Putting the "Ad" into AdWords...

When you're new to AdWords, it's tempting to devote far too much time and energy in trying to craft that "killer" ad...

...but the truth is that writing ads is a science, not an art. Here are a few of the rules...

Never Fly Blind...

In over four years developing AdWords campaigns, we've never seen a profitable example that didn't track conversions.

AdWords Conversion Tracking is simple to install and a "must" for measuring ad performance. Remember, by itself the Click-Through-Rate (CTR) of an ad tells you nothing about the ROI it's delivering. We've seen many examples of ads with a lower CTR, but higher conversion rate.

Google Analytics obviously adds a great deal more data, but takes

time to master. However, one feature worth using immediately is its ability to tell you which ad position yields the best results.

Finally, don't forget the AdWords Reports section. This has improved significantly over the past year, and the Search Query Performance report is a real asset in optimising keywords and ad copy.

Cut out the Middle Man...

In this case, the "middle man" is Google. When developing and testing your ads, it's vital to put yourself in control as far as possible:

Delivery Method: By default, Google spreads the delivery of your ads evenly throughout the day, ensuring you don't exhaust your daily budget (and they get to spend as much of it as possible). However, it also serves to mask the true demand for your product or service. We have seen many cases where ads are more profitable at certain times of the day. If you have a limited budget, spend it when you'll get the best return. We recommend running campaigns using Accelerated delivery. Keep an eye on your daily budget and adjust accordingly.

Ad Serving: If you're running multiple ads, Google will automatically start favouring the one with the highest CTR once a certain volume of clicks have been received. We never use the default Optimise option,