If you’re running Google Ads on the Content Network then here’s a really useful report for you to run. Once you log in, go to the ‘Reports’ tab in your AdWords account

1. Under ‘report type’ choose ‘Placement Performance’

2. Settings as follows:

Level of Detail = Campaign
Domain or URL = Domain
View = The largest date range you can (at least one month, preferably a quarter)
Date Range = this will be set automatically for you based on View above
Campaigns = manually select each campaign that you have. It’ll be easier to read if you produce a new report for each campaign (ie if you have a different content campaign for different countries)

3. Advanced Settings: no need to change anything here

4. Take advantage of Google’s automation. Email this report to you (with a .csv (for excel) attachment) each month

Now open up the csv file in excel (or whatever you use), delete the first 3 lines, and if you really want this to be easy, setup a quick filter.

Now you can slice & dice your data any way you like. You can see for instance:

• domains where your cost/conversion is too high – see below for next steps
• domains where your CTR is very low (possibly YouTube) that might hurt your overall campaign stats
• domains on which you have very high impressions – which doesn’t matter, but might give you a clue as to other types of sites that you should be on

Now that you have a list of domains on which the performance of your Ads is hurting you (costing too much, not converting, terrible CTR) you can go back to your AdWords account & list these domains in the ‘Site Exclusion’ list for that campaign.

This will stop your Ads showing on those domains. Increases your overall CTR, which (slightly) reduces the CPC & of course, best of all, your cost per conversion drops (sometimes quite dramatically)

Any questions or comments? Would a video help to explain this? Just let me know below.

In the meantime, here’s a great checklist to read before you send your next email.

Have a great long weekend!

Mike

Where should you start? The best place is by clicking on the big link above for the Free 5-day video course. Or if you really hate opt-ins, go here for the first day of the course without leaving your email address (we don’t spam or up-sell, but I realise you just might not want to risk getting even more emails!). Day 1 is at: http://www.websavvy.com.au/day-1/ or skip the introduction (about 10 mins where I talk about the contents of the course) & head straight to: http://www.websavvy.com.au/day1-part2/
If you’re thinking about building an online business, then check out this mindmap – it’ll give you a quick guide to pretty much everything you need, all in one handy place. Print it out as a picture, or grab the pdf for each of the 10 sections: http://www.websavvy.com.au/secrets
And thanks again for dropping by

Mike

Google’s mission in life is to give its users the best experience it can – this means giving the most relevant results possible to a searcher – both on the left side of the results page (the organic results) and the right side (the paid results).

So if you’re using AdWords, it is not just how ‘good’ your Ads are that’s important, it’s how good they are compared to your competitors’ Ads.

If you can outperform your competitors, one of two things will happen:

• either your ads all move further up the page (ie towards the top)
• or you’ll pay less for each click

outperform them by enough & you might get both benefits!

So what does ‘good’ really mean?  To find out we need to look at Quality Score…

Think of Quality Score (QS) as a measure of how relevant Google thinks you are.  There are three overall scores: Great, OK, and Poor

Every single one of your keywords is assigned one of those three scores.  That score is constantly being updated and is based on a huge variety of factors.  The most important are:

• the click through rate (CTR) for that particular keyword
• how relevant the keyword is to the rest of the keywords in the AdGroup
• how relevant the keyword is to Ad (or Ads!) that you’ve written for that group
• and the quality and relevance of your landing page, that is the page that you take the searcher to once they click your Ad

The Quality Score for each of your keywords used to be a well-kept secret.  Last year Google started to show your score for each word, as well as a minimum bid price.  This minimum bid price in effect shows you a more refined QS.

For example, two key words might both be given a Great Quality Score.  One may have a minimum bid of six cents while the other may have a minimum bid of three cents, the one with a minimum bid of 3c is much better.

As of yesterday a new tool now gives you far more information to help you diagnose why it keyword has been assigned a particular Quality Score.  To see this detail open any AdGroup within your account, and look for the magnifying glass icon next to each keyword.

You will immediately be able to see the reason why a keyword is no longer showing, and you can also get ‘details and recommendations’ to help you improve the QS for that word.  Next week I’ll create a short video to show you exactly how to display the quality score column and how to open the recommendations window.

