When you qualify your AdWords leads, you can reduce the click-through
rate (CTR) of browsers and help direct only those most interested in your
offer to your site. How is it done? By inserting text that will purposely
eliminate arbitrary visitors.
Purposely eliminating visitors sounds like an awful thing to do, doesn't
it? Perhaps, until you consider the fact that - once these visitors got to
your site and found out the details of your offer - they'd most likely leave
anyway.
Why not save yourself a click (and the money associated with that click!)
and prevent the visitor from running up your monthly AdWords bill? This is
exactly what Steve Jackson of Conversion Chronicles and I discussed awhile
back. Since that discussion, I've come up with a process that will allow you
to easily write pre-qualifying ads when you use these simple steps.
Step One
Outline the specifications of your offer. Be precise. List all the
details of the offer, the price, length of time, physical location, size,
etc. For example, say you have luxury cruise packages available. You'd want
to list the details such as: packages depart from New York City and go to
several destinations in Mexico including Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta and
Mazatlán from December 5-15 for a cost of $2500 per person.
Step Two
Go back and highlight anything that would be a deal breaker. This is a
luxury cruise, so the cost of $2500 per person might be too much for most
people. Quite often, cruisers are looking for the best deal possible.
Also, the cruise only leaves from New York City. The additional airfare
cost might not be something your site visitors want to add to the cost of
their trip. Or, it may be inconvenient to depart from New York City.
What about the dates? These cruises are only available on the dates of
December 5-15. Your site visitors may not be able to take a holiday during
that time.
Does the visitor want to sail to the locations on the itinerary? Maybe
they've already been to Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán and are
looking for a cruise to Cabo San Lucas.
Are there other factors that might force shoppers to decline the offer
and move to another site? If so, list them here.
Step Three
Now, decide which bits of information you want to include in your AdWords
ads. You'll want to test and track to see which combination of details bring
the lowest click-through rates along with the highest conversions. For
example, your ad might read:
Luxury Mexico Cruise 12/5 Tour tropical Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta & more.
Leave NYC. $2500pp www.whatever.com
That would give a lot of information that would keep unqualified visitors
from clicking through to your site (and running up your AdWords bill). At
the same time, the use of words like "luxury" and "tropical" help the
searcher visualize their wonderful vacation.
Another example could be a special shipment of microwave ovens. Let's go
through the steps once again.
Step One
The specifications include: convection/microwave combination, built-in
with light and vent features, 1200 watts, white, $900, available on the
Internet only.
Step Two
Any of these could be used to weed out visitors. Someone may not want the
convection feature. They want a countertop microwave rather than a built-in
model. Twelve-hundred watts may be more powerful (and larger) than the
visitor needs. Their kitchen may have stainless steel or black appliances,
not white. Lastly, $900 could be more than they have budgeted for a
microwave.
Step Three
Again, you'll want to test and track to see which tidbits of information
work best to bring qualified leads, reduce CTR and costs, and improve
conversions.
Your ad might look like this:
Powerful Convec/Microwave Special purchase. Attractive range built-in
with 1200w. Only $900. www.whatever.com
Rather than using generic terms to describe high cost or frequently
compared PPC items, get as specific as you can with "disqualifying" copy. By
weeding out those who would likely take one look and leave, you can save
yourself a lot of money in AdWords expenses while increasing conversions.
