Since AdWords and other PPC platforms are auction marketplaces, or “pay to play” channels, more players means more money needed to play.

Three tools to test and optimize your AdWords ads

Tool: #1 Brainstorm ad copy with the MECLABS conversion formula

 

Conversations about ad copy and image ad creative are often completely separate from the analysis and optimization side of PPC campaigns. That doesn’t need to be true. Writing text ad copy certainly requires some creative skill, but we can still take an analytical approach to help guide our efforts.

 

Each text ad should convey enough information to your audience before you pay for a click. What information is “enough?” Try out this formula from MECLABS Institute:

Now, I don’t expect you to use this formula to actually calculate a number value for each of your ads, but I do want you to consider the components and their relative importance.

 

Motivation, or user intent to buy, is the most valuable variable. How far down the buying funnel is your audience? At the end of the day, the best ads in the world aren’t very useful to people who are simply looking for more information or are not yet ready to buy.

 

Though you can control intent by what keywords you target, the remaining variables are a helpful guide to writing your ads:

v = Is there a clear value proposition? Why should they buy from you?

(i – f) = Are you providing enough incentive to get the user to act now, while reducing as much friction in the process as possible?

a = Are you requiring a lot of personal information in order for the user to receive your offer?

Try running a few of your ads through this line of thought and see if there are any major deficiencies in your copywriting.

 

Tool #2: Create, set up & execute: Instantly generate A/B tests with the AdWords ETA Tool

Our engineers recently built this tool to combine three existing tools that AdHawk account managers use on a regular basis: AdWords’ ad preview tool, AdWords bulk uploader and an A/B test generator.

 

You can easily create ready-to-upload expanded text ads that test up to 27 variations of the same ad. Simply hit the green [+] button next to the variable you would like to test and enter your test copy.

 

Here are three tests you can start with:

1. Optimize your call to action (CTA) & promotion. Take the headline from your best-performing text ad (legacy or existing) and enter it as Header # Then use the ETA Tool to generate multiple Header #2 variations to test different CTAs (Learn more, buy now, sign up) or Promotions (discount, campaign, bonus offering).
2. Dynamic keyword insertion (DKI) vs. regular keyword targeting. An early test comparing ETAs to old text ads found that using Dynamic Keyword Insertion in one of the two Headline fields actually hurt CTR (click-through rate). It’s worth finding out for yourself if this holds true for your own ads.
3. Find the feature that triggers the most sales. Try highlighting key product features for the more broad keywords you target. Look for keywords that suggest general buyer intent (they have the problem), and test your various features (i.e., the solution) in different settings.

For these tests, be sure to set your ads to Rotate Evenly so you can acquire data and make decisions more quickly.

 

Tool #3: Analyze & Optimize: Test your results and pick your winner with this A/B Test Result Calculator

Now it’s time to pick the winner, the top performer, the crème de la crème, the money savior, the CHAMPION!

But… what does that mean exactly?

It depends on what KPI (key performance indicator) you are optimizing for.

This calculator tool from Cardinal Path is extra helpful if you’re optimizing for highest CTR or lowest CPA (cost per acquisition).

Enter the data from your A/B tested ads. It will tell you whether or not you have a winner. The best  part? If you don’t have enough data to have a statistically significant “winner,” this calculator will tell you how confident it currently is and how many more clicks you’ll need in order to reach statistical significance.

 

Source: Search Engine Land