Also, you should know right at the start (because GoDaddy don’t tell you) if you have changed anything about the domain in the last 60 days – you can’t move it. That fact alone is enough for me to really dislike GoDaddy! So if you’ve just registered or renewed a domain – tough luck. Even if you’ve just change the registrar’s email address, you’ll have to wait 60 days until you can move it. Not good.

Assuming you haven’t changed anything for a while, here’s how you go about moving it away (don’t wait for the fan to start spinning & the other stuff to start hitting it – move your domains earlier rather than later… you’ve been warned)

1. Log in to GoDaddy, click Domains, then ‘My Domain Names’
2. Let’s do as much in bulk as we can. By default GoDaddy locks your domains, so the first step is to unlock them
3. Hover your mouse over the big black tick & choose ‘select all domains’
4. Click the ‘Lock’ icon on the nav bar just above the tick
5. Choose unlock & save
6. Now all domains are unlocked, you’ll have to generate the EPP key or Authorization Code for each one by one.
7. Click the domain name
8. At the bottom of the first column, you’ll see the ‘Authorization Code’ link. Click ‘Send by Email’

Now log in to your new registrar (www.namecheap.com is one I’d recommend based on my experiences so far) & follow the steps there to transfer your domains across. Easy. You’ll get multiple emails from both registrars – follow your nose, they’re all pretty straight forward.

Here’s the last bit that GoDaddy don’t tell you.. you can speed up the transfer rather than wait the standard 5-day ‘cooling off’ period!

Once you’ve accepted the transfer at the new registrar, you’ll (eventually) get an email from GoDaddy asking if you’re sure you want to move. At this point log back into your GoDaddy account & find the ‘Pending Transfers’ link. Now find the Accept/Deny icon & click that. Follow the prompts and accept the move. You’re done.)

So to recap:

• make sure you haven’t made changes in 60 days
• unlock the domain first
• generate the EPP code
• transfer the domain
• accept the transfer

Just like everything in life – it’s so easy when you know how!

Oh & namecheap very nicely copies across all of your DNS settings, so you don’t have to worry about the hosting side of things….

Unless of course you’ve been using GoDaddy for hosting… but that’s a whole different story…

Good luck!

And that’s why testimonials are such a powerful tool to help new buyers/ signups/ customers get across the line & take the action that you want them to take.

In a busy world, testimonials from clients tend to get overlooked by marketers (especially since most websites are ‘all about us’ – not about the customer!) and yet they are one of the most powerful sales tools, when used well.

Holly Buchanan at Future Now has a great article this week on how best to use client testimonials, here’s her checklist:

- Be specific. Use testimonials that talk about specific benefits or personal situations. Avoid vague testimonials.

- Overcome objections. Use testimonials that bring up objections, where customers admit being skeptical. These are the most powerful testimonials out there.

- Context is everything. Make sure your testimonials address the questions your customers are asking at various stages of the buying process. (If your customer data’s unclear, just ask your sales/business development people. They can recite common questions in unison.)

And check out the comment by a favourite of ours, Sean D’Souza, who reminds us that we have to do two things: ask for the testimonial & create an environment where getting a good one is actually likely to happen. (Thanks to Tony for recommending psychotactics all those years ago!)

So what can you do today? Do you have some quotes on your site, but lumped together into one long page “hear what our customers think”? Or you only have three on the entire site & it looks like you only have 3 happy clients?

If you use testimonials badly they help nobody. Use them well & your conversion rate will climb.

So, today: start to gather a dozen or so (ask for them!) and then put then on the most relevant page for that particular quote. Put quotes from builders on your builders page, from adventure travelers on that page & from ‘clients that thought you were too expensive but loved you once they saw the results’ next to your price on the sign up page.

Now take a look at your after sales system (you have one right?) and build into it ‘Ask for a testimonial’. If you don’t ask you don’t get. People are afraid to ask – don’t be. Even if the comment is less than stellar, you’ll learn more about your business and what needs to be fixed. and don’t be afraid to use the odd bad testimonial too – nothing is more real than the occasional customer that wasn’t 110% satisfied.

Don’t agree? I’d love to hear your comments…

You’ve probably heard that ‘the headline is 80% of the ad’
In which case surely the first word in that headline must be very important…
It has to grab the reader’s attention & ideally get them to want to read the rest of the headline & ad.

