[JayBallentine]

This can be summed up very simply; the following symbols have been PROVEN to improve the rate to which folks actually click on your PPC Ad:

™
®

In this article; "Get An 89% Lift In Conversions" - Chad Summerhill takes you through his experience. An article by PPC Hero also covers this and other things you can do to boost your click through rate.

Ok, so now you know that if you use those symbols strategically - you will make more money. There are no articles on how one in MCA may use those symbols strategically online - so, follow me. If lightning ever struck me and I woke up feeling like I had to sell money, here's how I'd structure my PPC campaigns.

HEADLINE: Buzzcut™ Business Loans
BENEFIT: Bad Credit OK. No Start-Ups.
CTA: Rate Cuts This Week Only. Call Now!

Let's analyze this...

Based on what you learned from experiments on other peoples' dime, you know the symbols will work. So, if I were to adopt this strategy, I'd completely brand and trademark a product name to append a qualified ™ or ® symbol next to the descriptive part of that headline.

The second line discusses the benefit. "Bad Credit OK." Simple understandable. Now you have to screen out start-ups; "Start-Ups." Generally speaking, the "No Start Ups" line may not be needed as you should start-ups, startups, and start ups in your negative keyword list. However, you may opt to be "double safe" so as to not waste clicks.

Finally, we have a compelling call to action. "Rate cuts this week only." That's vague and very generic, but the intent is spark the curiosity of the shopper to have them arrive at your landing page.

Some of you might be targeting multiple keywords, so it is important to be consist between the keywords you're targeting and the ads you're running. Consistency also helps boost your click through rate.

Example; if I am targeting the keyword: SMALL BUSINESS LOANS, here is an example of BAD AD:

Merchant Cash Advance
Bad credit ok no start ups
must be in business 1 yr.

Someone will have clicked on your ad after searching for "small business loan" because they are interested in a "small business loan," and the first thing they see is "Merchant Cash Advance," so let's fix that ad up, for the keyword SMALL BUSINESS LOANS let's run an ad like this:

Zip® Small Business Loans
Bad Credit OK. No Start Ups.
Limited Spaces. Click Now

So, in tying everything together, we're using the first line to include symbols that in the readers' mind they're like; "these guys must be bonafide." The second line is pretty basic, the last line evokes curiosity and scarcity.

No offense, but I've seen a few of you come in to PPC, get your rears handed to you, and then give up. It involves constant testing.

Check out PLURALIS.COM - They have an army of experts submit draft after draft of your landing page until one version sticks. The risk / reward ratio is absolutely nuts. You only pay the person when they submit the winning landing page! You're getting conversion optimization that would have otherwise cost you $10k+ plus per month (according to the way I price my services) for a fraction of that!!

Check out TRADA.COM - You can contract out the management of your PPC Campaigns to an army of experts. You define your goals, ex; "$40 per lead" and then you pay based on that goal having been delivered. The best part is, 90% of the fee is based on WHEN THEY ACTUALLY DELIVER RESULTS!!

So here is how you game both systems to your advantage:

KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOUR CONVERSION GOALS SHOULD BE BEORE HAND!! They don't know this industry!! Work these SOB's!!

Everything I have shared with you is $... It levels the playing field for anyone to come into PPC and "stick and move." Only 10% of you will use this info, and I'm curious to see how that plays out...

I'll have info coming soon on how to improve organic CTR soon! But if you've got a big PPC budget, there's no reason why you shouldn't be using Trada or Pluralis.

DISCLAIMER: I have no direct or indirect affiliation with these companies.

[Gini Co]

Jay - Have you noticed a big shake-up in Google for industry keyword rankings over the weekend?

[JayBallentine]

Yeah it's really amusing. I think I'm one to favor the "screw ranking, get traffic" philosophy...