PPC & Advertising Information

How to Waste Money and Annoy Potential Customers


Why do some companies bid on keywords for products they don't even sell? Or fail to provide the basic information people need to make the decision to buy? Here's a cautionary tale-- with a happy ending.

HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?

I'm looking online for lamp shades. I go to Google and click on the top Sponsored Link in the right column: Expo.com. I'm taken to their "Lighting and Fans" page. There are 29 links in the left navigation, but no lamp shades. So I do a keyword search. Products Found = 0. All I can do is wonder why they wasted my time and their money, and move on to the next ad.

CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR.

Clicking on the second ad takes me to a home page with a "Shades" tab. I click on that and arrive on a page with information about sizes and a link to the lamp shade collection.

I start browsing and find one I'm interested in. The text instructs me to "Click on lamp image for detail." I guess they mean lamp shade image. I click, and to my surprise, I see the exact same thumbnail I was looking at, but now I have four color choices and an "ad to cart" button.

OK, I'm a designer. I can appreciate subtlety. But what's the difference between White, Off-White, Beige and Coffee? All this site shows me is a little grey photo-- but "Dirty" isn't one of the color choices.

I see the toll-free phone number at the top of the page. I call (during their normal business hours) and get voicemail. They say my call is very important to them, but I'm not so sure...

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM?

Back to Google, click on another ad which takes me to a page with lamp shades (YAY!). I can sort by nine different criteria, but even so, I don't see exactly what I want.

There's a link to talk to a lighting consultant. I'm skeptical, but I call. Someone answers the phone! I explain what I want and I'm told I need a custom shade. This company doesn't make them, but the consultant refers me to two other sites where I can order custom-made shades.

Even though I didn't find what I was searching for I really appreciate this experience. I'd be happy to return to this site and do business with this company in the future.

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY

Have some respect for your customers. Think about their needs and do everything you can to meet them. If you're advertising a product for sale it should be available on your site. If you expect people to make a choice, provide the information and pictures they need to feel comfortable making a decision. And even if you can't make the sale today, you can and should offer a good customer experience because there's always tomorrow.

TIPS TO TAKE AWAY

If you place an ad for a product your site should sell that product. Don't waste your money bidding on keywords for products you don't sell.

If someone clicks on your ad they should be taken to a relevant landing page. Don't make people hunt around or do a Search on your site. Show them what they're looking for right away.

Give them the information they need to make a good decision. Don't expect them to guess what your product is "really" like.

--------------------------------------------------------

Barry Harrison is the author of "REDiTIPS" eMarketing Newsletter and a partner in Resolve Digital, Web Strategies for the Real World.

Visit his site at http://www.resolvedigital.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Fair Isaac and SEMPO Begin Pay-Per-Click Advertising Click Fraud ...
Internet Ad Sales (press release), Sweden - Aug 3, 2006
... Corporation (NYSE: FIC) today announced that they have begun enlisting contributors for their research study on click fraud in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. ...


Why Pay-Per-Call Advertising Needs Ad Agencies
web ad.vantage, MA - Aug 4, 2006
... marketplace. Most closely akin to PPC advertising, pay per call allows an advertiser to pay only when someone calls in from a specific ad. ...


SearchBigDaddy Search Engine Offers PPC Incentives
Submit Express (press release), CA - Aug 3, 2006
... the iFrame. Affiliates are authorized to Give Away Unlimited Free Search Engine Portals + $50 in Free PPC Advertising. Affiliates ...


Pay Per Call vs. Call Tracking: Walk Before You Run
ClickZ News, NY - Aug 2, 2006
... development, automated and consolidated bid and performance management, and simplified pricing solutions to simply start adoption of PPC advertising for small ...


Linkateer SEO Company Offering search engine marketing services ...
Internet Search Engine Database - Jul 31, 2006
... In fact, the top 10 PPC advertising companies, based upon the number of PPC impressions, include such names as eBay, NextTag, Vonage, Time Warner, Orbitz ...


Search engines to form anti-click fraud alliance
E-consultancy, UK - Aug 2, 2006
Set to be announced later today, the initiative will attempt to develop guidelines that would introduce more accountability into PPC advertising. ...



Emediawire (press release)
White Paper Reveals How to Optimise a Google Adwords Pay Per Click ...
Emediawire (press release), WA - Aug 1, 2006
... use the long tail of search to reduce overall advertising spend and increase the quantity and quality of traffic that is provided by a PPC advertising campaign ...


Las Terrazas of Belize Signs a Strategic SEO Marketing Agreement ...
Emediawire (press release), WA - Jul 30, 2006
... SlickRockWeb will also continue to manage and optimize the pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns for Las Terrazas which are used to complement the organic ...


Online giants fight click fraud in web advertising
Computing, UK - Aug 4, 2006
... With pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, the publisher or web site owner agrees to display adverts in exchange for a fee-per-click from the advertiser. ...


The Four E’s of a Successful Pay-per-Click Advertising Program
Pandia, Norway - Jul 7, 2006
By Pandia guest writer Kent Lewis. The good news: you can setup and manage a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising program on Google, Yahoo! or MSN within minutes. ...

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