Writing ads

[pops]

Hi All,
I guess I am trying to find a shortcut here that probably doesn't exist.
I am using PPC engines to promote my site, especially since it's only been on the air for about 7 weeks and not ranking well in any search engine. I also did not pay a lot of attention to onpage SEO when I designed the site because every time I try to do that it reads like a third grader wrote it. So....PPC's are my choice at this time.
My question is this: is there a way to know if your ad will pull the RIGHT kind of visitor other than putting it up there and spending a bunch of money on it? I certainly cannot think of a way to do it, but if there is one thing I have learned in the last couple of months it's this; the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. It gets a little disheartening at times, but I can hang as long as I have to.
Anyone have any suggestions?..or is it always going to be a trial and error type thing.
Thanks to any responses in advance. You guys are really helpful.

[Rosalind Gardner]

Hi Pops,

No reason to be disheartened. You're asking the right questions and continually learning, so you're heading in the right direction!

I STILL learn something new everyday, and usually more than one thing!

My recommendation regarding the ads is to study your competitors' advertising carefully before you begin your own ad campaign.

Which ones attract you the most? Which ones actually deliver on their advertised promises?

Because that's what you want to achieve... customer satisfaction in the least amount of clicks. Tell 'em what you're going to give them, then give it to them.

And you don't need to be at the top of the page (eg. at Yahoo! Search Marketing) to get good traffic without breaking the bank.

I've found that being at the bottom of the page serves just as well, and sometimes better, than being near the top.

The folks that make it all the way to the bottom actually read through the listings and choose to click on yours because of the message. Discerning shoppers... that's a good thing!

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Rosalind

[pops]

Thank you all.
It makes perfect sense to me, Ros, that those who read to the bottom of the ad page are actually looking for something. Sheesh! Why are the most obvious things so blocked from our vision sometimes?
Thanks again.
I really like this forum.

[anton]

Hi Pops,

perhaps you know already Googspy, if not check it out!
GoogSpy For Keyword Research is a tool for spying on your competitors. But seriously what I want to know is what keywords they are using so I can use them myself.
Therefore I use GoogSpy as follows:

1. I research the common keywords for my particular affiliate program. --> The ones I know I can never afford to pay for.
2. I enter the keywords in Google.com to see which ads are displayed.
3. I copy and paste the URL or company name into Googspy to see what keywords they are bidding on so that I can use them too.

GoogSpy will show you a list of keywords a company is using. If someone is constantly at the top paying spots, I am sure they are not crackbrained enough to stay there if they are not making a profit. So just take a look at what keywords they are using and test them in your campaigns to see if they convert for you.

I hope that helps!