Now here’s something that we all already have some experience with (and it’s based on common sense); something that we all understand well, but usually forget or choose not to do anything about. That is, choosing our words wisely on the web.
A Single Word With Drastic Consequences
You know, changing a single work on a landing page, or in an online ad for example, can have drastic consequences. For the better or for the worse, depending on the particular circumstances. And this is exactly why most online marketing gurus and successful web businesses follow a never ending pattern of test, measure, and tweak. The smallest things can make the biggest difference!
Ready For A Very Fictional Example?
Great, let’s get started then. For our example, we’ll look at a typical little word that can make or break a PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ad campaign. Say you’ve just done a Google Search for "Astronaut Pen." You’ve just watched the classic episode of Seinfeld and thought you’d like to buy one of these pens as a gag gift for a fellow Seinfeld fan.
Now the organic results (the bigger listings down the left hand side of the search page that aren’t highlighted), well, they have a bunch of information about how the space pen was devised for NASA. They do a great job of collecting highlights and Seinfeld fan pages — but so far, no one that is actually selling the pen has optimized and achieved prominent rankings here. And being that you’re looking to buy the pen and not just learn more about its history, you look to the ads down the side, right?
One of the PPC listings shown might look something like this:
Astronaut Pen
Find out more about the
Famous astronaut pen today.
Example-Site.com
Another one of the listings might be:
Buy The Astronaut Pen
$9.99 w/Free S&H Today!
Order your own space pen.
Example-Site-Two.com
Okay, so based on these two relevant listings, which one do you click on? Well since you’re wanting to purchase a pen and not just learn more about it, you’re going to click "Buy The Astronaut Pen," right? So for the site owner, by including just one important word in the title ("Buy"), they’ve gotten the click.
Now, on the other side of the fence, let’s say that your website is the one using the first ad — the one with the title of "Astronaut Pen." You’ve secured a $5,000 government grant to promote your online museum devoted to the history of the magic writing utensil. After all, it’s a U.S. national treasure. (Okay, Okay, you do realize this is all a fictional example, correct?)
Problem is, you’re getting all kinds of visitors, but your bounce rate is sky-high. Searchers are clicking on your ad like crazy and running up your ad costs, even though they’re not looking to learn about the history of the pen — they just want to buy. In this case, you’d probably want to change the title to "History Of Astronaut Pen" so that buyers move on down the list to ads aiming to sell — leaving your budget intact to reach true aficionados of NASA history.
Moral Of The Story?
One small word can make or break an ad campaign. Same goes for a landing page or even a call to action.
Until Next Time.
George Chaney
President/CEO
SEO King, Inc.
