and many per click results are significantly different, then we will mention those stats in our discussion and analysis.

The reporting standard for each client as it relates to conversion metrics is explained and documented in each client’s respective Road Map.

For questions about Road Maps, Conversion Metrics, and Reports, please phone Hanna in Denver at 720 377 8431.

Google allows an Adwords Agency to acquire new customers on behalf of advertisers through: a) timely & targeted advertising; b) based on bids set by the seller; and c) resulting in measurable results.  In this way, Google Adwords serves as an “Accountable Advertising Platform.”

Adwords Advertising Reach

Distribute Ads in Real-Time on a Potentially Massive Scale

Awords Agencies and Advertisers choose where and when their ads appear.  According to Google, each month 84% of users in the US view Adwords ads.  

Google is the number 1 search engine, with 4.4 billion daily page views, 706 million monthly visitors, and thousands of online publishers.

Adwords Advertising Relevance

Precisely Targeted Ads

An Adwords Agency or Advertiser displays their ads only to prospects looking for their goods and services on the Google Search Network, the Google Content Network, and via Local Business Ads on Google Maps.  

Return on Ad Spending for Adwords Advertising 

Accountable and Measurable Advertising Results

Google’s pay per click or pay per impression advertising system allows an Advertiser to control ad prices and targeted audience to enabling an Advertiser to pay the optimal price for qualified leads.  

Search advertising serves ads when people are seeking a particular item or service, and for this reason is proven to result in a lower acquisition cost per new customer or lead.  Google estimates that the average acquisition cost for search is $8.50, as compared to an acquisition cost of $20 for Yellow Page ads and $70 for direct mail ads.

Whether the purpose of ads are to build awareness, generate leads, or generate sales, the Adwords platform allows an advertiser to measure performance in a manner which is generally not possible with more traditional forms of advertising.

Control & Measure

The Adwords platform allows an Advertiser to control:

1. Cost per click
2. Daily Ad Spending
3. Ad targeting
4. Marketing Messaging

The Adwords platform also allows an Advertiser to track conversions and determine a precise Return on Ad Spending.

To get started today with Adwords, phone Hanna at 720 377 8431.

Some of the most successful Adwords campaigns we manage are for local advertisers.  Consumers are increasingly using search to find, sort and select local goods and services.  Here are the statistics to prove it.

Local Advertisers Moving Online

Local online ad spending is estimated to have increased 48% in 2008 to $12.6 billion, according to a publication by eMarketer entitled, “B2B Marketing Online: Business Meets Social Media,” January 2008.  This is because for many advertisers local online marketing is proving to be more effective than other more traditional forms of advertising.  In fact, according to Google, AdWords advertisers rate their satisfaction with AdWords 57% higher than with all other marketing media.  If you’re not yet advertising online, why not?  Need even more stats to decide?  Read on . . .

Ten years ago, consumers’ primary resource for local business information was the business listings in their local phone book.  That has changed!  Today, (according to a report by WebVisible and Nielsen//NetRatings, “Why Search Matters to Local Businesses,” September 2007) 93% of consumers rely on online search engines for their primary source of information about local businesses.  If you doubt it, then think about where precisely you might find your own phone book?  For many consumers, the old Yellow Pages is either being used as a door stop, or has made its way directly from the front porch to recycle bins.

Internet Advertising – Simply Better Terms!

The popularity of Local Internet Marketing over print isn’t just a matter of consumer trends, it’s also facilitated by a better offer.  Anyone who has advertised in local newspapers and the business phone listings appreciates the flexibility offered by Adwords–no annual or monthly contracts!  With Adwords, advertisers have ZERO commitment up front!  With Adwords, you can advertise anytime you want, for any period you want.  The budgets are flexible.  Most local advertisers can achieve an impact with $1,000 to $6,0000 per month and the budget amount can be increased or stopped instantly.

Internet Marketing Complements Bricks & Mortar

According to the report by eMarketer, consumers are not just searching online for services and goods, they are also buying online!  The number of consumers in the US who have purchased online more than doubled between June 2000 (22%) and September 2007 (49%). 

According to BIGresearch, January 2007, 89% of consumers are researching online, prior to making in-store purchases.  That means, if you are local brick & mortar merchant, online marketing can significantly impact your in-store sales.

If you’re a local merchant, local service provider, or an online store and you wish to learn more about the benefits of Local Internet Marketing, then phone Hanna at 720 377 8431.  Ask her about what approach she recommends for your local advertising, as well as a suitable preliminary intenet advertising budget.

Millions of people check online maps each day to search for business listings by location.  Our experience shows that map searches for attorneys are often somewhat cheaper than the cost of standard text ads for Google keyword searches.