Words like ‘alluring’ generate energy & attract more attention than weak or boring headlines. Used well, they’ll get people picturing themselves using your product or service

And they’re infinitely better than using your headline to talk all about you! How many ads have you seen that start with ‘Suppliers of….’, ‘Experts in…’ or worse, just the name of the company!

When writing your Google AdWords ads (or any direct marketing piece for that matter) it’s almost always better to start your headline with an action verb than any other type of word.

Here’s a list that should help your writing…

Abandon
Accelerate
Acclaimed
Accolade
Accomplish
Accumulate
Accuracy
Achieve
Act Now
Action
Active
Adrenaline
Advanced
Affordable
Afraid
Aggressive
Alert
All New
Allure
Alluring
Almost Criminal
Alternative
Amateur
Amazing
Amazingly Simple
Amplify
Analysis
Angry
Announcing
Answer
Anticipate
Anytime
Anywhere
Appealing
Appetizing
Applause
Approved
As Seen On
Astonish
Astonishing
Astonishingly Simple
Astounding
Astute
At Last
Attention
Attractive
Authentic
Authority
Authorized
Automatic
Automatically
Avid
Awesome
Banish
Bargain
Battle Tested
Beautiful
Beauty
Bed Shaking
Behind The Scenes
Believe
Bend Over
Beneficial
Benefit From
Benefit Driven
Best Selling
Best Trained
Big Bucks
Big Deals
Biggest
Billboard
Bird Dog
Blast
Blazing
Bleeding Edge
Blew My Mind
Blind Spot
Block Busting
Blockbuster
Bloody
Blow Away
Blow The Door Off
Blow The Lid Off
Blown Away
Blunder
Boatloads
Bonanza
Bonus
Boom
Booming
Boost
Boost Your Profits
Bored
Bottom Line
Brain Picking
Brave
Bravo
Breakthrough
Breathtaking
Bribes
Brilliant
Broke
Brutally Effective
Bulging
Bulldog
Bulletproof
Burst
Busy
Bypass
Camouflaged
Captivating
Careless
Cash
Cash In
Cash Rich
Cash Generating
Caution
Certify
Challenge
Charming
Cheat
Classic
Clever Stunt
Cleverly
Clobber
Close Door
Cold
Colorful
Colossal
Combat
Compact
Compare
Compelling
Competitive Edge
Complete
Complimentary
Compound
Compromise
Confession
Confidence
Confidential
Confused
Confusing
Conquer
Consistent
Construct
Controlled
Controversial
Convenient
Cool
Cost Effective
Courage
Courageous
Courtesy
Crack The Code
Crafty
Crammed
Crank Out
Crap
Create
Critical
Crucial
Crucially Important
Crush
Crystal Clear
Cured
Customer Orientated
Customize
Cute
Cutting Edge
Danger
Dare
Daring
Darnedest Things
Dazzling
Deadline
Deadly
Deal
Debt Free
Deep
Deepest
Defeat
Delicious
Delighted
Delivered
Deluxe
Demand
Demolish
Demonstrably
Deny
Deserve
Desperate
Destiny
Devastating
Devours
Diabolical
Diddly Squat
Difficult
Direct
Dirty
Dirty Tricks
Disappear
Disclose
Discount
Discover
Disgruntled
Disguise
Disregard
Distinguished
Disturbingly Powerful
Dividends
Dizzy
Dodge
Does The Trick
Dominate
Donate
Double/Triple
Down And Dirty
Dramatic
Dreamed
Drop Dead
Drop Dead Easy
Dynamic
Dynamics
Dynamite
Eager
Eager To Learn
Earmarked
Earth Shattering
Ease
Easily
Easy
Easy To Implement
Easy To Create
Easy To Follow
Economic Needs
Ecstasy
Effective
Effectively
Effortless
Effortlessly
Ego
Electrifying
Elegant
Eligible
Elite
Emerging
Emerging Growth
Empire
Endless
Endorsed
Ends Soon
Endurance
Energizing
Energy
Enhanced
Enjoy
Enjoyment
Enormous
Enrage
Enrich
Enterprising
Envious
Envision
Envy
Epidemic
Erase
Ethically
Ever Growing
Everlasting
Exact
Examine
Excellent
Excitement
Exciting
Exclusive
Excuses
Exercising
Exhilarated
Expert
Expires Soon
Explode
Exploding
Exploit
Explosive
Exponential
Exposed
Extra
Extremely Dangerous
Extremely Informative
Eye Opener
Eye Opening
Eyeball Popping
Fabulous
Fact
Facts
Famished
Famous
Fantasize
Fantastic
Fascinating
Fast
Fat
Fatigued
Favorite
