It’s amazing how many poorly researched, poorly written, and poorly targeted paid search campaigns I’ve come across on the major search engines without even really looking for them. It’s obvious why Google runs those $25 free AdWords credit promotions for new users; if you don’t know what you’re doing, that money goes pretty quickly.

Whether they’re using Google AdWords, Yahoo! SEM, or Microsoft adCenter, here are some of the dangerous thoughts that seem to go through the minds of PPC users:

1. I know the keywords that best describe my products/services; those are the ones I’ll target.

Standardizing the terms you use to refer to your products and services is part of effective branding. Search, however, is not done on your terms. It’s by definition on the terms of the user. Starbucks doesn’t refuse service to people who come in and order a “large”. Nor should you ignore users just because they don’t use specialized terminology in their search query.

2. I don’t want to leave any users out; I’ll use broad match keywords.

This is the flip-side of the above: While doing broad match for competitive keywords increases your brand’s exposure in theory, it will probably cost you more than it’s worth.
Use common sense. Targeting a broader range of phrase and exact match keywords that are more specific to what you provide will appeal to more qualified users who know they want, and are therefore more likely to convert.

3. My company name is the most important thing; I’ll make that my ad headline.

Search isn’t about you. It’s about whoever entered the search query, and most often, relevancy is what is most important. Anyway, your company name will hopefully show up in the display URL, if you chose your domain name wisely.

4. One of my ads is not performing well; I’ll try out a new one with a different headline, description, display URL, landing page.

No two PPC campagins are the same, so testing out lots of options is fundamental. However if you change everything about every test subject, how are you going to know what’s making a difference?
Instead, test combinations of different elements; that way, the elements that are common across multiple ads serves as a “control” for the experiment.

5. The user knows what they just searched for; why should I repeat it in my ad copy?

Not only does using keywords in the ad copy help reassure users that you’re speaking the same language, this practice also improves quality score in AdWords, which means higher placements and lower cost-per-click.

6. My homepage is the best source of information about my products/services; I want all my traffic going there.

Your home page might be a great resource for learning about your company and the different services you provide, but unless the keyword was your company name, or unless you only do one thing, the user is probably looking for something more specific. Why not give it to them?
Traffic to specialized landing pages is much more likely to convert (obviously other factors, like design, matter here too), and keyword relevancy on the landing page increases quality score, which again means – you guessed it – higher placements with lower cost-per-click.

7. I just need to increase my maximum cost-per-click.

PPC managers and the programs themselves will often recommend that you just need to put more money into your campaigns and it will pay off. This is the simplest way to get more clicks, but it’s also the most expensive and unless you improve other aspects of your campaigns, it will lower your ROI.

8. Once I have my campaigns optimized, I can leave them alone.

Ignoring zeitgeist can be a costly mistake for online businesses. Even the same customers might be using different language to search for the same things two months from now. Any number of political, social, or economic factors, while not affecting your business directly, can have an effect on mindset.
It’s not so important to know the “why” behind searcher behavior, as long as you monitor it and adjust your behavior accordingly.

9. I’m getting “hits”. AdWords is working.

For Google, anyway; they get paid every time you get a click.
The only way to know for sure if your AdWords account is working to its potential if by measuring the rate at which visitors to your site turn into customers or clients. This is your conversion rate, and most major PPC programs give you tools for measuring it. Use them.

10. I only need one campaign, one ad group, one ad.

Amazingly, I still see PPC accounts set up this way. The mindset behind this seems to be that your website and your company are what matters, so you come up with the best possible description of your website that will appeal to the broadest audience possible, and then put it in front of as many people as possible, as often as possible.

In paid search, the most important thing is to match up, in the user’s mind, the user’s lack with a product or service you provide. You have four lines of text to demonstrate this link.

The NBC-MSN association bore its fruit for Live Search during the Olympics. Final Score: Google 1, Yahoo 2, Live Search 2. Live Search wins by judge’s decision.