Adwords for Attorneys-Local Business Ads Cost Less

Based on a sample of attorney and lawyer Adwords accounts, Google Map searches (which serve local business ads) are 25% cheaper on a CPC basis than normal Adwords text ads, and are 18% cheaper on a cost per conversion basis.  In summary, on a dollar for dollar basis, on average, the Local business ads are outperforming the Google Search text ads.

Adwords for Lawyers-Local Business Ads are Lower Volume

Obviously, for lawyers and attorneys using Adwords the volume of map searches is much lower than for standard keyword searches serving Adwords text ads, but if you are an attorney using Adwords, and you are not complementing your regular text ads with Adwords local business ads, then you’re missing out on customers actively searching for you on Google Maps.

Our stats show that in terms of volume, the Google map ads account for only 5% of searches.  However, if you are currently buying only 10% of your available relevant “attorney” type keyword impressions, you may be able to significantly improve your ad costs by separating Local Business Ads into a separate campaign and allocating your budget across your campaigns so that you spend disproportionately more on local business ads than on your regular text ads.

Applying Local Business Ads for Attorneys

We have done this recently for an Advertiser and as a direct result of this change were able to reduce his cost per online lead by 6% in a single month, an improvement which has a lasting impact on the account, for as long as the Advertiser continues to target a fraction of available impressions.

For further explanation about adding your law firm to Google Maps and creating your online Local Business Ads, phone Hanna at 720 377 8431.

Related Attorney Adwords Posts:

See our Adwords Tips for Attorneys

See our Attorney Adwords Case Study

See our Sample PPC Report for Attorneys

See our Attorney Keyword Trends

See our Adwords Performance Guarantee

The following search phrases for Attorneys in Denver are complements of Google Insights for Search.   As you can see, some of the most popular and fastest search queries relate to bankruptcy and divorce.  It seems that even in Denver, the economic times are exacting their toll.

Top Ten Search Results: Attorney KeyWords in Denver

Rising Searches – Attorney Keywords in

In the US, almost 75% of users are online.  Time on the internet now accounts for 41% of Media consumption while internet advertising accounts for only 7% of total advertising.

Don’t Fall Behind Online!

From 2006 to 2007, ad spending on the internet grew by 19%, which means it grew by 4x more than magazine ad spending, and 5x more than television ad spending (Newspapers and Radio ad spending grew by just 2%).

US ad spending for 2007 is estimated to total $307 billion for all forms of media, of which internet advertising accounted for $21.5 billion.

According to a 13 October 2006 report by Morgan Stanley, Internet advertising will more than double over five years, from $177 per household in 2005 to $362 in 2010.  

By 2010, online advertising will grow from its 2007 level of $21.5 billion to $36.2 billion, if the current growth rates in internet advertising are sustained.

How are You Allocating Your Ad Budget?

Is it time to re-evaluate how you are allocating your own Advertising budget?  Phone Hanna at 720 377 8431 to learn more about the growing options for advertising online.

Sources:  Media Consumption Partners (May 2007), and Google internal estimates.

The following tips for managing Adwords apply specifically to Attorneys, Law Firms, and Lawyers.

Target your Adwords ads Precisely

Over half the ads in a typical attorney ad space are too general.  If someone is searching for Medical Malpractice, don’t display a general ad or a laundry list of services to someone searching for Medical Malpractice.  Make your ad text precise.

Our experience shows that general keywords like Lawyer or Memphis Attorney don’t convert efficiently.  Consumers ready to buy legal services generally use more precise search phrases.  Targeting more precise terms usually results in better results.   While attorneys generally cannot claim to specialize, it’s important to select areas of emphasis for advertising.  Following are some relatively more precise search phrases:

• Tax Attorneys
• Accident Attorneys
• Personal Injury Attorneys
• DUI Attorneys
• Business Attorney
• Medical Malpractice
• Hospital Malpractice
• Personal Injury Lawyer
• Probate & Trust Attorneys
• Divorce Attorney
• Internet Law
• EState Attorneys
• Wrongful Death

Further on that point, the way to make your ads correlate more precisely to search queries is simply to group them into more ad groups; place a fewer number of highly congruent keyword phrases in each ad group.

Run Broad Match keywords with Negatives

Don’t run Broad Match keywords without a comprehensive custom list of negative keyword phrases.  Generally campaigns for attorneys require minimum 200 negative keywords to effectively 

Let Prospects Determine Winning Ad Text

Don’t be too opinionated or close-minded about your ad text.  One thing about attorneys is they can generally write well.  However, that doesn’t mean they are better than the average Joe at determining what appeals most to the average Joe.  Let your prospects determine which ad text wins.  If you’ve properly structured your Adwords account, then it’s generating a ton of data.  Mine the data to determine best performing ads, and use that as a basis to continuously improve the ads so they appeal to your prospects.

