While urging you to spend more of your hard-earned advertising money on Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads, a number of PPC service providers are secretly amazed at the cash windfall coming their way, day after day. These insiders can scarcely believe their good fortune. A huge number of mistakes & inefficiencies present in many advertisers' PPC campaigns are helping some services earn bumper profits, quarter after quarter. Why?

Do you contribute unnecessarily to PPC service provider profits? If you're like many advertisers, you're not getting vital information that'll make PPC more efficient for you.

So here are three easy, no-cost ways to avoid a sneak attack on your wallet and help stop bleeding cash.

Sneak Attack #1 - Encouraging You toward Top Positions

In advertising, as in life, we're conditioned to aim-high. If you're on top, you must be doing well - right? But is it really wise to covet the top positions in PPC?

Many services seems to think so. Their profits soar when advertisers fall over themselves in a sacred quest for a better ad position. So, they encourage advertisers to aim for the top spots. How?

- By placing higher-traffic ads (typically the ads in spots 1-3) on the left-hand side of the page, instead of the right-hand side

- Shading the upper spots with an enticing, light-blue background

- Encouraging a 'highest-bidder wins', competitive mindset that's a feature in auctions of all kinds

It's true; top spots tend to get more clicks. But a large number of clicks don't necessarily lead to a high number of conversions. And aren't conversions what you really want?

In a number of PPC markets, big advertisers allocate a large chunk of cash. What's more, they order the service provider to make them number 1. There's no way the vast majority of advertisers can beat these guys.

But come closer & I'll tell you a secret; it doesn't really matter. Your best value lies elsewhere.

You're likely to achieve better conversion rates if your ads appear in spots a bit lower-down. Typically, any 'above the fold' (the viewer sees your ad without having to scroll-down) position serves well. A position of, say, four or five. Why?

Research suggests many people who click on the top two spots aren't as serious about buying. Time-wasters who click first and ask questions later.

You want the more careful buyers - people who'll scan Results more thoroughly. Then find your ad...a little lower down, where you get better value. Don't fight a losing battle trying to be Numero Uno.

Sneak Attack #2 - Your 'Best' Ad Variation is Chosen Too Soon

You should always have at least two ad variations running in any ad group. This way, you're always optimizing by trying to 'beat' your current best-performing ad. You'll find new text or a revised format that works better. This is a proven, winning strategy in all direct-marketing.

But there's a problem in the way some service providers address this strategy. By default, their Campaign Management panel is set to choose your better performing ad. Then show it more often. But the automatic system typically chooses your 'best' ad too soon.

You need at least 20-30 clicks before a clear winner will emerge. You should monitor this yourself and choose your own best ad, rather than have the service provider do this for you.

Go to; Campaign Summary...[name of your campaign]...Edit Campaign Settings. In the Advanced Options section of the screen, under, 'Ad serving,' de-select, 'Optimize: Show better-performing ads more often,' and instead select, 'Rotate: Show ads more evenly'.

Once the recommended number of clicks has registered, you can see which ad's the better performer. Amend the loser with a slight change and start the process again. Your aim; continual improvement.

Sneak Attack #3 - Default Participation in their Content Network - Without Asking You

When creating a new campaign, you need a little testing before rolling your ad out to everyone & everything touched by a PPC network. Problem is, unless you tell them otherwise some providers are going to skip the testing part and broadcast your message to the entire world, right away. Before you've had a chance to optimize. That's bad.

For example; in addition to 'Google search' and 'Search network' (AOL, Ask Jeeves and Shopping.com etc.) Google has an extensive network of partner sites - content pages. And products - these are email programs and newsletters, where AdWords ads reside.

Eventually, you'll likely want your ad to participate in the their Content Network. But not before you're sure it's working well in Search.

Go to; Campaign Summary...[name of your campaign]...Edit Campaign Settings, under 'Networks' deselect this option by un-checking 'Content network'.

If you later decide to broadcast on the Content network; be sure to check-on, 'Content bids...Let me set separate prices for content clicks'. Content clicks are generally of lower quality than Search clicks. So bid less for Content.

Finally, do your own research. Consult a number of proven, free resources to assist in your quest to make PPC the most effective and efficient advertising tool possible. With more facts, you'll avoid becoming a victim. Hold your wallet close!