Fear
Fearful
Feast
Fed Up
Feeding Frenzy
Fight
Figure Out
Final
Finally
Finished
Firestorm
First Class
First Place
Flash
Floodgates
Floods Your Pockets
Flourish
Focus
Fool
Foolish
Forbidden
Force
Forecast
Forever
Forfeit
Forgotten
Fork Over
Formula
Fortunate
Fortune
Fortunes
Fraction Of The Cost
Frankly
Freak Out
Free
Free Money
Freedom
Friendly
Frightening
Frighteningly Powerful
Frustrating
Frustration
Fundamentals
Fussy
Futile
Gain
Gamble
Gangbusters
General Public
Generates
Generators
Generous
Genius
Genuine
Get Around
Giant
Gift
Gigantic
Glaring
Glimpse
Glitch
Gloriously
Goldmine
Good Looking
Gorgeous
Grab
Grasp
Gratification
Greatest
Ground Floor
Guarantee
Guaranteed
Guilty
Gut Wrenching
Hair Raising
Hand Holding
Hand Picked
Hands Off
Hands On
Handsome
Hard Hitting
Hardcore
Harvest
Hassle Free
Hasten
Health
Healthy
Heart Pounding
Heart Wrenching
Heat Seeking
Heat Up
Heaven
Heavy
Heavy Duty
Heck
Helpful
Helpless
Hidden
Hidden Fortune
High Powered
High Priority
High Rolling
Highest
Highly Acclaimed
Highly Addictive
Highly Detailed
Highly Motivated
Highly Rated
Highly Recommended
Highly Responsive
Hint
Hollywood
Homemade
Honest To God
Honor
Hopeless
Hopelessly Obsolete
Hopping Mad
Hot
Hotshot
Hottest
Hours/Days/Minutes
Huge
Humanly Possible
Humiliate
Humorous
Hungry
Hurry
Hush Hush
Hyper Advanced
Hyper Effective
Hypnotic
Idiot Proof
Ignored
Illustrate
Imagine
Immeasurable
Immediate
Immediately
Impatient
Implode
Important
Impossible To Find
Impressive
Imprint
Improve
Improved
Impulse
Impulsive
In A Box
In Demand
In Depth
In Seconds
Income Boosting
Income Building
Increase
Incredible
Inflame
Information
Informative
Ingenious
Innovative
Insane
Insanely Profitable
Inside Scoop
Insider
Inspire
Instant
Instant Gratification
Instantly
Instructive
Intelligent
Intense
Interactive
Interest Free
Interesting
Intrigue
Iron Clad
Iron Grip
Irrelevant
Irresistible
Jackpot
Jam Packed
Jaw Dropping
Jealously Guarded
Jesting
Joking
Jump
Jump Start
Key
Kick Ass
Kick Butt
Killer
Knock Out
Largest
Laser Forced
Last Minute
Late Breaking
Latest
Launch
Lavishly
Law
Lazy
Leader
Learn
Learn The Easy Way
Learn The Hard Way
Legal
Legendary
Let Go
Lethal
Liability
Liar
Liberated
Life
Lifeblood
Lifetime
Like Clockwork
Limited
Limited Time
Little Known
Little Used
Lively
Longevity
Look
Look Over Shoulder
Loopholes
Love
Lowest
Loyal
Lucky
Lucrative
Lure
Luxury
Magic
Magic Answer
Magical
Magnetic
Magnetize
Mainstream
Make Waves
Mammoth
Mania
Marvelous
Massive
Master’s Level
Mastermind
Masterpiece
Materialize
Maximize
Meaner
Measure Up
Medicine
Mega
Mega Current
Mega Earnings
Mega Easy
Mega Speed
Mega Watt
Merit
Mesmerizing
Mildly Successful
Mind Altering
Mind Blowing
Mind Boggling
Mind Busting
Mind Control
Minutes/Hours/Days
Miracle
Miraculously
Money Draining
Money Making
Money On Demand
Money Sucking
Monitor
Monster
Monumental
Moolah
More
Most
Most People
Most Respected
Most Accomplished
Mouth Watering
Multi Million
Mumbo Jumbo
Must Read
Mutate
Mystery
Naked Truth
Neat Little
Negligent
Negotiate
Nest Egg
Neutralize
Never Been Easier
Never Been Sold
Never Before Seen
Never Ending
New
New Found
Next Frontier
Nightmare
Nitty Gritty
No B.S.
No Cost
No Holds Barred
No Restriction
No Risk
No Time Flat
No Way To Lose
Noisy
Non Stop
Nonsense
Nostalgic
Noted
Notion
Novel
Nutshell
Now
Obey
Obsession
Obsolete
Odd
Official
Offshore
On Demand
On The Planet
Once In A Lifetime
One Of Kind
Oodles And Oodles
Opportunities
Opportunity
Original
Out Of Luck
Out Of Sight
Out Of Thin Air
Outrageous
Outsider
Outstanding
Overdrive
Overlooked
Overnight
Overrated
Overwhelming
Pack Up
Pain Staking