Leverage Ads with Special Offers

Some of the most successful ads for Attorneys are those which offer something unique, like a free booklet about a specific type of claim, or a free video on something like Motorcycler’s Rights.  If you already have some marketing-related prnted material or video, consider using your internet advertising to leverage it.  In competitive geo-markets, a video can make you stand out from the crowd.

Don’t Buy Clicks in Bulk!

You know the old addage about half of your ad dollars being wasted–you just don’t know which half??  Well, that doesn’t apply to Adwords.  With Adwords, you have the ability over time to know precisely which ads, which keyword phrases, which hours of the day, which day of the week, which match types, which publications, which Do your homework, then just buy those clicks which convert–let your competitors buy the others.  Continuously improving an Adwords account involves number crunching and intelligent differentiation.  

If you’re not actively managing your account along these lines, then you should hire it out (to us).

Average Adwords Management Fee for Attorneys: $500

Our average management fee for managing Adwords for Personal Injury Attorneys, Tax Attorneys, Divorce Attorneys, and DUI Attorneys is about $500 and ranges from $350 to $750.  If you manage a Law Firm which is spending $6,000 or more per month in ad spending, then you’ll find that our fees will likely pay for themselves in ad dollar savings.

If you have already hired a firm to manage your Adwords and are paying more than $500 to manage your Adwords account, then you consider getting a Quick Quote from us; doing so involves no fee or further obligation.  Provide us access to your existing account for 24 hours and we’ll provide a list of improvements and a firm fee quote.  Our PPC Performance Guarantee applies to such accounts.

Lawyers choose Denver PPC because:

1. We squeeze more leads from fewer ad dollars–we guarantee it!
2. Our fees are competitive, and our terms are month to month.
3. We offer a PPC Performance Guarantee.
4. We are experienced in managing Adwords for attorneys.

Next Steps

Check out our Adwords Case Study for an Attorney, and our Sample PPC Report for an Attorney.

Use our online form to drop us a line, or quiz Hanna at 303 975 2810.

Identifying Long Tail Duds – Old Method

We love long tail keywords, because they generally outperform shorter less specific keywords.  However, if a keyword is too obscure, then it will generate no traffic.  Google labels such keywords, “Long Tail Duds.”   If Google decides that a keyword isn’t worth it’s own weight in hard drive space, then Google labels it a Dud, ignores it, and then it can never earn even one impression.  In the past, Google didn’t tell us that a keyword had been labeled a Long Tail Dud, we just had to infer it.

If you have accounts with thousands of keywords, then you’d better check for Long Tail Duds.  If the account is mature, then you can be sure that any with zero impressions have been labeled Long Tail Duds by Google.

When we setup new campaigns, we often create keywords by concatenating a suggested term which has reasonable traffic with a place name, for example:  speeding ticket attorney houston.  In such cases, we would create the keywords, include them in the account, and then wait two to four weeks to learn which ones were labeled Long Tail Duds by Google.  For some larger metro areas, like Houston, the term has reasonble traffic, but for locations like Little Rock, it might be labeled a dud.  We could infer this by seeing which received zero impressions after a period of time.  For such keywords, waiting longer won’t change the result.  Once a keyword has been categorized as a Long Tail Dud by Google, it can never earn an impression.

Identifying Long Tail Duds Using Diagnose Keywords Tool

With the release of the Diagnose Keywords Tool, an SEM Professional can now create a campaign and immediately run the tool to identify Long Tail Duds.  Access the tool from the online interface, from inside the campaign screen, at the top of the page.  Just click the link, wait a minute or two, and Google clearly states which keywords won’t earn any impressions.  Those are your Long Tail Duds.  If the account is downloaded to your Desktop Editor, flip back and forth between the two screens to delete the Long Tail Duds immediately before activating the campaign.

Delete Long Tail Duds for Higher Quality Score

Don’t leave Long Tail Duds in your account!  Delete them as soon as you learn about them–they damage your Quality score!!  Google penalizes your abuse of their hard drives by zapping your quality score.  They’ll reward you for deleting them.  So if you’re setting up a new campaign, for immediate better results, use the Diagnose Keyword Tool to cull out the Long Tail Duds before your Quality Score is zapped.

Long Tail Duds are Not Free

A drag on quality score is not the only cost associated with Long Tail Duds.  After years of managing Adwords accounts, I’m coming to appreciate the true economic cost of bloated accounts. Long Tail Duds are costly. Adwords has great tools and the Desktop Editor is a life saver–even so, bloated accounts sap time and bandwidth with every upload, download, page view, edit, replication, and monthly performance analysis.  And if this is true for Adwords accounts, it’s true by a factor of 10x for Yahoo accounts (I want to send Yahoo a bill each month for all that post-back time).  

An SEM Professional can improve her life by deleting Long Tail Duds.