The Big Wave Blog

A big aloha to our readers!

The Big Wave Blog team is heading out to Hawaii tomorrow to start work on a super secret project! This will be our first return trip to the islands since we launched the blog from Waikiki last December, and we are very happy to have exciting new work to do there.

Just because we will be working on one of the most isolated land masses on the planet does not mean there will be no news. Stay tuned for more news and updates on the ever-changing search marketing industry, plus the usual funny stuff we like to share.

Next post from the beach…

We had a great seminar in Indianapolis.  Here’s a photo of Vikram and Suzanna grinning for the camera on the way out, so you can see the mood we were in as we left the building.

Thanks to everyone who attended.  It was a bright and interested group, and we received some great questions at the end of the session.  We also appreciate the compliments we received.  I hope to hear from more of our attendees in the coming weeks.   Feedback is so important as we continue our series.

Our next stop will be Honolulu on July 24, then on to California and Colorado.

See you next time!

Ok…so, you’ve optimized your landing pages, created targeted ad groups, tested multiple versions of keyword-relevant ad descriptions, but you’re STILL struggling to get your paid search campaign out of the AdWords Quality Score basement. Don’t pull your hair out just yet!! Try these simple tests first:

1. Just like your computer, sometimes a campaign needs a restart. Download a copy of your current campaign and settings, then re-upload it into a new account and delete the old one. This might need to be repeated several times, but it has been known to decrease inflated CPCs by 45%, as well as activate certain “inactive for search” keyword phrases. Don’t forget, Google AdWords is a computer program, it’s not without flaws.
2. Upload a duplicate keyword list with a different match type into the same AdGroup. If your current keywords are exact matched, upload a duplicate keyword list in phrase match. This will generate more impressions and visibility, which likely translates into more clicks. Don’t delete your original list. Google will continue to display phrases from that list, typically at a lower cost when they are queried.
3. Quit using a lead generation form as your PPC landing page. One of Google’s company missions is to provide users with the most relevant and useful content available. It’s not to connect users with spammy lead generation forms from sleazy companies. Give good, relevant content, and users will stay on your site. A good avg. time on site will boost your AdWords Quality Score.

In my opinion, there are many SEO factors that have a major impact on AdWords Quality Score, and ultimately your PPC campaign performance. Gone are the days where awful website functionality and poor copy were able to rule top listings on Google’s Sponsored Links just by outbidding the competition. These days, I think quality on-site optimization and good off-site buzz count for a lot in paid search marketing.

The battle between search marketers and “marketing people” has been going on in meeting rooms across the globe. I have seen great businesses lose out to their competition on the web by listening to bad advice from their Marketing department or PR firm.

Here are the top ten signs that your website might be under the influence of traditional marketing types or ego-driven business owners:

1. The website has become an extension of someone’s ego instead of a source of revenue.
   Your website looks like a page from a fairy tale with animated unicorns and rainbows, but there is no content for the search engines or the website visitors to read. No matter how successful your brand is, you still have to deliver content. Bells and whistles will not deliver converting traffic or grow your business online.
2. You pick a domain based on “coolness” and not keywords.
   If you are launching a new business or product, this is a perfect opportunity for you to pick a strong domain name. Don’t pick something like www.imsocool.com because it’s catchier than www.yourproductnameandcityname.com. Keywords are everything!
3. You are more concerned with color than content.
   Its probably repeated by search marketers a million times that “Content is King.” You don’t have to over-optimize your content, but please step away from the color palette and focus on what the website visitors are really going to care about. You have less than 4 seconds to capture their attention, so stop trying to hypnotize them with color schemes and start writing content!
4. Your team thinks the SEO content is “too wordy.”
   Let’s be very clear here. If you plan to have less than 200-300 words on your web pages and still expect to rank for competitive keywords on the search engines, good luck! Don’t pay for optimization services and then throw the content away because it’s too wordy and not artful enough. SEO content writing is an art based on keyword research. It’s not supposed to sound like a marketing brochure, or the great American novel. Don’t do SEO because it is something all the cool kids are doing. Do it to use it!
5. Your website is very Flashy.
   If your website has an intro, or takes a long time to load, you probably have not taken the advice of an SEO or usability expert.
6. You have music playing on your website.
   If your prospective customer is quietly feeding money into your shopping cart at work, don’t repay her by blasting music that gets her in trouble with her boss!
   
7. Your website is loaded with Flash and JavaScript instead humble HTML.
   Optimizing Flash and JavaScript is possible, but only if you want to pay a lot of extra money. HTML may not be as glamorous, but it gets you a whole lot more bang for your buck.
8. You spent more on photography or print campaign than on your search marketing campaign.
   Don’t think of your search marketing company as a miracle worker, and don’t make them beg for scraps after you’ve paid for the TV commercials, fancy brochures, and high-paid PR design firms. Those high-priced items may give you status, but search marketing offers ROI.
9. Don’t use your gut to select SEO keywords.
   Business owners and marketing executives are the worst source of SEO keywords, because they think BIG. Searchers think SMALL and SPECIFIC.
10. You hear the words: “We don’t care about Google traffic” in your marketing meetings.
    Let’s face it: if you’re not getting Google traffic, your website is useless. Don’t bother making an expensive website if no one can find it.

Please feel free to share your own marketing war stories with me.