Pain Rich
Painful
Paint By The Numbers
Paltry
Panic
Paralyze
Pathetic
Penalty
Penetrating
Penny
Perceive
Peril
Permanently
Permanently Burned
Persistent
Personalized
Perspective
Perspiration
Phenomenal
Philosophy
Piles Of
Pinpoint
Pioneer
Pioneering
Pissed Off
Plain English
Pleasure
Plug N Play
Poised
Poor
Popular
Popularity
Portfolio
Positive
Possession
Potent
Power Loaded
Power Packed
Powerful
Powerhouse
Precisely
Premier
Preppie
Private
Privy To
Pro Tips
Problems
Procedural
Professional
Profit
Profit From
Profit Producing
Profitable
Profitable Decision
Profits
Profusely
Promising
Proof
Propel
Prosper
Protect
Proven
Proven Method
Provocative
Puny
Pure Baloney
Quality
Quasi Legal
Quick Cash
Quickly
Rack Up Profits
Radically Different
Rake In
Rapidly
Rare
Raw
Razor Sharp
Reach
Real World
Reality Based
Reap
Reason
Reason Why
Rebellious
Recession Proofed
Reckless
Recommended
Recruiting
Red Hot
Reel
Refreshing
Refundable
Refuse
Rejuvenating
Reliable
Remarkable
Reminiscent
Remote Control
Renaissance Spirit
Renewed
Renowned
Reproducible
Required
Research
Respected
Results
Reveal
Revealed
Revealing
Reveals
Revolution
Revolutionary
Rewards
Rich
Riches
Ridicule
Ridiculously Simple
Right Now
Ripped Off
Risk Free
Risky
Riveting
Rock Solid
Rookies
Routine
Ruthless
Safe
Safety
Sample
Sampler
Satisfaction
Satisfying
Save
Savvy
Scam
Scarce
Scary
School Of Thought
Scientifically
Scorching
Scorecard
Screw Up
Secret
Secret Weapon
Secret Agent Spy
Secretive
Secrets
Secure
Security
Seductive
Seize
Selected
Self Proclaimed
Self Sabotage
Sensational
Serious
Sex
Sexy
Shadow
Shake
Shallow
Shameless
Sheet Ripping
Shell Out
Shelter
Shock
Shocking
Shockwaves
Shortcut
Shrewd
Shrink
Shy
Sick
Sideline
Silence
Simple
Simplified
Simplistic
Sizable
Sizzling
Skill
Skim Over It
Skyrocket
Slash
Slaughter
Slave
Slay
Sleazy
Sleepy
Sluggish
Smart
Smirk
Smoothly
Snarling Power
Snatch
Sneak Insider View
Sneak Peak
Sneaky Little
Sneeze
Snicker
Soar
Sock Away
Soiled
Solid
Solution
Solve
Source
Special
Spectacular
Speed Up
Spellbinding
Spill The Beans
Splattering
Spoon Fed
Spotlight
Squeeze
Stampede
Stare
Startling
Step By Step
Stimulate
Stockpiled
Stomach
Strange
Strategies
Strictly
Strike
Strong
Stronger
Struggle
Stubborn
Study
Stuff
Stumble
Stunning
Stunningly
Sturdy
Submission
Success
Success Certain
Successful
Sudden
Suddenly
Sufficient
Super Cool
Super Deadly
Superb
Supercharge
Superior
Superiority
Superstitious
Suppose
Surefire
Surging
Surprise
Surprising
Survival
Sweat
Sweetheart
System
Tactics
Tap Into
Targets
Tax Proof
Technology
Terminate
Terrific
Test Drive
Tested
Threat
Thrill
Thrilling
Throat Grabbing
Thumbs Up
Tickle
Time Consuming
Time Tested
Timeless
Timely
Tiny Adjustments
Today
Tools
Totally Different
Totally Practical
Touch
Tough
Transfer
Transform
Trap
Trash
Tremendous
Trend
Triggers
Triple
Truckloads
Trusted
Truth
Turbo Charge
Turnkey
U-Haul Truck
Ugly Truth
Ultimate
Ultra Powerful
Ultra Secret
Unbelievably Hot
Uncanny
Uncensored
Uncle Sam
Uncommon
Unconditional
Uncover
Underestimate
Underground
Unearthing Juicy
Unexpected
Unexplained
Unfold
Unforeseen
Unforgettable
Unique
Unleash
Unlimited
Unlock
Unorthodox
Unparalleled
Unrealistic Claims
Unstoppable
Unsurpassed
Untapped
Unusual
Unveil
Up to ___% Off
Up To Date
Up To The Minute
Update
Urgent
Vain
Valuable
Vicious
Virtually
Virus
Vision
Vital
Vivid
Vulnerable
Wanted
Warning
Wealthy
Weird
Well Known
White Hot
Wholesale
Whopping
Willpower
Winning
Winning Edge
Wisdom
Without Lifting A Finger
Without Using A Gun
Wonderful
Word Of Mouth
Works
Works Like Crazy
World Class
World Stage
Wrongfully
Yes
You
Youthful
Zero Risk

