What's more, it involves only the addition of a single, special little word.



And listen; it's not the word, 'Please.'

First, a little background. Google does NOT allow advertisers to put words in their ad text like, "CLICK HERE" or "LOOK HERE." And there's a very good reason. Why?

The reason is this;

Because those work very, very well at attracting attention! Typically much better than any other 'call to action.'

But if every PPC advertiser were using those words, in Google's eyes (and most other peoples' too) the overall quality of the 'Google experience' would decrease.

Because over time, the web page would sink into a bunch of text with conflicting, "CLICK HERE's" all over the place.

But as a sharp advertiser, you can sometimes use a similar phrase to good effect, without breaking Google's rules. Here's how;

Use the single word; "HERE" (only don't put it all in capitals, as that's not allowed by Google) so let's make it; 'Here'.

For example;

"Increase Your Style and Protection Here. Only $17.87"

or;

"Find the Latest Info on GPS Devices. Start Here."

And now a very important, Official Wallet Health Warning; using this word may get your CTR soaring. Great! But hold on a second...

Because CTR is only one of the variables you need to be optimizing your ads for.

You'll also need to monitor your Conversion Rate. So make sure that you are getting leads or sales as a result of the text in your ads. While we may have discovered a proven method to trigger an impulsive click by your prospect, you need to be very sure you're not just paying for useless clicks.

As always; test, test, test. And keep testing. Make yours a continual process of improvement, testing and monitoring. That's truly the proven way to win with Google PPC.

Do You Have a Strong Call to Action in Your Ads?

Because if you do, your ad will grab significantly more attention. It works.

Your ad should convey a call-to-action along with the benefits of your product or service. A call-to-action encourages users to click on your ad and ensures they understand exactly what you expect them to do when they reach your landing page.

Some call-to-action phrases are; 'Buy, Sell, Order, Browse, Sign up, and Get a Quote.'

I'm often asked; Should I run new Pay-Per-Click ads on Google and Yahoo! at the same time?

My answer is always; No!

After having tried both systems, it's clear to me that Google has a number of advantages over Yahoo! Particularly in the area of testing new ads.

Google is beating Yahoo! hands-down in the world of Pay-Per-Click. And this is one of the reasons why;

With Google, you can change your ad, minute-by-minute. The changes will show up almost immediately on the pure Google search network. Search partner networks such as Ask.com or AOL, may take longer (the Content network consisting of thousands of other sites WILL take longer, as changes to your ad will likely have to be reviewed by a human at Google first).

This enables you to make changes you need right away. Something not working on Google? Change it.

Yahoo!, on the other hand, forces your ad to go through a human review process that can take up to 3 days. So if something is not working for you on Yahoo!, the only choice you have is to leave it running while your new ad goes through the approval rating. Or shut your Yahoo! ad off for a while.

That may be one of the reasons why Yahoo! is starting to implement changes to the way advertisers have to deal with Yahoo! when it comes to Pay-Per-Click ads.

Clearly, if you're running ads on both Yahoo! and Google, you should make the change on Google first. Then, after you've confirmed the change has improved your ad's impact, make a similar change to your Yahoo! ads.