Every Internet Marketer makes mistakes, and those mistakes usually cost you money! It’s important that we learn from the mistakes that we make so that we do not make them again, and so that we can gain insight into where we went wrong. I have compiled a list of the 10 most common mistakes Internet Marketers make. My goal is to help you steer clear of these mistakes in the hope that I can save you some money, and time!
=>Mistake #1 – Using the Content Network
When you start a Google PPC campaign you should always remember to turn the content network off. The reason for this is because you do not want to receive traffic from pages with Google AdSense on them as these pages are many times plagued with click fraud and non targeted traffic. If you are not an expert, you should not be using the content network. I do not use the content network because it can cost you an arm and a leg and produce absolutely zero positive results.
To turn the content network off, log into your AdWords account, click on a campaign, then click the “Edit Campaign Settings” button. On the right of the screen “uncheck” the box that says “Content Network”. You can leave “Google Search” and “Search Network” checked.
=>Mistake #2 – Too Many Keywords per Ad Group
Limit the amount of keywords per Ad Group to less than 25 keyword (75 if using broad, phrase, and exact match types). Having more than 25 keywords can negatively affect your Quality Score as the more keywords you have, the less relevant they are to the ad. DO NOT put more than 25 keywords in an ad group unless all keywords are very highly relevant.
=>Mistake #3 – Keyword Grouping
When you put your keywords into an Ad Group you need to make sure that they are all very similar and have at least one common keyword. You will want to use the keyword(s) within the ad title and description as much as you can. Here is an example:
Ad Group Name: Internet Marketing
Common Keyword: Internet Marketing
Keywords: internet marketing, internet marketing book, internet marketing resource, internet marketing guide, best internet marketing book, internet marketing ebook, internet marketing help.
AD:
Internet Marketing e-Book
Learn How to Make Money Online
Top Internet Marketing eBook Review
YourSiteName.com
You can see that the common word has been use in the adcopy and that all keywords have the common word Internet Marketing. This is how to properly set up an ad Group.
=>Mistake #4 – Using only Broad Match Type
To optimize your keywords for best performance and highest CTR you need to use Broad, Phrase and Exact Match Type Options. A common mistake is to only use the Broad Match Type as many people are not aware of the other match types.
Broad Keyword: Internet Marketing
Phrase Keyword: “Internet Marketing”
Exact Keyword: [Internet Marketing]
Use all three keywords within your Ad Groups.
=>Mistake #5 – Low Daily Budget
If you are wanting to achieve high amounts of traffic you cannot expect to do so with a low daily budget. If your budget is $5 / day and you set your campaign to reflect this budget, chance are that you will not achieve much traffic at all. Google displays your ads based on a number of factors including daily budget. If your budget is set too low your ads will barely be displayed at all. We recommend setting your daily budget slightly higher than you are actually prepared to pay, then monitor your costs. It’s very difficult to get any kind of traffic with a very low daily budget.
=>Mistake #6 – Duplicate URL’s
Google only allows one url to be displayed in their search results per keyword and advertiser. If you are advertising the url: http://www.wealthyaffiliate.com, and another advertiser is advertising the same url, only one ad will be displayed. When coming into a new market there is often another advertiser already advertising the url that you would like to. In this case you need to either raise your CPC in order to outbid the competitor, or, create a landing page. Landing pages always convert into sales better as web surfers like to read reviews, comparisons, and opinions about products prior to making a purchase. If you are not getting impressions for some of your Ad Groups, this could be one of the reasons why.
=>Mistake #7 – Keyword Bid Price too High
When you set your bid prices you need to have a limit, and unless you are an experienced marketer and know that your Ad Group / keyword / ad combinations make you sales you shouldn’t bid too high. I know that you are anxious to get some traffic, but paying $5.00 per click is much too high. On that note, paying $1.00 is many times too high. Try to keep your bid prices as low as possible while achieving the best position you can. Do not try to get traffic by simply out bidding your competitors. The idea is to outsmart competitors using relevant keyword groups and in turn you will pay less and see better results.
=>Mistake #8 – Ad Positions are Too Low
When trying to get traffic to your site you need to use the Google Traffic Estimator to help you determine how much you should bid per keyword. Many times if your CPC (cost per click) is too low, your position will be greater than 10 and you will not be on the first page of search results. For best traffic try to be in position 2-9 (on the first page of search results in Google). With this being said, it is sometimes very expensive to be on the first page and you may be forced to be in page 2. This is OK because as your Quality Score goes up, so will your positioning. Try to get on the first page, but if you cannot because of the bid price being too high, don’t worry, you’ll eventually get there by using our techniques to get a better Quality Score.
=>Mistake #9 – Non-Targeted Keywords
If you are advertising a product like WealthyAffiliate.com or Beating Adwords, you may be inclined to use keywords such as:
Marketing, ebook, Affiliate, Money.
The problem with these keywords is that they receive a lot of traffic, which costs you an arm and a leg, but the traffic does not convert into sales. The reason is because the keywords are not targeted enough. If you are selling Beating Adwords, our new Internet Marketing ebook, using the above keywords, the visitors are not necessarily looking for an IM ebook. If someone types in the keyword “Money” they could be looking for help with Microsoft Money, or Currency Exchange Rates. Same with the keyword “ebook”. Someone could be looking for a golfing ebook, or how to create an ebook.
You need to make sure that your keywords are highly targeted to what you are selling. For example: Internet Marketing ebook, or Make Money Online would be better choices to replace the keywords mentioned above. The more targeted your keywords are to your product, the better conversions you will see.
=>Mistake #10 – Too Many Ads when Split Testing
Split testing allow you to run more than one ad for an ad group to see which adcopy (the text of the ad) creates a higher CTR. In other words, which ad entices searchers to click more frequently. Split testing should only be done using two ads and no more. This way you can determine which ad performs better. You want to treat split testing as a contest, or even a competition. The better performing ad gets to move on to the next round, while the lower gets replaced by a new competitor.
Limit the number of ads you are running per Ad Group to 2 ads when split testing.
On a final note: Expensive mistakes can be made easily in the world of internet marketing and there is risk as we learn and take on competitive markets. Having mentors and a strong network of supportive colleagues is important, if not imperative for success. There are more and more poeple logging on every day, and the market continues to grow. However, unless you approach internet marketing with an understanding of the pitfalls and a plan for success, it will be difficult to foster lasting success. Internet marketing, in all its hype, is only a business (not a get rich quick scheme.) All successful businesses must begin with a plan.
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