Replace your old headlines with some of these words today & split-test your way to more customers for less money.

Setup
Do you need one or more campaigns?
Which countries/languages?
Go local? Can you sell outside your local area?
Daily budget? Set for each campaign. Start as high as you can.
Remove search/content network? (Content Network can lower your CTR & hurt your overall campaign)

Ad groups
Split keywords into groups/themes
Keep as narrow & tightly defined as possible
Don’t use too many industry terms or jargon, focus on the keywords your prospects use

Pricing
Start as high as you can afford
How does changing the bid affect your return?

Keywords
Tools: Wordtracker.com, Google’s built in keyword tool
Remember negative keywords
Use thesaurus to help brainstorm

Position
How affected by bid price?
How much can you afford?
Not #1 (too many click-happy people)
Positions 4-6 usually give best results

Writing your ads – 3 parts
Headline (25 characters)
As relevant to keywords as possible (benefit of bold type)
State a benefit
Capitalise Every Word
Power of ‘s’ – “builds your…” better than “build your…”
Look at competitors

Body copy (2 lines, 35 chars each)
Try one line for benefit & 1 for feature.
Experiment with price, no price
If expensive kw, try negative qualifier
Again power of ‘s’
Use words they used in search – why such small groups/themes

Display url (35 characters)
Different from destination url
Use capitals to make it easier to read
Advanced techniques – sub-domains, sub-directories

Split testing
Always have 2 Ads per AdGroup (even if it’s exactly the same ad, but with 2 lines reversed!)
When you have a new winner (after about 50 clicks), delete the loser & write new ad
Use SplitTester.com to check how sure you are that you have a winner

Metrics/Tracking
Key to the whole game & the only way to improve
Use Google Analytics to track results
Start by watching ROI! – want to make sure its worth doing!
Have half a dozen key numbers that you track once a week

Landing page
Now a key part of Google formula
Must send visitors to a targeted/relevant page, otherwise the same traffic will cost a lot more
If you can think of a theme for the AdGroups, you should have a landing page for each one – remember the key is as relevant as possible for your visitor