Accountable Advertising

Advertising online offers some unique advantages, the ability to track how many people respond to your ad, how many pages they visit on your site and whether they respond to your offer once they arrive. You can also very easily test different offers and headlines to see what works best.

Online advertising is anything from posting to a forum with a descriptive signature to having a skyscraper ad built, a banner or even quicker, creating ads and participating in a pay-per-click program.

You have all seen Google Ads, the little ads that show on the right wide of the page when you search in Google online, or on sites you visit that display Google advertising. There is a notation somewhere either above or below the ads that say they are by Google.

There are other advertising networks where you can create pay-per-click ad campaigns; some that allow you to use a few more words, like Quigo and some that let you write much longer ads, such as Miva.

Since each service has different rules and tools included, we will focus on the best known, Google.

It's easy to get started; all you need is a credit card. In fact, you don't even need a website; you just need an affiliate link (provided by the product or service you are promoting) if you are promoting someone else's product or service. When you sign up for your Adwords account you will be walked through the creation of your first ads and the associated keywords that prospective customers use when searching online for what you have to sell.

It seems so simple, and it is except for a few things...like competition.

Today's online world is pretty crowded so it's unlikely that there will be no competition for the keywords that relate to what you are selling. If there is no competition either you hit the mother lode by discovering something that is underserved online or no one is searching using those words... or maybe they are searching and not buying. That is why Google has a search tool included in the Adwords interface to help you look at how big the demand is, whether its growing or shrinking and how much you will have to pay for each click on a given word to get on the first (ideal) or second page or lower (not so great) of search.

Google is adding tools to the Adwords interface on a regular basis to make it easier for you to get good results. Google wants you to be successful so you buy more advertising.

There are factors, other than the amount you are willing to pay for a click, that affect where your ad will show and whether it shows on the first page or on a much lower page.

This is where you get to practice your ad writing and communication skills. You have to get to the point because you are allowed very few words. There is no room for long explanations or exaggerations every word has to count.

Google rewards the best ad writers, the best offers, those that get the most clicks, by charging them a lower price per click and giving them higher placement.

The quality of the page you send people to when they click also factors into the equation. Ads have to relate to the topic of the landing page or you will be paying either a whole lot more or Google will disable your ads if they think the ads are deceptive and misdirecting people.

Finally, people have to understand what you expect from them when they get to your landing page. Do you want them to buy something or sign up for your ezine?

If you are clear what you want them to do and they aren't doing it, you have your answer... the message, offer or product aren't interesting the people you are attracting. Make a change and get with it.

Google provides unique codes for your webmaster to put on your site that enable you to use many of the detailed reporting tools they have developed to help you fine tune your website and your ads to get the best return from you advertising dollars possible. If you decide to take advantage of the enormous opportunity that online advertising provides, use all of the tools included so your advertising is truly an investment.

It's easy... get out there and make your business happen!

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Nancy Fraser of Nota Bene Consulting has been helping clients get better results with their marketing and advertising for over 20 years. Sign up for Notable News and get free marketing tips at www.notabenemarketing.com