Smart
Goto Gambits
Author:
John Gergye
Feeling
gouged by Goto.com?
A pawn in a game of Gotcha?
Need a game plan as to what to do next?
I've seen a lot of angry spleen venting over the recent changes
in GoTo.com's pricing policy. Problem is, going postal won't
change it. That's the way it is. Like Yogi, we've now got to be
smarter than the average bear. So, I wanted to offer some
resources for improved Pay-Per-Click (PPC) efficiency.
For starters, I don't want to rehash the obvious. I mean I could
tell you not to touch those one cent bids (well, duh!) as they
are grandfathered in until September 1. Or that you should make
your bids work harder with better titles and descriptions. Or
suggest checking out other PPCs to lower your average cost per
bid. Still...
==> GoTo Gambit #1
Here's a useful tool to see what keywords might run you in other PPCs. Just plug in keywords and a maximum bid for each. By
return email you'll discover where your proposed max bid would
slot you in the bidding hierarchy. Pretty slick, huh? Makes it
easy to find the lowest cost PPC deals.
http://www.did-it.com/prospector.htm/
==> GoTo Gambit #2
Put on your thinking cap and come up with relevant two and
three-word phrases. Why? Efficiency. Phrases have fewer total
searches. Bids for those top spots cost less. And they usually
give you better click-through rates.
Stuck? The best tool I've found for coming up with phrases is
the new and improved keyword wizard. Just eliminate one word
suggestions and in a matter of minutes you'll have tons of
search phrase possibilities. http://www.jimtools.com/
==> GoTo Gambit #3
How much can you afford to bid? Don't know? Well, it all comes
down to three letters: ROI. Return On Investment. There's a
handy form that was specifically designed to help you find out
how much you can bid profitably. http://www.payperclickcalculator.com/
Once you know that, head over to the Goto.com Keyword
Interrogator and enter a keyword. It returns a list of search
terms along with the number of searches and the Top 10 (or
however many you want) bids for each.
==> GoTo Gambit #4
Make every click count. If a visitor doesn't buy, do you use a
pop-up box to ask them to sign-up for your ezine or a mini
course as a fallback? You would at least get something out of
the click.
==> GoTo Gambit #5
I assume you know which keywords send you the most traffic?
Guard those puppies like a junk yard dog! Don't know how? Piece
of cake with this next FREE tool. It shows you where you can
save money by keeping you on top of bid gaps. That is, where you can lower your bid and still not lose your position. I mean, why
over bid it you don't have to? http://www.positionguardian.com/
Or you can pay to automate this task using PPCBidTracker or
Keyword Bid Optimizer (KBO). Pricing may favor KBO. Especially
with multiple domains. http://www.PPCBidTracker.com/
==> GoTo Gambit #6
Ever consider optimizing your site for GoTo's default search
engine, Inktomi? You might want to. That way, if a search term
at GoTo.com doesn't have enough (or any) bids, it pulls in
results from Inktomi. Top positions there could mean free
traffic from GoTo. Don't know much about Inktomi? No problem.
Get help at this forum:
http://searchengineforums.com/bin/Ultimate.cgi/
==> GoTo Gambit #7
Finally, while not really a gambit, a FREE piece of software I
can't live without since GoTo's suggestion tool is down too
much, is Good Keywords. It works great and is a big help in
getting the most from the PPCs. http://www.softnik.com/?gkw/
Hopefully these suggestions will save you time and/or money. And
make the pain of the recent pricing decrees at Goto.com easier to swallow.
About the
author:
John Gergye. Is Your eBook as Silent as a Mime? Well, Make It Talk! Digital
publisher John Gergye has more ideas like these, as well as a clever way to make
your eBook stand out from the crowd! Find out how at http://www.makeyourebooktalk.com/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?a03